Customer Success Story
Aligning IT Strategy with Organisational Growth at South Western Sydney PHN
Introducing SWSPHN
South Western Sydney Primary Health Network (SWSPHN) is a not-for-profit organisation that supports primary healthcare providers across 7 LGAs in South Western Sydney. Their mission: enhancing and connecting care to meet local health needs. They are one of 31 Primary Health Networks in Australia providing support to GPs, practice nurses and other primary care providers.
SWSPHN has expanded in recent years, with their technology environment growing across IT, data and digital health functions. This growth outpaced their internal IT structure and caused operational strain and reduced clarity on roles and responsibilities across teams.
The Situation
SWSPHN’s growing technology needs led to fragmented and unclear ownership of IT functions. Staff were unsure who to take issues to, work was duplicated, and teams operated in silos without clear priorities. At the same time, limited resources meant IT was reactive rather than planned.
These issues gave way to operational and cultural impacts. Security and compliance risks grew, and staff felt frustrated with the current processes. SWSPHN didn’t have a single point of leadership for IT as it had been dispersed across the organisation. They had visibility over the budget, but the organisation didn’t have a single leader to own that budget and analyse whether it was allocated appropriately. Major initiatives like an ERP project and ISO 27001 were underway, highlighting the need to find a solution that would allow SWSPHN to scale with confidence.
Establishing Strategic IT Leadership
While SWSPHN internally understood their challenges, they wanted an external perspective with dedicated IT ownership to drive change. They chose Rodin’s CIO as a Service (CIOaaS) as the first step to getting on the right track. Rodin delivered a comprehensive analysis that assessed SWSPHN’s current state and risks. Next, Rodin outlined a roadmap of the roles SWSPHN should hire over the next six months to improve the IT function.
Rodin brought a structured, executive-level approach, combining documentation review, cross-functional stakeholder interviews, and detailed analysis to uncover root causes rather than surface-level symptoms. Christine Turner – Executive Manager of Corporate Services at SWSPHN – noted that Rodin’s ability to translate complex findings into clear insights and a practical roadmap was what set them apart from other competitors. Christine also noted that Rodin operates as a true partner by fostering open communication, conducting regular check-ins, and scheduling weekly on-site visits to ensure alignment.
The Outcomes
SWSPHN and Rodin’s partnership is ongoing, but Christine has noted several benefits already. The introduction of defined leadership roles and governance frameworks positions SWSPHN to better manage risk, IT investment and strategic initiatives.
The key outcomes so far include:
- Clear, actionable roadmap aligned to strategic goals and growth
- Increased clarity on IT roles and responsibilities
- Improved trust between staff, leadership and the board
- Reduced organisational tension and improved job satisfaction
- Faster decision-making and improved ability to execute on priorities