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Philanthropy
Change in healthcare never stops. But the dollars in research focus on hospital care. We fill the gap by innovating in the community to stop people needing hospitals. Help us make sense of care through contributing your cents today.
Health for good!
Why Innovations Need Philanthropy
Great healthcare doesn’t just happen. Behind every breakthrough—from early disease detection to digital cardiac rehabilitation—there’s years of testing, refining, and proving what works.
Sandstone is growing the healthcare of the future by seeding one question at a time. We share what we learn in papers, presentations, software systems, models of care, study tours and so much more. But we can’t do it alone.
Medicare funds the care we deliver today. But it doesn’t fund the innovation that will radically impact treatment and outcomes for Australians tomorrow.
Make a Difference
Testing new approaches, designing better systems, and proving what works requires different investment.
Our team asks questions that matter: How can we catch disease earlier? How can we coordinate care better? How can we bring hospital-level expertise into community settings? We even participate in clinical trials.
We have something very rare to help us answer these questions; a Research and Collaborations Officer. Their experience compliments the ideas of our clinicians meaning we get to the answers faster.
Those questions have led to real change. We pioneered retinal screening in general practice and secured Medicare funding for it. We developed ‘beacon’ models where hospital specialists work alongside GPs in the community. We built software businesses that provide better data systems to practices across Australia. We uploaded Australia’s first national health record. We tested electronic prescribing in Queensland.
Each project starts with a question. Each requires partnerships, time, and resources that patient fees can’t cover. That’s where your support comes in.
Make a Difference - Donate Today
Sandstone Healthcare is built on the idea that many tiny grains of sand can come together to make something bigger, stronger and more beautiful. Those grains can be our many people who are often under pressure whilst they make things happen for our patients. It can be your donation.
No matter how small, it is both tax deductible and adds to our collection of resources to make healthcare better. Help us apply pressure to the problems which plague healthcare today.
Health for good!
Innovation for change
Making cardiovascular disease prevention routine
Most heart attack patients never attend cardiac rehabilitation, making a second event far more likely. Together with Cardihab and the Australian Primary Care Nurses Association, we’re changing that.
We’re scaling up a model that uses proven digital therapeutics—technology already reimbursable through health funds—to make rehabilitation accessible from home. Patients get support from nurses and their GP team without needing to travel to a clinic.
If this model proves effective, we’ll work to spread this to every general practice and advocate for broader funding. Our vision extends to the Pacific, where cardiovascular disease is the biggest killer. This blend of technology and nursing support could change outcomes for millions.
You can be the first aid our health system needs by donating to our Sandstone innovation programme.
Healthy ageing pathways
The evidence is clear: we can reduce years of frailty and extend wellness into old age. We’re designing care pathways that prevent falls, manage multiple conditions, and help people maintain independence longer.
This requires coordination across GPs, nurses, allied health, and community services. We’re testing approaches that could benefit ageing Australians nationwide targeting the gap between lifespan and healthspan.
Social prescribing: treating loneliness as a health risk
Loneliness has the same detrimental effect on health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. We’re working with health, social, and community care sectors to create a national response.
We’ve scoped software solutions for nurses, social workers, and volunteers. We’ve piloted approaches through embedded social workers and community lawyers. Now we need to make that level of support routine for everyone who needs it.
It is true, nature bathing and engaging in activities which bring joy to life extend life in the same way as eating well. Some people just need a little more help to embrace their social prescription.
Amplifying voices of patients that the health system often fails
We’re collecting stories and insights from patients the health system often fails – people with disability, from multicultural backgrounds, from rural and disadvantaged areas, FIFO workers, people in disaster-prone regions.
These patients have the worst health outcomes because they’re outliers in most healthcare settings. Every time a patient feels unheard or misunderstood, risk escalates—risk they won’t understand their medication, risk they’ll disengage from care, risk the clinician will overlook what the patient really needs.
We’ll use video stories and workshops to train clinicians in responsive care. Because their lives matter, and ignorance just pushes rising costs down the road. Because keeping our clinicians from burning out and leaving their profession means we will all have better access to care tomorrow.
AI-powered clinical support
Clinicians face information overload. We’re interested in the development of AI systems that surface relevant patient history, flag potential drug interactions, and suggest evidence-based options. This involves exploring international partnerships for rigorous and ethical trials.
The goal isn’t replacing human judgement. It’s giving clinicians better tools so they can focus on listening, thinking, and caring. Early testing shows promise, but proving safety and effectiveness requires extensive evaluation.
Sharing What Works
When we develop something effective, we share it. With other practices, with policymakers, with anyone working toward better healthcare. Our national profile and committee roles help innovations spread beyond our own walls.
The return isn’t just for our patients—it’s for healthcare broadly. That’s the point.
Real impact requires changing systems, not just treating patients. We advocate for team-based models, fair funding, integration across health and social care and removing barriers to care. When innovations work, we make sure the rest of the healthcare system knows about them.
How You Can Help
Whether you’re interested in supporting specific research, funding pilot programs, or helping fill gaps in care, we’d welcome the conversation.
We’re a registered charity with deductible gift registration. Your contribution is tax-deductible.
Partners
Sandstone Healthcare is a not-for-profit general practice that delivers warm, relationship-centred care while pioneering new models that lift community health for good.
We are always open to new partnerships. Just reach out to talk through your idea.
Teaching Practice
We host junior clinicians to help grow Australia’s health workforce. You get to choose the role you want to play in their training.
