• Indigenous-led model sees decrease in infant removals
• Clinical redesign improves follow-up care
• AMA Qld against proposed pharmacy ownership laws
• 2024 IAHA Leadership Program EOIs close Thursday
• Review of mob’s experiences with cancer care
• Sector Jobs
• Key Dates – Summer’s Day – Thursday 29 February 2024

The NACCHO Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health News is a platform we use to showcase the important work being done in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, focusing on the work of NACCHO, NACCHO members and NACCHO affiliates.

We also share a curated selection of news stories that are of likely interest to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector, broadly.

Indigenous-led model sees decrease in infant removals

Women who receive support through an Indigenous-led model of maternity care are three times less likely to have Indigenous newborn children removed by child protection services, new research has shown. It comes in the wake of a scathing Productivity Commission report which threw a spotlight on the failure by successive governments to reduce the issues of out-of-home care for Indigenous children.

The research, from the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH), highlighted data collected at UIH’s Salisbury ‘Birthing in Our Community’ (BiOC) Community Hub in from 2013 to 2019. The results showed a significant decrease in the number of mothers who had their children removed when undertaking the BiOC service model, as opposed to the standard care.

Bundjalung woman and BiOC’s service development manager, Kristie Watego, said the results confirmed it was possible to make meaningful changes to metrics with “holistic co-designed services”. “Existing maternity care models, and child protection systems, lack preventative measures and fail to prioritise family preservation,” Ms Watego said. “IUIH’s BiOC service is a holistic, Indigenous-led and governed, multi-agency partnership between ACCHOs and hospitals in parts of SE Queensland.”

Data from 2021-2022 in the South-Queensland jurisdiction where the research is recorded, Indigenous children made up 43% of all infants in out-of-home care whilst only accounting for 9.7% of the infant population. Ms Watego said the research showed the care improved family outcomes, reduced child protection intervention, and significantly reduced related costs for the health system.

To view the National Indigenous Times article Indigenous-led model sees a reduction in Indigenous infants being removed by child services  in full click here.

Clinical redesign improves follow-up care

Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District’s Walanga Gul service, formerly known as the 48 Hour Follow Up Service, is improving service engagement and health outcomes for First Nations clients following a clinical redesign implemented by Primary Care and Community Health staff. One of the project innovators, Kaysan Penning, AHW with Primary Care and Community Health said, “First Nations people living with chronic disease are more likely to be re-admitted to hospital within 28 days compared to non-Aboriginal people. At the commencement of the redesign, it was found that only 47% of clients referred to the service could be contacted within 48 hours, with 32% of clients unable to be contacted at all. Data also showed that one in 10 clients re-presented to Nepean Hospital within 28 days of discharge.

A lack of cultural connection to the service and worry that they might be asked to return to the hospital were reported by clients as barriers that affected participation in the service. To improve the service on offer for First Nations people and increase cultural connection to the service, the redesign project renamed the 48 Hour Follow Up Service to Walanga Gul, which means ‘follow up’ in Darug language. “This was an important part of the redesign that immediately identifies it as a First Nations service and also lets our clients know that we’re just calling to have a yarn after their hospital visit,” says Kaysan.

“Our redesign also identified a lack of culturally appropriate patient experience measure tools available to collect client feedback, so while updating the existing model of care, we worked with the local community to co-design a culturally appropriate patient reported experience measure.” While the project continues in the implementation phase, the redesign and rebranding has so far increased completion of referrals within 48 hours, increased contact with clients and decreased hospital representations within 28 days of discharge.

To view the NSW Government Nepean Blue Mountains LHD Latest News article Clinical redesign improves follow-up care in full click here.

AMA Qld against proposed pharmacy ownership laws

AMA Queensland has urged a parliamentary inquiry to recommend against proposed pharmacy business ownership laws that would make it harder for new owners to enter the market. The Productivity Commission, the Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC) and the RACGP have also expressed serious concerns about the Pharmacy Business Ownership Bill 2023, which was negotiated secretly from October 2022 to March 2023.

AMA Queensland CEO Dr Brett Dale warned of the potential impacts on First Nations communities if ACCHOs were banned from running pharmacies, “To be frank, it is outrageous that the bill shows disregard for the National Agreement on Closing the Gap and potentially will undermine the provisions for culturally safe services for First Nations communities.” Allowing ACCHOs to own on-site pharmacies would provide culturally safe and appropriate care, improve compliance with medication and accessibility and lead to better health outcomes, he said.

