NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: World first online mental health screening

feature tile image of ATSI mum & newborn; text 'World-first online digital tool helps facilitate faster and more effective perinatal mental health screening'

The image in the feature tile is from an article Why did nobody tell me how hard it would be? The plight of perinatal mental health published in the InPsych 2022 Vol 44 Summer 2022 available on the Australian Psychological Society website here.

The NACCHO Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health News is 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.

World first online mental health screening

Founder and executive director of Centre of Perinatal Excellence (COPE), Australia’s peak body for reducing the impacts of perinatal anxiety and depression, and perinatal mental health specialist, Dr Nicole Highet said the COVID-19 pandemic increased the incidence and severity of perinatal depression and anxiety, and had a dramatic effect on the mental health of new and expectant parents. “Becoming a parent is challenging enough, but now new and expectant parents are experiencing the additional long-lasting mental health effects of living through a global pandemic” Dr Highet said.

COPE has developed a world-first online screening program to support the mental health of new and expectant mums. The iCOPE digital screening tool can be used to identify mums at risk and facilitate faster and more effective mental health screening in the perinatal period.  It enables perinatal mental health screening to be undertaken across all clinical settings, from in-person to remote screening via the patient’s mobile phone. “iCOPE is changing the way perinatal mental health screening is conducted across the country to ensure all mums-to-be have the opportunity to undertake regular mental health screening, in line with the National Perinatal Mental Health Guideline,” Dr Highet said.

“It’s now more important than ever to be using this world-leading technology to implement regular, faster and more efficient perinatal mental health screening to identify those at risk and those experiencing symptoms.” The sooner symptoms are detected, the faster the treatment can begin, which is why it’s so important to spot the signs early. The iCOPE screening tool also includes two perinatal mental health screening tools that have been developed specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples: the Kimberly Mum’s Mood Scale and the Mt Isa Postnatal Depression Scale.

To view the Kyabram Free Press article World first online mental health screening service rolled out in Benalla in full click here.

COPE Centre of Perinatal Excellence logo; iCOPE Digital Screening Platform; image of woman using app on iPhone

Image source: COPE website, iCOPE Digital Screening webpage.

New MBS education webpage

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) President Dr Nicole Higgins describes the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) as overly complex and difficult to interpret. Dr Higgins says RACGP members frequently report it is difficult to keep up with regular changes to item numbers and claiming rules. In late 2021, the RACGP surveyed members to collect feedback on the value of existing Department of Health and Aged Care resources and what topics GPs would like to see covered in future resources. Responses revealed that there is a lack of awareness around existing resources, and these are underutilised by health providers.

The RACGP have now developed a new publicly accessible webpage, available here, which contains links to Medicare and compliance education resources. Resources are grouped together in one central location so general practitioners (GPs) do not have to search across multiple websites to find what they are looking for. Links are grouped under key themes, which are in alphabetical order. We have also included short descriptions of each resource to help GPs find what they need. This new webpage compiles links to resources such as MBS explanatory notes, fact sheets, education guides, eLearning programs, infographics and case studies. It includes links from various sources, including the Department of Health and Aged Care, Professional Services Review, Services Australia and the RACGP.

Dr Higgins said that while there has been extensive discussion about the need for more education on the MBS and the RACGP is working to identify gaps by reviewing existing materials, there is a range of useful resources already available that GPs may not know about. Dr Higgins said the RACGP is encouraging GPs to bookmark this webpage and RACGP staff will continue to add to it as new resources become available.

RACGP logo & ribbon of MBS Medicare compliance - Summary of useful links on website

Helping improve LGBTIQ+ workplace inclusion

The Victorian government is supporting hundreds of service organisations across the state become more inclusive for queer communities. Last week Premier Daniel Andrews and Equality Minister Harriet Shing announced the state government is investing $1.85m for Rainbow Health Australia to deliver inclusion training to service organisations to make sure they are safe and trusted by the LGBTIQ+ community.

Rainbow Health Australia is a trusted organisation located in the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society at La Trobe University, supporting LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing through research, training and resources. This investment will support up to 400 organisations to undertake Rainbow Health Australia’s training program How2 – helping them improve LGBTIQ+ inclusion in their workplaces in a sustainable way, including by developing and implementing an inclusion plan.

Rainbow Health Australia will also partner with an Aboriginal-led organisation to come up with the best approach for supporting Aboriginal-led organisations as they undertake this work. It will also create networks of organisations that have completed the program, providing a place to share experiences and advice.

To view the Premier of Victoria the Hon. Daniel Andrews’ media release Building LGBTIQ+ inclusion across Victoria article in full click here.

rainbow flag

Image source: La Trobe University website.

Integrated practice models key to tackling elder abuse

Elder abuse is a serious problem in Australia and across the globe, with one in six Australians over 65 years of age experiencing abuse. Elder abuse occurs when a person causes harm or distress to an older person. Elder abuse can be psychological, financial, physical, sexual, or neglect. Adult children and family members (including intimate partners) most commonly perpetrate elder abuse.

Established by Eastern Community Legal Centre (ECLC) and its partners Eastern Health and Oonah Health & Community Services Aboriginal Corporation, the ELSA and ROSE programs were created in 2019 as part of the National Plan to respond to the abuse of older Australians, funded by the Commonwealth Government. ELSA and ROSE provide integrated practice models that combine lawyers and other community service professionals including elder abuse advocates (often social workers) and financial counsellors to provide a wrap-around service for those experiencing elder abuse.

Michael Smith, ECLC CEO says that the Centre is proud of its ongoing work to prevent, intervene early and respond to elder abuse. “The ROSE and ELSA programs demonstrate that collaborative approaches improve access for older people needing assistance and the wrap around service model works to provide the best level of support for victim survivors in the community,” said Smith.

To view the Star Mail article Integrated practice models key to tackling elder abuse in full click here. The below video is one a number of resources included in the Queensland Government’s Together we can stop elder abuse campaign available here.

How Wreck Bay was left asking “who will die next?”

A two-year investigation has revealed devastating sickness and death in an Indigenous community located next to a defence base that used toxic firefighting foam. When Peggy Carter, a resident of the Aboriginal villiage, Wreck Bay, died in 2019 at the age of 39, following a short struggle with a savage cancer, the three children she cared for lost their world.

Residents of Wreck Bay, on the edge of Jervis Bay’s southern peninsula, 200 kms south of Sydney, know more about grief than most. They say sickness and death cast an ever-present pall over their community. An assault of heart attacks, kidney disease, cancer after cancer. Aunty Jean, 90, said she was one of the few locals who had survived to see old age. “There’s no old men and no old women in Wreck Bay,” she said. “There used to be.” Locals have despaired in their search for answers. What was going wrong in Wreck Bay? Was it hereditary? Bad luck? Something more sinister?

The penny dropped when the Department of Defence disclosed that toxic chemicals in its firefighting foam – known as “forever chemicals” or PFAS – had been seeping into the community’s waterways, food supply and sacred sites for at least three decades. Paradise Poisoned, a two-year investigation by this masthead in conjunction with Stan, iKandy Films and Shark Island Foundation, has delved into the immense loss of life in the community of 400 people and the devastation wrought on their ancient cultural practices by the toxic chemicals. A politician, a doctor and a water board employee all sounded the alarm about a potential cancer cluster in the village, which has recorded some of the worst rates of premature death in Australia.

To view The Sydney Morning Herald article Paradise Poisoned: How the idyllic town of Wreck Bay was left asking ‘Who’s going to die next?’ in full click here.

Wreck Bay (NSW) resident Aunty Jean Carter sitting of rocks at beach

Resident Aunty Jean Carter is amongst those speaking out about fears of a cancer cluster in the Aboriginal community of Wreck Bay. Photo: Rhett Wyman. Image source: The Sydney Morning Herald.

Sector Jobs

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.

Key Date – National Palliative Care Week 2023

National Palliative Care Week (NPCW) runs from Sunday 21 to Saturday 27 May 2023 and aims to put ‘Matters of Life and Death’ front and centre in Australia’s consciousness. Camilla Rowland, CEO at Palliative Care Australia (PCA) says, “We understand that death and dying is a difficult subject to talk about and engage with, but this year we have some powerful voices joining the campaign to inspire and start important conversations. The ‘people at the heart of quality palliative care’ – our workforce and volunteers, have opened their hearts to share the life lessons they learn everyday as they provide care and support to people and families living with a life limiting illness.”

NPCW and the stories we’ll share will open the door on the full scope and impact of palliative care and the quality of life it delivers. I hope it provides a moment of reflection for all Australians to think about and plan for the last chapter of life,” Ms Rowland says.  

Film screenings and a host of other events will make for a busy NPCW around the country. A full list of events as well as a range tools to help grow awareness of palliative care can be found on the PCA’s National Palliative Care Week 2023 – ‘Matters of Life and Death’ webpage here.

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Prohibition doesn’t address underlying issues

empty beer cans on Todd River's dry bed, Alice Springs

The image in the feature tile is a photo taken by Tim Wimborne of empty beer cans lying on the Todd River’s dry bed in Alice Springs. The photo appeared in a Reuters article Australia limits alcohol sales in Alice Springs amid crime wave, published on 24 January 2023.

The NACCHO Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health News is 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.

Prohibition doesn’t address underlying issues

Alcohol management in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities has been a deeply divisive issue, as seen recently in Alice Springs in the NT. Indigenous leaders called for and welcomed emergency restrictions on the sale of alcohol from January 24 2023. This approach resulted in an immediate decrease in alcohol-related harms, including family violence and emergency department presentations.

But Elders in Alice Springs have warned these restrictions “should not let governments off the hook” from addressing the underlying social determinants of alcohol-related harm. This reflects a long-standing community concern that prohibition alone does nothing to address issues such as intergenerational trauma, poverty, housing, education, unemployment, access to alternative activities, access to adequate health care and racism.

