The National Rural and Remote Health Infrastructure Program (NRRHIP) aims to improve access to health services by providing funding to rural and remote communities where the lack of infrastructure is a barrier to the establishment of new, or the enhancement of existing, health services.

The objectives of the National Rural and Remote Health Infrastructure Program are to:

• support local rural and remote communities to develop flexible, long-term solutions for the provision of health services to meet the needs of the community;
• assist the establishment and/or refurbishment of primary health care and medical facilities in rural and remote communities;
• retain community access to rural private hospital services;
• support allied health professionals to establish, continue and/or enhance the delivery of privately insurable health services to rural and remote communities; and
• make it easier for rural and remote communities to recruit and retain the services of general practitioners (GPs) and allied health professionals.

Who is eligible for National Rural and Remote Health Infrastructure Program?

Those eligible to apply for funding under the National Rural and Remote Health Infrastructure Program include:

• Local government organisations (shire councils, district councils, regional councils);
• Divisions of General Practice;
• Aboriginal Corporations
• private practitioners, where funding will be used for training facilities for medical students/registrars;
• allied health professionals, who are providing privately insurable health services; (see Table A below) and dentists in private practice; and
• rural private hospitals including those eligible under the former Bush Nursing, Small Community and Regional Private Hospitals program (Attachment 1 of this Application & Eligibility Guidelines refers) and the former Rural Private Access (RPA) program.

All Applicants for the National Rural and Remote Health Infrastructure Program (NRRHIP) must have an Australian Business Number (ABN) or an Australian Company Number (ACN) to apply for funding under the National Rural and Remote Health Infrastructure Program.

Rural Workforce Agencies may apply for funding as a partnership arrangement with any of the above eligible applicants. Divisions of General Practice and local government organisations may also apply for National Rural and Remote Health Infrastructure Program funding to fund facilities which are located on hospital or health campus grounds.

What activities are eligible for funding?

National Rural and Remote Health Infrastructure Program funding is available for:

• Capital Works / Refurbishment (up to $500,000 [GST exclusive]);
• Equipment (up to $250,000 [GST exclusive]); and/or
• Strategic Service Planning for rural private hospitals (up to $50,000 [GST exclusive]).

An applicant may apply for funding under more than one (1) funding stream, but the total of their application must not exceed $500,000 (GST exclusive).

Merit criteria

Each application for the National Rural and Remote Health Infrastructure Program (NRRHIP) will be assessed against the following criteria:

• demonstrated understanding of the over-arching aims and objectives of the NRRHIP;
• suitability of the project plan as presented in the application;
• relevant experience and technical skills of members within the project team with demonstrated capacity to manage projects within budget and on time;
• demonstrated value for money, i.e. appropriate cost to outcome, and other contributions including financial, material and/or in-kind support;
• demonstrated capacity for sustainability of the project beyond the funding period;
• appropriate management of any potential or actual competing interests; and
• identification of potential risks, if applicable.

The assessment of National Rural and Remote Health Infrastructure Program (NRRHIP) applications will take approximately six months from the closing date and applicants will be advised in writing as to the outcome of the assessment process.

The closing date for National Rural and Remote Health Infrastructure Program (NRRHIP) applications will be announced late in 2009.