QAIHC deputy chief executive David Harmer called for the bill to be amended to expressly exempt Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled services from the ownership requirements. Without culturally safe service provision, Indigenous people tend not to comply with the instructions related to the use of medicines and, as a consequence, do not use medicines appropriately or at all, he said. “This results in a significant underspend on the use of safe medicines for Aboriginal and Islander people. In fact, it is estimated that for every $1 spent on other Australians just 30 cents is spent on Aboriginal and Islander people,” Mr Harmer said.

To view the AMA Queensland article Draft pharmacy ownership laws bad for consumers in full click here.

2024 IAHA Leadership Program EOIs close Thursday

The 2024 Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA) Leadership Program is open for expressions of interest until Thursday 29 February 2024. The IAHA program has been designed to promote a greater understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership, cultural governance, advocacy, influencing others, community development and Nation-building approaches, according to IAHA.

The IAHA says the program will be guided by “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of working, including knowing, being and doing. The Program develops the attributes and skills to become an effective, culturally responsive Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leader”. The program will take approximately 60 hours spread across a nine-month duration, averaging approximately one and a half hours a week commitment from those taking part.

Cory Paulson, who completed the program in 2022, said “one key take away of the program was how the First Nations’ cultural ways of knowing, being, and doing, connects to how we lead in health and other industries. The benefit was the IAHA’s network of First Nations leaders and knowledge holders’ expertise that supported, educated, and mentored us through the program and who were able to generate insights on leadership through a cultural lens.” Mr Paulson also cited continuous involvement, where possible, with the organisation post-program, including attendance at their annual events and cultural learning opportunities, as well as regular engagement with the IAHA membership network.

You can find more information relating to the program, as well as the EOI form here and view the Barrier Truth article IAHA Leadership Program opens in full click here.

Review of mob’s experiences with cancer care

Persistent disparities exist between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians associated with cancer, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples experiencing a longer time to treatment, higher morbidity rates, and higher mortality rates. A systematic review has investigated findings and recommendations in the literature about the experiences and supportive care needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with cancer in Australia.

Six key themes were determined: Culture, family, and community; cancer outcomes; psychological distress; access to health care; cancer education and awareness; and lack of appropriate data. Culture was seen as a potential facilitator to achieving optimal cancer care, with included studies highlighting the need for culturally safe cancer services and the routine collection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status in healthcare settings.

The review concluded that future work should capitalise on these findings by encouraging the integration of culture in healthcare settings to increase treatment completion and provide a positive experience for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with cancer.

To view the BMC Public Health article Systematic review of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ experiences and supportive care needs associated with cancer in full click here.

You can also view a range of resources on the Australian Government Cancer Australia website here which provide practical advice for non-Indigenous health professionals to optimise culturally safe and responsive communication with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients, their families and carers.

Sector Jobs – you can see sector job listings on the NACCHO website here.

Advertising Jobs – to advertise a job vacancy click here to go to the NACCHO website current job listings webpage. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find a Post A Job form. You can complete this form with your job vacancy details – it will then be approved for posting and go live on the NACCHO website.

Summer’s Day – Thursday 29 February 2024

Summer’s Day, held on the last day of summer each year, was established in honour of Summer Steer, who died as a result of a preventable injury, swallowing a button battery. The day is a time to stop and remember all the children who have lost their lives as a result of an unintentional injury, and acknowledge those children and families living with the consequences of preventable injury. Accidental injury can snatch the life of a child whose parents have taken every precaution just as surely as one whose parents simply haven’t realised the dangers of growing up in today’s world.

In Australia, more than one child each month sustains a time-critical or severe injury related to swallowing or inserting (into nose or ears) a button battery, with children under the age of five being at greatest risk. Button batteries present a problem whether they are ingested or inserted in an ear or nose; wherever they have prolonged local contact with the body.

Damage occurs when the battery charge generates a chemical reaction that causes a localised caustic injury – a burn. It is vital to detect a swallowed battery as soon as possible because of the nature of the threat involved. Depending on their size, button batteries have a tendency to lodge in the oesophagus (food pipe). Damage can begin after only 1-2 hours. If the ingestion is not recognised, the battery can erode through into vital organs, causing catastrophic damage and sometimes death. If parents believe their child has swallowed a battery, call the 24/7 Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 and not give any food or water.

You can find more information about:

• button batteries on the Kidsafe Qld Inc website here, and
• the Summer’s Day Button Battery Safety Campaign here.