Critics of government-imposed alcohol management argue the allocation of resourcing is too strongly weighted toward supply reduction – and especially law enforcement – with inadequate funding of demand-reduction and harm-reduction strategies.

To view the Australian Herald article To reduce harm from alcohol, we need Indigenous-led responses in full click here.

Budget ‘excellent’ for remote healthcare

This month’s Budget included a raft of good news for general practice in regional and remote areas, the RACGP’s Rural Chair has said. Associate Professor Michael Clements has called the measures introduced by the Federal Government last week – which heeded many of the calls made by the RACGP – as “an excellent, rurally loaded Budget.” Among the moves that will most impact rural doctors is a tripling of the bulk billing incentive, a central request of the college’s pre-budget submission – and one which will particularly benefit rural general practices.

However, while the broad budgetary picture is a positive one for Assoc Prof Clements, he is realistic about how quickly it will solve the challenges of general practice in regional and remote areas. “I think this will have a positive impact on rural workforce as it does financially incentivise more rural and remote work,” he said.

Assoc Prof Clements said “This should be seen as a start of a multiple stage process to reinvigorate rural workforce. I think the Federal Government has shown significant new investment into rural health and now is the opportunity for state governments to come to the party as well.”

To view the RACGP newsGP article Budget ‘excellent’ for remote healthcare: RACGP Rural Chair in full click here.

white 4-wheel drive red dirt road Australian outback

Photo: Francesco Ricca Iacomino, iStock. Image source: The Medical Republic.

NSW’s first mobile CT imaging van unveiled

Communities in the NSW’s north west will soon have better access to the latest diagnostic imaging technology, with NSW’s first mobile CT imaging van officially unveiled by NSW Minister for Health and Regional Health, Ryan Park, during his visit to Walgett Multipurpose Service yesterday.

CT – or computed tomography – takes detailed images of the internal organs, bones, soft tissue and blood vessels. The new Remote Mobile CT Service will be used for non-emergency patients to help diagnose causes of pain from muscles or joints, detect diseases or prepare patients for further treatment or surgery. The ground-breaking service will begin welcoming patients in the coming weeks, and is expected to see around 1,500 per year as it rotates between Walgett, Bourke and Cobar.

Mr Park said, “Bringing these specialist services closer to people’s homes is tremendously important in this part of the state, where the cost and complexity of travel and leaving family or community can be a disincentive. Having the Remote Mobile CT Service at their doorstep will help many patients avoid hours on the road, some of them up to 10-hour round trips to Dubbo, to have scans. It will also be a huge benefit as we continue improving health outcomes among our Aboriginal communities.”

To view the NSW Government article Remote communities benefit from state’s first mobile CT service in full click here.

NSW's first mobile CT service (van)

Mobile CT Service van. Image source: NSW Government website.

New vision clinic opens at GRAMS

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in WA’s Mid West will be able to access eye screening and treatment at a new vision clinic opened yesterday at Geraldton Regional Aboriginal Medical Services (GRAMS). The clinic has been established by The University of WA’s Eye Health Centre of WA with the support of The Fred Hollows Foundation, WA Centre for Rural Health and GRAMS.

UWA Head of Optometry Professor Garry Fitzpatrick said the state-of-the-art clinic would deliver culturally safe eye care services, “Affordable and accessible primary eye care services will be available for people of all ages who are experiencing eye health issues like blurred vision, dry eyes, low vision or who need glasses or lenses and who will be able to access services without a referral.”

GRAMS CEO Deborah Woods acknowledged the partnerships with The Fred Hollow Foundation and UWA. “GRAMS is extremely excited to be able to deliver next level eye health service to our clients all under one roof,” she said.

To view The University of WA article Cultural safety focus of new eye health clinic in Geraldton in full click here. You can also view more photos of the new vision clinic on the GRAMS website here.

Photo (L-R): Deborah Woods (CEO GRAMS), Wilfred Tang (Program Director UWA) and Eric Dalgety (Eye Health Practitioner GRAMS) pictured with the new state-of-the-art technology

Photo (L-R): Deborah Woods (CEO GRAMS), Wilfred Tang (Program Director UWA) and Eric Dalgety (Eye Health Practitioner GRAMS) pictured with the new state-of-the-art technology. Image source: GRAMS website.

New course to help close health gap

A new course to help close the gap in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Care has been announced by the TAFE Queensland Bowen Campus and eligible students may be able to study for free. The Certificate lll in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Primary Care is being offered for the first time at the Bowen Health Hub. It is predicted that the Indigenous health worker sector will grow strongly over the coming years and could increase by 17%.

Community and Health Faculty Manager for TAFE Queensland in Far North and North Queensland, Melanie Clarke, said Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers are a vital link between individuals, communities, and health services. “The course will teach students how to undertake basic health assessments, as well as how to identify community health issues and needs, and assist with health screening, promotion and education services,” she said.

The year-long course begins this month and will encompass seven week-long training blocks at the Bowen Health Hub. “The facility is a simulated clinical training ward which replicates a real-life hospital environment, allowing students to gain vital hands-on skills using industry equipment and technology,” said Ms Clarke.

To view the Mackay and Whitsunday Life article New Course Launches For Bowen Health Hub in full click here.

male health worker taking woman's blood pressure in clinic room at Bowen Health Hub QLD

Bowen Health Hub. Image source: TAFE Queensland Student Handbook 2023.

Why the Voice is nurses’ business

For far too long, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people haven’t had a say on decisions, policies and laws that affect their lives, says Sye Hodgman, a Trawlwoolway Palawa-Pakana nurse and First Nations Strategy, Policy and Research Officer with the Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union (QNMU).

“There are constitutional powers that are given to government to make laws specifically in respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,” explained Sye, in an address to the Coalition of National Nursing & Midwifery Organisations (CoNNMO) in Melbourne earlier this month. “Every time that happens, communities get hurt. But there is no power or protection for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to even be involved, or recognised, in that process, apart from being a recipient.”

“The very fact that we require predominantly white Australia and non-Indigenous Australian people to give us permission to have a Voice and to be voting on this particular process is symptomatic of the endemic systemic racism within the Australian political system,” Sye told CoNNMO attendees, which included Australia’s Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, Alison McMillan, and Australian Nursing and Midwifery (ANMF) Federal Secretary Annie Butler.

To view the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Journal article ‘Nothing about us without us’: Why the First Nations Voice to Parliament is nurses’ business in full click here.

Sye Hodgman, a Trawlwoolway Palawa-Pakana nurse and First Nations Strategy, Policy and Research Officer with the Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union (QNMU)

Sye Hodgman, a Trawlwoolway Palawa-Pakana nurse and First Nations Strategy, Policy and Research Officer with the Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union (QNMU). Image source: Australian Nursing and Midwifery Journal.

Sector Jobs

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.

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: PSA launches health care position statement

feature tile; image ATSI man & woman speaking to pharmacist; text 'PSA ATSI people's Healthcare Position Statement drafted in consultation with NACCHO'

The image in the feature tile is from an article Concerns Queensland pharmacy trials will ‘widen the gap’ published in the RACGP newsGP on 24 February 2022. Image source: APP photos.

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.

PSA launches health care position statement

On Friday last week The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) launched its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ health care position statement, which is says recognises culturally safe care and equity of health care access as critical drivers to improving health outcomes. The statement was drafted in consultation with the NACCHO, reaffirming the importance of genuine partnerships and shared decision-making.

In collaboration, PSA and NACCHO have pioneered onsite pharmacists within their network, a program that has been successful. The PSA says it will continue to work to make this service available to as many patients as possible. The PSA said it values its ongoing collaborative relationship with NACCHO and is committed to the principles of community control and self-determination of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. In co-design with NACCHO, the PSA said it has delivered key initiatives including the Integrating Pharmacists within Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services to Improve Chronic Disease Management (IPAC)  trial and development of the Deadly Pharmacists Foundation Training Course to equip pharmacists with the skills needed to work within ACCHOs.

PSA National President Dr Fei Sim FPS said that the statement demonstrates pharmacists’ commitment to enhancing the life expectancy, health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. “The 2022 Closing the Gap Annual Report highlighted that the target to close the health and life expectancy gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians within a generation, while trending in a positive direction, is not on track.

To view the APP medianet. article Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ health care statement advocates for improved equity of access in full click here.

PSA Twitter tile, PSA logo, Aboriginal dot painint navy, mauve, tan, blue & text 'ATSI people's health care position statement'

Twitter PSA post 14 April 2023.

Elder abuse program hailed a success

In independent review has hailed the success of two programs run in partnership by two local organisations to combat elder abuse. The programs, run by Eastern Health and the Eastern Community Legal Centre (ECLC), have been earmarked for expansion. A launch at Eastern Health’s Box Hill office was attended by Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus on Wednesday 12 April to release the report into the first three years of the Engaging and Living Safely and Autonomously (ELSA) and Rights of Seniors in the East (ROSE) programs.

ECLC partnered with Eastern Health to launch ELSA and ROSE in 2019, and the programs “have achieved their goals to the highest possible levels” and support the adaption of the ELSA and ROSE models to other geographical locations and their continuation and expansion” according to the report. Eastern Health CEO David Plunkett said “One key aspect that is discussed at length in this report is collaboration with community partners. We know the needs of our community are changing, in fact the proportion of our population over 85 years is set to grow by 75% by the year 2036.”

The ROSE program features a community lawyer, elder abuse advocate, and financial counsellor to respond to older people experiencing or at risk of abuse, working in partnership with Oonah Health and Community Services Aboriginal Corporation and other community partners.

To read the Star Mail article Elder abuse program partnership hailed a success by independent review in full click here. The video below from the Queensland Government’s Stop Elder Abuse campaign, available here.

