The Fitzroy Valley Health Partnership began formally in the year 2000. It began as a partnership between the Fitzroy Valley Health Services (FVHS) and NCHS. At this time the Health Minister, Bob Kucera, was encouraging and endorsing partnerships between the Health Department and Aboriginal Health Services. This was a new approach for both organizations and the hard work and good will of all of those individuals involved in these formative years of the Partnership is recognized and acknowledged.

The Fitzroy Valley Health Service (FVHS) is part of the WA Country Health Service (WACHS) and includes services which come via Kimberley Health Region. This comprises a hospital, providing a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services, and Population Health Service. Outpatient services include appointment based General Practice, emergencies, specialist visits and allied health visits. The Population Health Service includes community clinics, child health, school health, community midwife, retinal photography, and diabetic educator. Clinical management of Population Health is provided by Kimberley Population Health Unit, based in Broome.

In 2004, the first Partnership Agreement was signed by the WACHS and NCHS. This Agreement formalized the intention of both parties to work in Partnership, so as to deliver, in a coordinated fashion, increasingly effective, efficient and culturally safe health care to the population of the Fitzroy Valley region. The principal mechanism for auspicing and operationalizing the Partnership Agreement was the Partnership Forum. The Partnership Forum membership included equal representation from each service and was chaired by the CEO of Nindilingarri. WACHS provided the secretariat support and it was agreed that the Partnership Forum would meet regularly (approximately monthly).

The Partnership Forum provided an environment that has allowed each organization to meet and discuss their roles, problems, plans and ideas.

It continues to be the shared vision of the Fitzroy Valley Health Partnership to completely eliminate duplication and provide a continuum of care that is culturally appropriate, holistic and sustainable. In consultation, it was decided that each group would identify their core business functions and concentrate their activities in these areas.

In order to facilitate the partnership, NCHS has agreed to withdraw from clinical service provision and transfer their clinical services, including all associated funding and on costs to WACHS. To progress this process, new documents have been written that clearly define the parameters of an equal partnership between NCHS and WACHS, as the major health service providers in the Fitzroy Valley. The changes in service delivery will commence on July 1, 2006. A new ACTION plan that specifically addresses issues pertaining to the Partnership Forum will be available from July 1, 2006.