New learnbook highlights how place-based commissioning can turn fragmented services into connected care
A new learnbook developed by The Good Shift, in partnership with Brisbane South PHN, explores how place-based commissioning can help communities move beyond fragmented services and create more connected, responsive systems of care. Drawing on work with the Southern Moreton Bay Islands community, Commissioning in Place: A Learnbook from Practice demonstrates how understanding local experiences, strengthening community participation, and improving coordination across services can lead to better outcomes for residents.
Understanding the challenge behind service fragmentation
The Southern Moreton Bay Islands receive significant investment through a complex network of services, programs and funding streams. However, research undertaken as part of the learnbook found that while numerous programs were operating across the region, there was often no clear mechanism to determine whether these services were collectively improving outcomes for residents.
The project identified 91 programs, 80 funding streams and 92 funder relationships supporting the islands. While each investment had a specific purpose, the broader picture revealed challenges in coordinating services around community needs and aspirations.
For residents, accessing care can involve navigating multiple providers, referral pathways and significant travel requirements. Families may need to engage with general practice, allied health, paediatric services, schools, disability supports and family services, often acting as the coordinators of their own care journey.
Looking beyond individual programs
The learnbook highlights that successful commissioning is about more than funding individual services. It is the ongoing process of understanding community needs, shaping the conditions for effective delivery, fostering collaboration and adapting solutions over time.
A key finding was that the existence of a funded service does not always translate to genuine access. Factors such as transport, workforce availability, eligibility requirements, service timing and community trust can all affect whether residents are able to benefit from available programs.
By mapping investments across the islands, the project revealed a system where services often operated independently, creating duplication, gaps and missed opportunities for coordination.
Community voice at the centre
Brisbane South PHN CEO Mike Bosel said the project shifted the focus from simply identifying service gaps to understanding the lived experience of accessing care.
"What changed our thinking was realising that the issue was not simply a lack of services, but the experience of trying to access them. Residents were navigating multiple programs, referral pathways, and significant travel burdens, often with no one responsible for ensuring the pieces worked together.”
He said genuine stewardship must be grounded in community experience while connecting local knowledge with the organisations that hold responsibility for funding and service delivery.
The learnbook showcases examples where community-led initiatives created meaningful connections between residents and services but struggled to fit within traditional funding and governance structures. These experiences highlighted the importance of supporting the often-unseen work that helps people navigate complex systems.
A practical approach to commissioning in place
Rather than promoting a one-size-fits-all model, the learnbook presents commissioning in place as an ongoing practice of understanding a community's unique circumstances and bringing together the organisations, services and residents needed to create change.
According to Mr Bosel, community participation must move beyond consultation and become a meaningful part of how investment decisions are made.
“The work on the islands has reinforced that commissioning is most effective when it begins with community voice and local experience. Co-design is part of that, but so is learning through doing, testing approaches, seeing what happens in practice, and adapting as we learn.”
The learnbook encourages commissioners and policymakers to examine services through the lens of local experience, identify who is connecting the gaps between programs, and strengthen the systems that enable coordinated care.
Find out more
Commissioning in Place: A Learnbook from Practice was produced by The Good Shift in partnership with Brisbane South PHN and co-authored by Ingrid Burkett, Craig Cunningham and Kylie Colville. It provides practical insights for organisations seeking to design more connected, locally responsive systems that improve outcomes for communities.
Further reading: Confetti or coherence? When 91 programs still do not add up (The Mandarin, subscription required).