Spare by cyclone but evacuees unable to return

Severe Tropical Cyclone Ilsa has made its passage through WA but many evacuees from the Great Sandy Desert are yet to return home with remote communities cut off by floodwaters. Pilbara leaders are relieved remote communities went largely unscathed as Isla maintained her strength travelling inland. But authorities said it was difficult to predict when waters would recede, roads would dry out, and residents would be able to return home.

Inland communities such as Punmu and Parnngurr evacuated children and vulnerable residents ahead of Ilsa’s passage, while small numbers of remaining residents and staff sheltered in the limited cyclone-rated accommodation available. Martu leader Bruce Booth said people did the right thing by evacuating, but not being able to return to community was challenging.

To read the ABC News story Remote Indigenous communities spared by Cyclone Ilsa but evacuees unable to return home in full click here.

Road access to the remote community Punmu cut off after Cyclone Ilsa

Road access to the remote community Punmu has been cut off after Cyclone Ilsa. Photo: Edith Costello. Image source: ABC News.

Conference an attempt to solve NT housing crisis

Nine out of 10 people experiencing homelessness in the NT are Aboriginal. In an attempt to solve the housing crisis, Aboriginal Housing NT is hosting a three-day conference from Tuesday 18 April 2023. The group’s chief executive Skye Thompson said Indigenous people deserved sustainable long-term housing solutions. “We have got a lot of work to do, we want long term investment in our ACCOs to deliver the housing-related services to Aboriginal people,” she told AAP. “We know that they do it best for our people.”

Organisers are expecting about 200 delegates from around Australia to attend. Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney and Assistant Minister Malarndirri McCarthy will address the conference. So too will heads of First Nations agencies, directors of corporations that serve Aboriginal homelands and community members. “It’s clear that if housing is neglected in remote communities, those issues can compound and come into major centres including Darwin, Katherine and Alice Springs,” Senator McCarthy said.

To read the St George and Sutherland Shire Leader article ‘Work to do’: Aboriginal leaders want housing solutions in full click here.

Gwen Brown, 68, standing outside her tin shed house in Tennant Creek

Gwen Brown, 68, says her Tennant Creek home can become stiflingly hot during heatwaves. Photo: Gwen Brown. Image source ABC News.

2050: how’s our health system holding up?

So much of our day-to-day attention is focused on the problems facing healthcare systems now. Lifting our gaze to envision the likely future challenges – say in 2050 – can help set a course forward. In the first of a two-part series, Croakey editor Jennifer Doggett gazes into a health policy crystal ball, providing advice to the policymakers of today around five key themes: health financing; workforce; technology; climate and planetary health; and patient and community involvement in healthcare.

One example given in the article of changing primary healthcare teams is cohealth’s recent move towards making peer navigators a key role in healthcare teams. According to Dr Kim Webber, “Peer navigators understand the system and speak the language of both consumers and providers. They are the key people to join up the system, a role we currently expect GPs to perform but which does not usually occur. We can learn how this works from Aboriginal Health Workers here – they are ten years ahead of the rest of the health system.”

Australia clearly needs to establish a comprehensive health and aged care workforce planning process to set the foundation for a future health workforce that can meet our healthcare needs. Without robust planning and the political will to resist pressure from professional vested interest groups, the most likely scenario in 2030 will be a hyper-concentration of health professionals in areas of high income where they can generate supplier-induced demand. Meanwhile, many other areas, including disadvantaged communities and rural and regional areas, will have little or no access to healthcare.

To view the Croakey Health Media article It’s 2050. How is our health system holding up? in full click here.

Image source; AMA website.

Health workforce older and more female

Women made up 44% of medical practitioners in 2021, up from 41.6% five years before. In 2021 women made up 76.3% of the health practitioners across 15 health professions, a significant increase of 0.5% since 2016, and 44.4% of medical practitioners, with implications for workplace planning and sustainability. Research published in the Australian Health Review used AHPRA registration data to analyse 15 of the 16 regulated health professions between 1 July 2015 and 30 June 2021. The total number of registered health professionals increased by 22% (141,161) to 784,421 in that time, and the number per 100,000 population increased by 14% from 2016.

“Demographic trends in the Australian health workforce parallel those in the broader population,” wrote the authors, led by Dr Sarah Anderson, AHPRA’s manager of research analytics and insights. “Some health professions have aged considerably since the mid-1980s … [and there have been] shifts towards feminisation in parts of the health workforce. “This presents unique workforce planning issues, such as the retention of practitioners approaching retirement age or experiencing age-related disabilities and the need to improve understanding of gender-sensitive, supportive working environments.”

There was a 32% growth in the numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners, with 2.42 per 100,000 population in 2016 jumping to 3.19 in 2021. Almost 80% of them are female, a number that has remained steady of the study period.

To read the Medical Republic article Health workforce getting older and more female in full click here.

Derby's first Aboriginal GP Vinka Barunga at a hospital desk with stethoscope around her neck

Worrora woman Vinka Barunga is Derby’s first Aboriginal doctor. Image source: Pelican Magazine.

Sector Jobs

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.

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Birthing service reduces preterm births by 38%

feature tile text Birthing in Our Community services reduces preterm birth rates for ATSI babies by 38%

The image in the feature tile is from an article Indigenous-led birthing program gains international recognition published in the National Indigenous Times on 1 April 2021.

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.

Birthing service reduces preterm births by 38%

A birthing service established by three SE Queensland health organisations has reduced preterm birth rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies by 38% and demonstrated significant cost savings to the health system. Results published in the Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific this week highlighted improved outcomes for women having a baby through the Birthing in Our Community (BiOC) service. The reduction in preterm birth rates meant that women accessing the program required fewer costly interventions, procedures and neonatal admissions, resulting in savings of $4,810 per mother/baby pair. Additionally, the BiOC service reduced two thirds of women’s out of pocket costs by bringing the service closer to home.

The cost-effectiveness study concluded that replication of the BiOC service across Australia has the potential to reduce the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies born preterm by 965 each year, thereby potentially saving the Australian health system $86,994,021 per annum. The BiOC service and model of care was established in 2013 by the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH), the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service (ATSICHS) Brisbane and Mater Health in Brisbane in response to a need for women who are pregnant with an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander baby to access culturally and clinically safe care throughout their pregnancy and at birth.

Ms Renee Blackman, ATSICHS Brisbane CEO, said that “the success of the BiOC service shows what can be achieved when partners work together with a shared vision and a commitment to Aboriginal-led models of care”.

You can view the medianet. article Improved birthing outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families generates savings to the health system in full here and the The Lancet Regional Health Western Pacific research paper (The Lancet Regional Health Western Pacific article Birthing on country service compared to standard care for First Nations Australians: a cost-effectiveness analysis from a health system perspective) in full click here.

IUIH tile Birthing In Our Community, ATSI mum and baby

Image source: Birthing in Our Community North Facebook page.

Disproportionate impact of diabetes on mob

Diabetes WA is calling for greater recognition of the disproportionate impact of diabetes on Aboriginal Communities in WA. Aboriginal West Australians are at far greater risk of diabetes and diabetes-related complications than any other community in the State. Aboriginal West Australians are nearly 40 times more likely to have major lower limb amputation. Aboriginal people living in remote areas have 20 times the incidence of end-stage renal disease compared with the national average. Cataract and diabetic retinopathy continues to be the leading causes of vision loss in Aboriginal people in WA. The diabetes gap is also generational.  Type 2 diabetes in children, once rare, is on the rise.

Gestational diabetes, also more common in Aboriginal Communities, is the fastest growing type of diabetes in WA, with many women remaining undiagnosed while diabetes silently impacts their unborn baby. In some remote communities, 60–70% of people over the age of 65 have type 2 diabetes. Too many older Aboriginal people are living with preventable disabilities as a result of diabetes and its silent damage.

Project Lead for Diabetes WA, Natalie Jetta, is an experienced Aboriginal Health Professional. She says training Aboriginal Health Professionals will make diabetes education more accessible and more culturally safe for Aboriginal West Australians. “We know that Aboriginal Health Professionals are best placed to talk to people within their own Community, because they already have the respect, trust, knowledge and connection they need to nurture their clients,” Natalie says. “We have now trained 20 Aboriginal Health Professionals employed by the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health sector to deliver the Diabetes Education Self Yarning (DESY) program. This will improve the cultural security of this diabetes education program and enable it to be delivered on Country across WA.”

To view the News Medical Life Sciences article Diabetes WA calls for greater recognition of diabetes impact on Aboriginal Communities in full click here.

6 Aboriginal female graduates of the Diabetes WA Diabetes education program - Diabetes Education Self Yarning (DESY)

Graduates of the Diabetes WA Diabetes education program – Diabetes Education Self Yarning (DESY). Image source: News Medical Life Sciences.

Jury is in on vaping – time for action

The jury is in on the harms of vaping, with a new study published in the Medical Journal of Australia today providing the most comprehensive review yet on the health impacts of e-cigarettes. Australian Medical Association (AMA) President Professor Steve Robson said the findings of the study leave zero room for confusion about the dangers of e-cigarettes and vaping. “It’s time for stronger, strictly enforced regulations so we can avoid another public health crisis like tobacco,” Professor Robson said.

“Vaping is not harmless, it is not safe, it is not part of tobacco control. It has become a scourge in our schools, with parents and educators reporting that it has got out of hand. And we are seeing adults and children alike suffering as a result of vaping.” Risks identified in the review include addiction, poisoning, especially in small children, seizures and loss of consciousness caused by nicotine overdose, headache, cough, throat irritation, and burns and injuries, largely caused by exploding batteries.

Another major risk identified by the study was that young non-smokers who use e-cigarettes are around three times as likely to go on to smoke regular cigarettes, compared to young people who did not use e-cigarettes. “Vaping products are a gateway to smoking for young people and there are significant risks from vaping that warrant much stronger regulation. For example, we know many products marketed as not containing nicotine have been found to contain nicotine and products have also been found to contain prohibited chemicals that can cause serious harm, like vitamin E acetate and diacetyl, which can cause serious damage to the lungs.”

To view the AMA’s media release Jury is in on vaping and associated harms – time for action in full click here.

cloud of vape smoke obscuring most of man's face

Image source: ABC News.

RACGP says international medical graduates needed

As Australia’s health system faces a crisis, amid a growing shortage of GPs and mounting pressure on both primary and secondary care services, the RACGP is calling on the Federal Government to support international medical graduates (IMGs). College President Dr Nicole Higgins said the workforce shortage is a significant part of the crisis, and that it is widespread, from general practice to pharmacy and nursing.

She said IMGs could help to address the issue in the short-term, and that many are eager to work in Australia, but are being held back and becoming disillusioned by red tape and a lack of support. “Rural and remote communities are particularly affected,” Dr Higgins said. “But there is a simple solution to boost the number of GPs in the short-term: we can and should be doing much more to attract IMGs to Australia, and to support and retain them as valuable community members. This includes cutting red tape and making the application process easier for doctors who want to work in areas of need.”

To view the RACGP newsGP article IMGs a ‘simple solution’ to boost GP numbers: RACGP in full click here.

RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins

RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins says barriers to overseas doctors wanting to work in Australia make no sense amid crisis. Photo: Jono Searle/AAP Photos. Image source: Bunbury Mail.

Sector Jobs

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.

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, Andrew Giles, says every year in March, Australians come together to mark Harmony Week, culminating in the observance of the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on the 21 March. Australia is one of the world’s most successful multicultural nations. We are home to the world’s oldest continuous cultures as well as migrants from nearly 200 countries.

This week schools, workplaces and community groups will reflect on this diversity by participating in events across the country and nearly 7000 people from more than 120 countries will become new citizens. Multiculturalism is integral to our national identity- but we cannot take it for granted. This International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination marks 75 years since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and focuses on the urgent need to combat racism and racial discrimination.

To view Minister Giles’ media release Harmony Week and International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in full click here. You can find more information about International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on the United Nations website here.

tile text International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination March 21

Image source: Ontario Nurses’ Association website 14 March 2023.

World Down Syndrome Day

Today, Tuesday 21 March 2023, is World Down Syndrome Day. World Down Syndrome Day aims to celebrate the progress that has been made over the last 50 years and, in particular, over the last 10 years. Progress is often made in small steps, sometimes pausing to review our journey, but always aware of how far we have come and the difference that our small steps make to the day-to-day life of people living with disability.

As part of the worldwide celebrations, World Down Syndrome Day lights up buildings of significance. This is referred to as ‘Light up a Landmark’. Buildings that have been lit up previously, include: Palais des Nation – UN Geneva; The Empire State Building – NY; Eiffel Tower – Paris; Tower 42 – London and Belfast City Hall – Ireland. Once the buildings are lit up, images are taken and shared on Social Media to build awareness and engagement throughout the world. This year the iconic Canberra Grammar School Quad will be the first in Australia to take part in this international event!

Dietitians Week 20–26 March 2023

Today is Day 2 of Dietitians Week 2023. When it comes to managing health through food and nutrition, a dietitian should be your first port of call. Ongoing and specialised education ensures dietitians are the reliable choice for life-changing food and nutrition support. Because we all have our own unique goals, challenges and lifestyles, Accredited Practising Dietitians understand that our health is not a one-size fits all approach. They are trained to offer personalised health advice that is fine-tuned to a person’s specific needs.  Dietitians Australia has an Indigenous nutrition role statement, available here, which listed the knowledge and skills of an APD working in the area of Indigenous nutrition.

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Remote health centres move to ACCHO control

aerial view of Imanpa Community NT

The image in the feature tile is an aerial view of Imanpa Community. Image source: ResearchGate website.

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. The content included in these new stories are not necessarily NACCHO endorsed.

Remote health centres move to ACCHO control

Central Australian Aboriginal Congress (Congress) has this month assumed operations of the primary health care clinics in Imanpa and Yulara. Congress already provides care at nearby Mutitjulu, an Aboriginal community adjacent to Uluru, as well as other communities. One of the most experienced services in the country in Aboriginal health, Congress is the largest Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service (ACCHS) in the NT, a national leader in primary health care, and a strong advocate for the health of Aboriginal people.

Yulara will become a service hub for the region and, in Imanpa, NT Health will continue providing BreastScreen appointments along with other specialist outreach services. The Kaltukatjara (Docker River) Health Centre will also transition to Congress on 1 July, 2023. Evidence shows that increasing community involvement in the planning and delivery of local health services brings additional health benefits to local residents. This supports local communities with greater opportunities to influence the health care services offered, in particular, their cultural responsiveness.

Congress CEO, Donna Ah Chee said “Congress is proud to welcome Imanpa and Yulara communities to the Aboriginal community controlled health service model. ACCHS delivery is recognised as best practice for Aboriginal health, and the further development of the ACCHS sector is a key part of the Closing the Gap commitments that all governments have signed. This is because, for every dollar spent there is a greater return in health improvement for our people with this model of health care.”

To view the Chief Minister of the NT, Natasha Fyles and Chansey Paech, Member for Bwoja’s joint media release More Central Australian remote health centres set to transition to Aboriginal community control in full click here.

external view of Imanpa Health Centre

Imanpa Health Centre. Photo: Nick Hose. Image source: ABC News.

Maningrida PHC graduates make history

Last week the first-ever cohort to obtain formal health qualifications on-country in Maningrida made history, graduating with a Certificate II in Aboriginal Primary Health Care. The ceremony started with a beautiful welcome to Kunibidji Country from Traditional Owner, David Jones, followed by a welcome speech from Mala’la Health Service Aboriginal Corporation chairperson and Senior Aboriginal Health Practitioner, Charlie Gunabarra. David and Charlie are dedicated to bettering community health outcomes and have been proactive in guiding the Aboriginal community-control model of health service delivery.

Guest speaker, NT Chief Aboriginal Health Practitioner, Iris Raye welcomed the new graduates, Eileen Gunabarra, Fabian Smith, Jermaine Namanurki, Kurt Brown, Natasha Bond and Shannon Brown, to the health profession and imparted her passion for Aboriginal health care with the students.  On-country adult learning provided an accessible format that also ensured students could continue their family, cultural, work and community responsibilities whilst undertaking studies.

Support and funding for the place-based model of adult-learning course was received from NT PHN, the NT Department of Employment and Workplace Relations’ Foundation Skills for Your Future program and Industry NT and Ninti Training delivered engaging, fun and relatable learning.

To view the Mala’la Health Service Aboriginal Corporation Facebook post The End of a Journey. The Beginning of a Legacy. click here.
6 Maningrida (NT) graduates of Aboriginal PHC Certificate II

Certificate II in Aboriginal PHC graduates. Image source: Mala’la Health Service Aboriginal Corporation Facebook page.

Medicare changes could reduce deaths in custody

The federal government has been urged to make an immediate improvement to the lives of prisoners by providing Medicare in custodial settings, in a change that coroners have argued could reduce Indigenous deaths in custody. Advocates have argued for decades that Medicare should be available in custody. However, the change has not yet been made. Medicare is not available for prisoners because of a section of the Health Insurance Act that prohibits Medicare benefits from being paid when state funding has been provided.

Nadine Miles, principal legal officer of the NSW and ACT Aboriginal Legal Service, said her organisation had appeared at inquests where Indigenous men in their 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s died in custody from ailments including an asthma attack, organ failure, an ear infection, a clot in the lung, and coronary artery disease.

“Inadequate healthcare was an issue brought up for each of them,” Miles said. “We have seen far too many preventable deaths and far too many failures to provide a basic standard of healthcare for people behind bars. The result is that lives are lost too soon and whole families and communities are changed forever.”

To view The Sydney Morning Herald article The change to Medicare that could reduce deaths in custody in full click here.

Smoking Ceremony held at the NSW Coroners Court in July 2022 during the inquest for Mootijah Shillingsworth, who died from an ear infection

A smoking ceremonyat the NSW Coroners Court in July 2022 during the inquest for Mootijah Shillingsworth, who died from an ear infection. Photo: Dean Sewell. Image source: SMH.

Resources for health workers supporting mob with cancer

Ngununggula is a new package of resources, including a manual and quality improvement resources developed for ACCHOs in NSW to support best practice cancer care of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The training materials are based on the work of the Illawarra Aboriginal Medical Service Cancer Care Team and feature work of other cancer care workers around the state.

The training resources are a result of a collaboration with the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Centre of NSW (AH&MRC), the University of Sydney, the University of Wollongong, the Menzies School of Health Research and Coordinare and have been funded through Cancer Australia’s Supporting People with Cancer Grant Initiative.

The Ngununggula package of resources includes a series of webinars providing guidance on:

  • cancer prevention
  • investigations and treatment
  • cancer survivorship
  • end of life.
You can access the links to the webinars, including the one below, on the Australian Indigenous HealthBulletin website here.

How to save PHC in remote Australia

What happens when an area loses its GPs? Dr Sam Heard is witnessing the fallout, and has set out a treatment plan to combat the issue before it is too late. Dr Heard says there is a health workforce crisis in Central Australia and much of remote NT. The current social disruption and negative experiences of residents in Alice Springs mirrors the turmoil sometimes faced by remote health staff. But this is our country and remote Australians require healthcare to a level that many in the city do not.

Patients are having dialysis locally, there are emergencies that frequently require patients to be evacuated, along with housing, educational and environmental issues that desperately need advocacy. It was not always like this.

During more than 30 years as a GP and educator in the NT, Dr Heard says he has attempted to strengthen primary care and has been ably supported by motivated colleagues along the way: young doctors, nurses and Aboriginal Health Practitioners in training, and by older doctors who have moved to the area to contribute to the health of remote Australians. Over the past decade, however, Dr Heard says he has witnessed a worrying decline in primary care services and an unwillingness to tackle the issue until it is too late.

To read the RACGP newsGP article How to save primary care in remote Australia: RACGP NT Chair in full click here.

RACGP NT Chair Dr Sam Heard

RACGP NT Chair Dr Sam Heard. Image source: RACGP newsGP.

Language to be no barrier to HIV support

Hundreds of people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities living with HIV will be better able to understand vital education material as part of a national push to improve their quality of life. The non-profit organisation Living Positive Victoria is one of four HIV-focused community organisations nationally to have been awarded $200,000 in grants to help the nearly 30,000 Australians living with the disease access better healthcare.

Living Positive Victoria along with Positive Life NSW, the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation and the National Association of People Living with HIV Australia (NAPWHA) have established five projects that will receive funding. NAPWHA will unite Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living with HIV from across Australia for a three-day residential workshop to promote healing.

To view the PerthNow article Language to be no barrier for accessing HIV support in full click here. Below is a Young Deadly Free animation explaining the basics of HIV.

Sector Jobs

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.

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Mitigating the impacts of racism on health

feature tile hand holding Aboriginal flag; text 'substantial evidence racism contributes to physical and mental ill health and reduces access to health services

The image in the feature tile is from an NITV article Study finds racism leads to poor health published on 26 June 2021.

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. The content included in these new stories are not necessarily NACCHO endorsed.

Mitigating the impacts of racism on health

Indigenous people’s health and health rights have been harmed and undermined by racism globally. There is substantial evidence that interpersonal and structural racism contributes to Indigenous people’s physical and mental ill health and reduces access to health services. In Australia, the racist violation of Indigenous human rights since colonisation has a profound impact on the social and emotional wellbeing of individuals, families and communities across generations.

This has resulted in an unacceptable health equity gap, which the 2007 Closing the Gap strategy sought to address. Recognition of the urgent need to address the health and wellbeing impacts of racism guided The Boatshed Racism Roundtable Declaration in 2009, which called on the PM and First Ministers of Australia to initiate constitutional, policy and practice reforms underpinned by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) — particularly Article 3 (the right to self‐determination) and Article 42 (calling on United Nations signatories to implement the Declaration) — to ensure protection against racial discrimination.

Recent work through the Partnership for Justice in Health and the Lowitja Institute has potential to inform the evidence base, health policy, legislation and rights to strengthen Indigenous access to justice and health, particularly through the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services sector under the auspice of the Closing the Gap Partnership and Coalition of Peaks.

To view The Medical Journal of Australia research article Mitigating the impacts of racism on Indigenous wellbeing through human rights, legislative and health policy reform in full click here.

drawing of an ATSI child with 5 white hands pointing at child's face

Image source: ABC Everyday website. Image Credit: Molly Hunt.

Lifetime Achievement Award for Fran Vaughan MPS

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) SA/NT Branch has announced the winners of its Annual Excellence Awards. The SA/NT Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Fran Vaughan MPS, for her work in improving the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, in particular those living in remote areas.

With a background in hospital and community pharmacy and Home Medicines Reviews, Fran has been able to transition these skills to onsite clinical pharmacist practice roles in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities of the NT and Queensland. She is a strong advocate of the value of embedding a pharmacist into Aboriginal Health Services. Pharmacists working within Aboriginal Health Services can provide patients with culturally safe access to information about their medicines, provide education and training to existing staff on appropriate use of medicines, and assist in managing medications at transitions of care, such as discharge from hospital.

In her role as pharmacist adviser for NACCHO, she helped to facilitate the IPAC project (Integrating Pharmacists within Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services to Improve Chronic Disease Management) which showed positive benefits of integrating pharmacists into 18 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services.  She is an experienced educator and has helped to prepare health professionals, including pharmacists, nurses and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Practitioners (AHPs) and Workers (AHW) for remote and rural practice at the Centre for Remote Health, Flinders University. She has also played a key role in the development of the Remote Primary Health Care Manuals (RPHCM) which guide health care delivery in remote areas.

To view the medianet. news story SA/NT Lifetime Achievement Award presented to Fran Vaughan MPS in full click here.

Fran Vaughan MPS holding PSA SA/NT Pharmacist Awards 2023 - Lifetime Achievement Award

Fran Vaughan MPS was presented with the PSA SA/NT Pharmacist Awards 2023 – Lifetime Achievement Award. Image source: PSA Twitter post 4 March 2023.

RACGP and NACCHO aim for preventive healthcare

On Friday last week the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and NACCHO convened an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health roundtable. Held over two days and attended by people from across Australia with experience in primary healthcare for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the roundtable provided attendees with a special forum to exchange ideas on how best to support health services nation-wide so that they are prevention-focused, culturally safe and responsive, equitable, and free from racism.

RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins said “There is plenty of work to be done and not a moment to lose. As President this is right at the top of my priorities over the next two years, and I look forward to working closely with NACCHO on a range of endeavours that will make a real difference in healthcare for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Our organisations are currently working in partnership to develop flagship resources that support effective, culturally safe, and responsive primary healthcare that is valued by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.”

Chair of the RACGP Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Faculty, Dr Karen Nicholls, said she was “optimistic that if we put our minds to it and listen carefully to health experts and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients we can improve primary healthcare outcomes. The focus will very much be on how to support genuine shared decision making and partnerships, and carefully considering how the cultural and social determinants of health impact primary healthcare for these patients.” The RACGP and NACCHO will publish the fourth edition of the National guide to preventive health assessment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people later this year – a flagship publication, spearheaded by NACCHO in October this year.

To view the medianet. article RACGP and NACCHO working together to achieve high-quality preventive healthcare in full click here.

cover of National guide to a preventive health assessment for ATSI people 3rd edition - RACGP & NACCHO

Keeping kids connected to siblings and culture

Victoria’s former Aboriginal children’s commissioner has called for increased allowances for kinship and foster carers in a bid to increase the pool of First Nations people looking after children in out-of-home care, and ensuring they remain connected to culture. Andrew Jackomos, who held the commissioner role for five years between 2013 to 2018 and was the first person to hold an Aboriginal children watchdog role, has also appealed for greater safeguards to ensure Indigenous siblings in the out-of-home care system remain in contact.

The Yorta Yorta and Gunditjmara man said it was a challenge to get enough Indigenous carers to step forward when a First Nations child was removed from their family and could not be placed with relatives. “When children cannot be placed with family they should be placed with people within our community,” he said.

Jackomos said increasing remuneration was one way to incentivise more First Nations people to become carers and ensure Indigenous children separated from their families could remain connected to their culture. “We need to make it attractive for people to step forward. And people are absolutely committed, but the problem is carers have become burnt out. There needs to be more after-care as well,” he said.

To read The Guardian article Calls to increase allowances for Indigenous carers to keep children connected with culture in full click here.

portrait of former Victorian Aboriginal children’s commissioner Andrew Jackomos

Former Victorian Aboriginal children’s commissioner Andrew Jackomos says it is vital that siblings remain in contact in the out-of-home care system and that separation should be the ‘absolute last resort’. Photo: Victorian government. Image source: The Guardian.

Enduring disgrace of deaths in custody

There can be little doubt that the final report from the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, delivered in April 1991, was a watershed moment for our nation. Established in October 1987, the commission inquired into the circumstances surrounding the deaths over a 10-year period of 99 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people while they were held in detention. It produced more than 5,000 pages of documents and a list of 339 recommendations.

The Albanese government’s reconciliation envoy, Senator Pat Dodson, has now demanded the government immediately act on the commission’s recommendations and is calling for a national Indigenous justice committee, a federal office to oversee state coronial inquests and ensure the provision of Indigenous-tailored health services in jails.

He says the responsibility is “absolutely” on the shoulders of the Albanese government, which has inherited the obligation to act on the work of the royal commission notwithstanding the abject failure of previous administrations, both Labor and Coalition, to end what can only be described as an enduring national disgrace.

To view The Sydney Morning Herald article Act now on enduring disgrace of Indigenous deaths in custody in full click here.

portrait shot Senator Pat Dodson

Senator Pat Dodson, the Albanese’s government envoy on reconciliation, has called for immediate action to prevent Indigenous deaths in custody. Photo: Rhett Wyman. Image source: The Sydney Morning Herald.

TB outbreak on the APY Lands

Health authorities are working to contain an outbreak of tuberculosis (TB) on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands. So far, the SA TB Service has diagnosed 10 cases linked to the outbreak. SA’s Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier and other health officials travelled to the APY Lands last week to try and contain the outbreak through contact tracing and treatment.

Professor Spurrier said she had met with community leaders and service providers, including schools. “Tuberculosis is not commonly seen in Australia but is treatable and preventable. It will need a sustained response over a prolonged period,” she said. “Strong relationships with community allowing co-design are essential. It’s important that all people in the community have the information they need to prevent the cluster from growing and to facilitate quick testing and treatment.”

To view the ABC News article Health authorities declare tuberculosis outbreak on the APY Lands after 10 cases diagnosed in full click here.

aerial shot of long straight road in APY Lands, SA

The APY Lands are in SA’s far north. Photo: Kent Gordon, Australian Story. Image source: ABC News.

Sector Jobs

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.

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: PHC investment needed for people living in poverty

 

elderly ATSI woman sitting head in hands, black dog, One Mile Dam community camp near Darwin

The image in the feature tile is on an Aboriginal woman at One Mile Dam, an Aboriginal community camp close to Darwin, where Indigenous people live in extreme poverty. Photo: Jonny Weeks, The Guardian.

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. The content included in these new stories are not necessarily NACCHO endorsed.

PHC investment needed to help people living in poverty 

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has called on government to help GPs get on with the job of caring for people experiencing poverty. It comes following the RACGP’s submission to the Senate Community Affair’s inquiry into the extent and nature of poverty in Australia. RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins said that the solutions to poverty must include general practice care. “A key part of tackling poverty is improving the health of people living in poverty,” she said.

“If people are experiencing poor health, it makes it harder to work, and to care for themselves and their family. There are concrete steps government can take to help patients experiencing poverty get the right kind of care when they need it. Longer consultations with a GP are crucial for many people experiencing poverty when you consider that these patients are more likely to present with poorly managed chronic conditions and increased rates of mental health issues. GPs also spend lots of time helping out with complex paperwork for agencies including Centrelink, the NDIS and state housing, just to name a few.”

“The solution is boosting investment in general practice care. That way, we can put primary care on a more sustainable, long-term financial footing and ensure that no patients anywhere are left behind. If patients living in poverty can access care from their GP when they need it, they are far less likely to end up in a hospital bed with a condition that could – and should – have been managed in general practice. Even aside from the consequences of enabling people to work, care for their families and live their lives to the fullest extent possible, it just makes sense economically. To take one example, every dollar invested in primary health care in a remote Indigenous community results in savings in hospital care from $4 to $12.

To view the RACGP media release RACGP: Help GPs and practice teams care for people experiencing poverty in full click here.
outside view of Utju Clinic (Areyonga), Central Australia, NT

Utju (Areyonga) Clinic, Central Australia, NT. Image source: Flinders University website.

New my health app is live

As of today the my health app is live and available to download. my health is a secure and convenient way for Australians to view key health information that a consumer or healthcare provider has uploaded to an individual’s My Health Record. You can:

  • visit the Digital Health website here to learn more, and
  • download the app from the Apple App Store here and the Google Play Store here or search “my health gov” in your relevant store.

Please spread the word!

To help with the launch of the my health app, the Australian Digital Health Agency has created a range of promotional collateral that can be used on your channels. Refer to their Communications Overview for Partners here which contains key messages and an overview of how you can use these assets.

If a consumer or healthcare provider needs assistance, they can call the Help line on 1800 723 471 (available 24 hours, 7 days a week).

Shining a light on an invisible disability

Indigenous health experts are eager to shine a light on an “invisible disability” impacting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The new campaign Strong Born aims to raise awareness of Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and the dangers of drinking while pregnant or breastfeeding. The program, being run by NACCHO, builds on the research done for the Lililwan (little ones in Kimberley Kriol) Project, led by the Aboriginal community of Fitzroy Crossing in WA, in partnership with Sydney University and George Institute for Global Health.

Chief executive of the Marninwarntikura Women’s Resource Centre Emily Carter, a Gooniyandi and Kija woman who was part of the Lililwan Project, said from the beginning of the study in 2010, community had been at the centre. “For a long, long time there, this was seen as an Aboriginal problem,” she said. “But it was Aboriginal people, Aboriginal women as strong women, that brought it out to the wider consciousness of Australian society. “It was because of our grandmothers at that time were saying to us that their grandchildren’s behaviours were so different to their children growing up and they didn’t know why.”

Malarndirri McCarthy, the assistant minister for Indigenous health, said foetal alcohol spectrum disorder was not confined to any one community. “FASD is often referred to as the invisible disability but as far as many families and communities are concerned, it’s a very visible part of daily life,” she said. “It is a disorder that crosses socio-economic, racial and educational boundaries.”

To view the Perth Now article No blame and no shame: Focus on foetal alcohol syndrome in full click here.

Strong Born poster Aboriginal family with baby girl, grandmother, text 'pregnancy and grog don't mix, Our mob, strong babies, strong futures, NACCHO logo

Strong Born poster. Image source: NACCHO website.

NACCHO Chair addresses First Nations Conference

The aim of the Australia and NZ School of Government (ANZSOG) is to build public service capability in First Nations Public Administration, and ensuring public services are culturally competent. Public servants working in all areas of public administration must change their thinking and upskill, in order to engage successfully with First Nations peoples for improved outcomes. Part of this work is ANZSOC’s regular First Nations public administration conferences which bring together public servants, academics and not-for-profit community leaders to engage with First Nations speakers and listen to their views. These events deepen public sector understanding of the value of First Nations knowledges and cultures, and their importance to public policy

This year’s ANZSOG conference First Peoples to All Peoples: partnerships, devolution, transformation and sharing is being held in Brisbane from 1–3 March. The conference will examine First Nations policy through the lenses of Australia’s National Agreement on Closing the Gap commitments, particularly the four Priority Reforms, as well as the NZ Public Service Act 2020, which now clearly sets out the responsibility of the public service, particularly its leadership, in supporting the Crown’s relationship with Māori under the Treaty of Waitangi.

The title of Day two: session one held earlier this morning was Building the Community-Controlled Sector. At the opening plenary session NACCHO Chair Donnella Mills was one of three speakers addressing the question How do governments devolve responsibility for service delivery to First Peoples?

For more information about the conference, including details of the key speakers you can visit ANZSOG’s webpage 2023 First Nations Public Administration Conference: First Peoples to All Peoples – Partnerships, devolution, transformation and sharing webpage here.

tile for 2023 First Nations Public Administration Conference First Peoples to All Peoples: Partnerships, devolution, transformation and sharing - Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre 1-3 March; portrait of Donnella Mills, NACCHO Chair

Promotion tile for 2023 First Nations Public Administration Conference, ANZSOC website and NACCHO Chair Donnella Mills – image source: Wuchopperen Health Service website.

Pat Anderson – NT women’s leadership award winner

Pat Anderson AO, chair of Batchelor Institute, was announced yesterday as the 2023 NT Award recipient of the Australian Awards for Excellence in Women’s Leadership. The prestigious award celebrates “exceptional Australian women who encourage change and make important contributions to advancing equity across all facets of our society”.

Ms Anderson, a proud Alyawarre woman known nationally and internationally as a powerful advocate for the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, will accept her award at the online Australian Women’s Leadership Symposium on 1 September. “It’s an honour to receive this award, I’d like to thank everyone who nominated me. I’d also like to thank everyone who has supported my work at The Lowitja Institute and Batchelor Institute over the years – and more recently with The Uluru Dialogues. There are so many women out there from different backgrounds doing incredible work, it’s hard not to feel energised and hopeful about the future,” she said.

The Award organisers said Ms Anderson’s work in advocacy for Indigenous rights and health “has had profound impacts on Australia and will continue to do so in years to come”. Women & Leadership Australia chief executive Karen Taylor noted that Ms Anderson has received numerous accolades “for her inspiring work as a human rights advocate”. “Ms Anderson is a role model, not only for Alyawarre women but for women across the nation, as she tirelessly campaigns for improved health, educational, and protection outcomes for First Nations people. We hope to shed light on her integral work in building a better future for First Nations as an advisor to the government on the path to a referendum on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament,” she said.

To view the National Indigenous Times article Pat Anderson AO honoured with Excellence in Women’s Leadership award in full click here.

Pat Anderson AO standing at a podium

Pat Anderson AO. Image source: UNSW Sydney Centre for Ideas webpage.

Life-course approach to Aboriginal ageing

While we know that our population is ageing rapidly on a national and global scale, Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations are in fact ageing at a faster rate than our non-Indigenous population. Aboriginal Australians also record high mid-life rates of multiple chronic diseases including heart disease and stroke, lung disease and type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes, for example, is more than twice as common in the Indigenous population than the non-Indigenous population. There remains a life expectancy gap of approximately ten years between the Aboriginal population and the non-Indigenous population.

Research conducted by Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) is centred on partnering with communities to improve the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal Australians and find better ways to support their cognitive health as they age. An important part of this work involves finding better ways for Aboriginal communities to gain access to the health services they need as well as suggesting positive changes to services dedicated to improving Aboriginal health, especially in older populations.

Researchers at NeuRA have found that dementia prevalence is three to four times higher in Aboriginal people compared to estimates for the general Australian population. This disparity in dementia rates is consistent across remote, regional and urban communities. By liaising with Aboriginal communities and representatives, we have identified that there is great interest amongst Aboriginal people to understand the scope of age-related diseases like dementia in their communities.

For more information visit NeuRA webpage Aboriginal Ageing here.

Aboriginal female Elder & Aboriginal male Elder

Image source: NeuRA webpage Sharing the Wisdom of our Elders.

Sector Jobs

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.

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: RACGP calls for QLD government to come clean

The image in the feature tile is from an RACGP newsGP article ‘Very disappointing’: UTI pharmacy prescribing pilot extended indefinitely published on 4 July 2022.

RACGP calls for QLD government to come clean

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has called on the Queensland Government to come clean on the North Queensland Retail Pharmacy Scope of Practice Pilot. It comes following the RACGP lodging a Right to Information Act 2009 (RTI Act) request to the Queensland Health Department on 28 March this year – 256 days ago. So far, no information has been forthcoming. The application sought access to meeting agendas, meeting papers (including notes and briefing papers), minutes, correspondence, budget documents and briefings relating to the pilot.

The college has previously cautioned that the pilot will fragment care and put patient safety and wellbeing at risk. In October this year, the RACGP doubled down on warnings that the experiment will result in poorer health outcomes for patients and much higher healthcare costs. Since then, several jurisdictions including Victoria and NSW, have forged ahead with their own pharmacy prescribing plans.

RACGP President and Mackay-based GP Dr Nicole Higgins said that scrutiny of the pilot was needed more than ever. “This is not rocket science, if due process has been followed then these documents exist, and it is in the public’s interest to know what they contain, especially as this pilot is the product of an election promise rather than responding to a demonstrable public need,” she said.

To view the RACGP media release What is the Queensland Government hiding on the controversial pharmacy prescribing pilot? in full click here.

Image source: The Conversation.

Concerns mob missing out on eating disorder treatment

To view the ABC News article Concerns Indigenous Australians missing out on eating disorder treatment in full click here.

Wiradjuri and Wotjobulak man AJ Williams battled bulimia for three years. Image source: ABC News.

Remote housing: holding government to account

Royal Darwin Hospital’s Dr Nerida Moore and paediatric registrar Dr Tasmyn Soller have co-authored an article about how overcrowding and poor-quality housing are significant driving forces of death and disease in remote communities of the NT, saying “As health care workers, we bear witness to the devastating impact that overcrowding and grossly substandard infrastructure brings. We see mothers who are desperate to find solutions to enable them to wash their children’s clothes, limited by access to washing machines, power and water. Likewise, we see families advocating to reduce overcrowding in their community who are told to wait patiently for nearly a decade for a new house to be built.”

Inadequate housing and overcrowding are at crisis level in many parts of the NT – a fact that has been established over many decades. In Australia, the highest levels of overcrowding occur in very remote communities. In 2019, it was estimated that 51% of Indigenous Australians living in very remote communities resided in overcrowded homes. Estimates suggest an extra 5,000 homes are needed by 2028 to reduce levels of overcrowding to an acceptable level.

It is therefore unsurprising that remote communities experience some of the highest rates of devastating and preventable diseases such as acute rheumatic fever (ARF), rheumatic heart disease (RHD), acute post streptococcal glomerulonephritis, chronic suppurative lung disease, skin infections and otitis media. These diseases, even though they have different pathophysiology, all have common links to the social determinants of health. This is further highlighted by the steep decline of these diseases globally as living conditions have gradually improved across the world.

To view the InSight article Remote community housing: holding government to account in full click here.

Gloria Chula lives in a three-bedroom house of 16 people in Wadeye, one of the Northern Territory’s poorest and most troubled Indigenous communities. Image source: The Islander.

Nine-year-old ‘doctors’ set to graduate

A group of primary school-aged “doctors” are set to graduate in Melbourne’s north and become life-long health ambassadors for themselves and their communities. The 30-odd students in grades three and four at Reservoir East Primary School are graduating from the 15-week Malpa Young Doctors for Life program this week.

The program is culturally derived and teaches both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children traditional ways of healing, along with modern ways of keeping communities healthy. Interstate, nine South Australian schools signed up in 2022, and three schools are also part of the program in NSW in Dubbo South, and in Smithtown and Kempsey West in the Mid North Coast region.

The program “equips them with Indigenous and non-Indigenous knowledge which they end up sharing with others – I believe they are closing the gap for themselves,” Malpa leader Mel Harrison said. “At Reservoir, one of the main benefits is that it has dramatically improved school attendance. “The way the program is designed means that every child feels some form of success in Malpa.”

To view the Milton Ulladulla Times article Nine-year-old ‘doctors’ set to graduate in full click here.

Students from a primary school in Melbourne took part in the Malpa Young Doctors for Life program. Image source: Milton Ulladulla Times.

NT facing COVID-19 spike

COVID-19 cases have doubled in the NT in the past week, rising faster than anywhere else in the country. The NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles says the NT has moved out of the COVID-19 emergency phase but Aboriginal health care providers say that call is premature. Angus Randall reports that health services are very worried about a Christmas peak. The NT recently recorded a worrying COVID milestone, 100,000 cases since the start of the pandemic. Experts say that is likely an undercount, but the trend in the official numbers shows a steeper rise in the NT right now than anywhere else in Australia.

John Paterson the CEO, of the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance NT (AMSANT) said “Up until this year we’ve had 40 Aboriginal deaths in the NT, it’s killing Aboriginal people at younger ages, with the highest numbers of deaths in the 60-69 age group then the 50-59 age group compared to over 80 for the non-Aboriginal population, so you can see the Aboriginal population is at most risk.”

Mr Paterson is concerned about what will happen over the coming weeks as those in remote communities travel to the more populated centres during the Christmas season. “It is unfortunate and I think premature that governments are taking their foot off the pedal and not giving this issue the attention it deserves given we are now seeing a rise in COVID-19 numbers again. Our advice would have been to wait until after the Christmas New Year period to see what the numbers are like and reconsider any other public measures we might need to take during that period.”

You can listen to The World Today ABC broadcast NT facing COVID-19 spike in full here.

Photo: Steven Schubert, ABC News. Image source: ABC News – The World Today.

Australia’s annual sexual health check up

New data released last week by the Kirby Institute at UNSW Sydney reveals how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted testing and diagnoses of sexually transmissible infections (STI) in Australia. The report titled HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmissible infections in Australia: Annual surveillance report shows that in 2021 there were 86,916 diagnoses* of chlamydia, 26,577 of gonorrhoea and 5,570 of infectious syphilis in Australia.

“Prior to the pandemic we were seeing increases in chlamydia and gonorrhoea, but in 2021 we recorded a small decline. We believe this reduction is a consequence of both reduced testing and reduced sexual activity with new or casual partners, due to social restrictions and lockdowns during 2020 and 2021,” says Dr Skye McGregor from the Kirby Institute, one of the report’s authors. “On the other hand, syphilis has been steadily increasing among women of reproductive age, gay and bisexual men and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This reflects sustained and ongoing transmission across Australia, which is extremely concerning.”

To view the scimex article Australia’s Annual Sexual Health Check Up: STIs are mostly down, but reductions in testing could be the cause in full click here.

Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) webpage of 1800 My Options website.

Sector Jobs

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.

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: U and Me Can Stop HIV video launch

The image in the feature tile is of the U and Me Can Stop HIV banner painted by VACCHO staff for the VACCHO reception area. Image supplied by VACCHO.

U and Me Can Stop HIV video launch

On World AIDS Day yesterday VACCHO launched a video U and Me Can Stop HIV video. This video was a result of a collaboration by VACCHO with Victorian Aboriginal Health Service and Thorn Habour Health. Over a period of two days VACCHO made 1,000 awareness red ribbons for World AIDS Day. VACCHO said the ribbon making was a great way to engage people and have a low key yarn about HIV.

Warra could change face of Indigenous leadership

Research tells us that the more diverse management and leadership teams are, the better organisations function. Diversity leads to richer ideas, a more inclusive work culture and better business decisions and outcomes. In fact, McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm, found in 2020 that the relationship between diversity on executive teams and the likelihood of financial outperformance had strengthened over time.

Despite this, many organisations continue to fall behind the eight ball on diversity, with the statistics especially dismal for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, who remain vastly underrepresented – or completely excluded – from leadership in the Australian workforce. According to the Minderoo Foundation’s Indigenous Employment Index, Indigenous employees are almost entirely absent from senior management and executive leadership positions. Among the 31 employers who reported the relevant data, Indigenous representation at senior leadership levels was just 0.7%.

It’s a reality that Kamilaroi woman, Carlyn Waters is all too familiar with. Over the past 20 years, Waters has held senior positions in various government roles, often finding herself as one of very few Indigenous people at the same level. Now, Waters is calling time by, spearheading a new sponsorship program called Warra, the first program delivered by Cultivate Indigenous – a majority First Nations owned and operated business. The program seeks to inspire and develop talent at all levels by embedding a culture of sponsorship, and delivering tailored development opportunities to grow, retain and advance Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders.

To read the Women’s Agenda article ‘That kind of support can be transformative’: A new, curated sponsorship program could change the face of Indigenous leadership in full click here.

Carlyn Waters. Image source: Women’s Agenda.

Questions must be answered on pharmacy trials

According to a media release from the Australian Medical Association (AMA) state governments have a responsibility to answer questions about why they are determined to move Australians to a second-class health system and put patient safety at risk through pharmacy prescribing trials. AMA President Professor Stephen Robson launched a video today posing six questions to state governments about pharmacy prescribing trials and the decisions that led to their implementation.

Professor Robson said these trials presented a clear risk to patient safety; ignored ethical concerns regarding separating prescribing and dispensing of medicines and could lead to an increase in anti-microbial resistance and the emergence of more superbugs. “Responding to GP shortages with second-class policy solutions that trample over the advice of independent bodies like the Pharmacy Board of Australia and the Therapeutic Goods Administration and bypass established national processes that exist to protect patient safety isn’t the answer.

“GPs train for 12–15 years to have the expertise to diagnose conditions that are being covered in some of these trials. You can’t replace that training and experience with a few hours of weekly online training without putting patients at risk. GPs are highly skilled and equipped to diagnose the difference between a UTI and other serious and potentially deadly health conditions. They are equipped to take a full medical history of their patients and understand the full range of contraceptive options available to women. A second-tier health system that moves the costs of health services from the government to the patient (except for Victoria which is proposing to cover some of the costs) isn’t the solution.”

To view the AMA media release Questions must be answered on pharmacy prescribing trials in full click here.

Image source: RACGP newsGP.

Exhibition showcases art’s healing power

The healing power of art is reflected in an exhibition of First Nations ceramic works originating from a new collaboration, which co-mingles visual art education and well-being activities for Purple House dialysis patients in Alice Springs. Charles Darwin University (CDU) Academy of Arts has partnered with Indigenous-owned and operated health service Purple House, to present the exhibition that blends and celebrates the cultural diversity of Aboriginal communities in central Australia.

The exhibition’s title, Pana, Tjulpirpa, Pilki combines the words for clay in three different desert languages spoken by the ceramic artists who hail from the region’s Pintupi-Luritja, Pitjantjatjara and Kukaja communities. It showcases the creative talent of First Nations women who are Purple House patients receiving dialysis treatment, while studying visual arts at CDU’s Alice Springs campus.

Purple House is a non-profit health organisation, based in Alice Springs, that aims to improve the lives of First Nations people with renal failure, support families and reduce the impacts of kidney disease in communities. Purple House CEO Sarah Brown said that art has always been integral to Purple House and the lives of its patients. “Art helps keep culture strong in communities, and it’s a powerful way to share knowledge and stories, and an important source of income,” Ms Brown said. “Our patients get so much out of their ceramics classes at CDU each week and this is a fabulous opportunity for them to exhibit their artwork.”

To view the Charles Darwin University Australia News article Exhibition showcases art’s healing power in Alice Springs in full click here.

An exhibition in Alice Springs showcases the ceramic artworks of First Nations women who are receiving dialysis treatment at Purple House, while studying Visual Arts at CDU. Image source: CDU website.

Improving transplantation access for mob

More than 30 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kidney patients and their carers will travel from across Australia to attend a two-day meeting in Adelaide next week. The meeting aims to improve access to and outcomes from transplantation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, according to a statement from The National Indigenous Kidney Transplantation Taskforce (NIKTT), a multidisciplinary national network of clinical, patient, and community advocates.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kidney transplant recipients, dialysis patients, and their carers and family from the Kimberley, the Torres Strait, central Australia, far north Queensland, regional NSW and Victoria, and the Top End will travel to Adelaide to work together with clinicians, researchers, and policy makers to determine priorities and next steps for the NIKTT.

Organisers say the meeting has been designed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kidney patients, non-Indigenous advocates, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers to be “a safe, shared, brave space that will allow us to co-design the future of transplantation equity together”.

To view the Croakey Health Media article As new report launches, historic meeting of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kidney patients and carers to co-design transplantation equity in full click here.

Theatre staff prepare surgical equipment for a kidney transplant operation. Photo: Frances Roberts, Alamy. Image source: The Guardian.

Sector Jobs

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.

International Day of People with Disability

International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) is held on 3 December each year. IDPwD is a United Nations observed day aimed at increasing public awareness, understanding and acceptance of people with disability. The Australian Government has been supporting IDPwD since 1996 and provides funds to promote and raise awareness of the day and support activities around Australia. This includes encouraging individuals, schools, community groups, businesses and organisations to get involved and hold events on, or around, 3 December.

The IDPwD program aligns with key action areas under Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021–31. This includes improving community awareness by recognising the positive contribution people with disability make to society, and building confidence in the community to work and engage with people with disability.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience disability at up to twice the rate of non-Indigenous Australians and while many receive support for their disability, historically Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been up to four times less likely to receive a funded disability service. For more information about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability, including statistics from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare click here.

You can find more information about IDPwD here.

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Climate change and First Nations health

The image in the feature tile is from the Croakey Health Media article Governments urged to act on greenwashing, as COP27 puts spotlight on health and climate justice published on Thursday 10 November 2022.

Climate change and First Nations health

Many of the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (more commonly referred to as Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC, or COP27) events are putting a focus on climate justice and health-related issues, including air pollution, extreme heat, effective climate and health communications, food insecurity, the role of psychology, disaster responses, and the experiences of countries in building climate-resilient and low-carbon health systems.

First Nations people, academics and representatives of Doctors for the Environment Australia and the Climate and Health Alliance (CAHA) are attending COP27, including proud Gumbaynggirr nyami woman Amba-Rose Atkinson, from the mid-north coast of NSW. Ms Atkinson said “I join the largest contingent of First Nations Peoples from all over the world, to advocate and fight for Country. Representation is an important first step; however, we must now strive for an empowered voice and the redistribution of asymmetric power structures. It is time global leaders and governments recognise that First Nations Peoples and Knowledges are powerful solution-oriented forces that need to be heard, respected and empowered, for the benefit of Country and all the biodiversity that exists within Country.”

Ms Atkinson referred to the work Professor Kerry Arabena, a proud Meriam woman from the Torres Strait Islands, “who has written about how destroying the relationship between First Nations peoples and Country destroys our holistic health and wellbeing; Country is our life source, we are inextricably linked to Country, and Country to us. My presence in Egypt is to uphold these teachings and advocate alongside many other First Nations peoples and reinforce the message, now is the time to act!”

To view the Croakey Health Media article Governments urged to act on greenwashing, as COP27 puts spotlight on health and climate justice in full click here.

Gumbaynggirr nyami Amba-Rose Atkinson joins First Nations Peoples from around the world in Eqypt for COP27. Image source: Croakey Health Media.

Powerful 2022 Dr Charles Perkins Oration

As the world watches COP27 negotiations, it’s timely that Larissa Baldwin-Roberts, a Widjabul Wia-bul woman from the Bundjalung Nations, and longstanding campaigner for climate justice has delivered the 2022 Dr Charles Perkins Oration at the University of Sydney. In a wide-ranging address Ms Baldwin-Roberts paid tribute to generations of First Nations activists and community mobilisers, and urged support for a constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament.

She said: “If you want to understand how to deal with the climate crisis, we must first situate ourselves within an Indigenous worldview. To do that, we need to be thinking about three generations behind you, and three generations in front of you. Make decisions that will benefit the people in front of you, and take lessons from the people behind you. Governments can’t do that, but the leadership from our communities can.”

Ms Baldwin-Roberts wants the wider Australian community to recognise the crises that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people face, not just climate, but the issues with housing, guns in remote communities, over-policing, deaths in custody, health. She said people need to understand that breadth of context.

To read the Croakey Health Media article Powerful oration builds on legacy of Dr Charles Perkins with a vision for climate justice, accountable governments and community leadership in full click here.

RACGP Top End visit ‘important step’

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) leaders have joined NT General Practice Education (NTGPE) representatives on a four-day of the Top End in an effort to strengthen long-term training in the region and find solutions for rural and remote GP shortages. RACGP President-Elect Dr Nicole Higgins and Vice President Dr Bruce Willett are part of a group that will meet with doctors and other health professionals, as well as traditional owners, Aboriginal Elders and key local figures, in seven different NT remote communities from 7–10 November 2022.

Dr Higgins told newsGP it has been a ‘humbling privilege’ to visit the communities and meet with the lands’ traditional owners and gain first-hand experience of the region’s healthcare challenges. “They have welcomed the RACGP as the new mob who will be delivering GP training in their communities,’ she said. ‘We have also met with registrars, supervisors and the teams that support them – cultural mentors and educators, remote nurses and practice staff. We have listened and they have been heard.”

To view the newsGP article RACGP Top End visit an ‘important step’ in full click here.

RACGP President Elect Dr Nicole Higgins and Vice President Dr Bruce Willett during their visit to remote communities in the NT. Image source: RACGP newsGP.

Koories need radiotherapy too

NSW’s New Chief Cancer Officer, Professor Tracey O’Brien, is visiting Southern NSW Local Health District (LHD). Professor O’Brien said of her visit “NSW is recognised as a global leader in cancer care, with survival rates among the best in the world, but there is still much more we can do to lessen the impact of cancer. However, cancer continues to impact too many people in our community with one in two people across NSW diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime.”

“There are also communities that continue to experience poorer cancer outcomes, including Aboriginal communities and people living in regional rural and remote NSW. “While cancer survival for Aboriginal people continues to improve, there is still a disproportionate gap in cancer outcomes.  Aboriginal people are more likely to be diagnosed with cancer, are likely to be younger when they are diagnosed and are more likely to die of cancer than non-Aboriginal people. Closing the gap in cancer outcomes for Aboriginal communities is a key priority of the NSW Cancer Plan.”

The NSW Cancer Plan says the reason for inequities in cancer outcomes for Aboriginal people are multiple and complex, including:

  • Fear and capacity issues around leaving community or country for treatment and lack of culturally safe and responsive care are also major barriers for Aboriginal people to access health services.
  • Fear and stigma about cancer, due to a lack of understanding about the disease, can prevent Aboriginal people from participating in cancer screening or having symptoms checked. This can lead to later diagnosis causing poorer outcomes.
  • Aboriginal people and communities are also often dealing with complex personal and familial issues and lower levels of health literacy, which impact their health seeking behaviours.
  • These barriers can also contribute to higher prevalence of certain lifestyle behaviours, such as tobacco use and alcohol consumption which can contribute towards higher cancer incidence.

To view The Beagle article Koories need radiotherapy too: where is our facility in the new hospital? in full click here. In the below video Aboriginal Cancer Health Practitioner Lynne Thorne describes the barriers Aboriginal cancer patients in SA and NT face in accessing radiotherapy. These barriers are similar across Australia.

Skin conditions among urban-living young mob

A systematic analysis in Pediatric Dermatology that included all relevant studies published since 1990 indicates that many urban-living Indigenous children and young people in high-income countries are burdened with atopic dermatitis (or eczema) and bacterial skin infections (including skin sores). Investigators note that these conditions are intertwined, in that poorly managed atopic dermatitis predisposes to recurrent bacterial skin infections, and secondary infection of atopic dermatitis contributes to more severe disease. Both conditions adversely impact general health, school performance, and overall quality of life. Untreated bacterial skin infections can also lead to serious complications such as sepsis, kidney disease, and rheumatic heart disease.

In this recent analysis, current and severe symptoms of atopic dermatitis were more common in urban-living Indigenous children and young people compared with their non-Indigenous peers, with children having a higher prevalence than adolescents. Urban-living Indigenous children and young people also had a higher incidence of bacterial skin infections compared with their non-Indigenous peers.

To view the Mirage Science article Scientists examine rates of skin conditions among urban-living Indigenous children and young people in full click here.

Young students at the Redfern Jarjum College (RJC). Image source: RJC website.

Using practice data to find kidney disease webinar

At 7:30PM (AEST) Tuesday 15 November 2022, join Kidney Health Australia with GP Consultant, Dr Chris Bollen and General Practice Pharmacist, Mr Tim Perry as they discuss and show how to utilise your practice data to find evidence of chronic kidney disease. Using electronic clinical software as an example, learn how to collect practice data and analyse gaps in diagnosis and correctly stage chronic kidney disease. Learn how to develop a practice plan to identify patients at risk without a coded diagnosis, and create an individualised clinical action plan for a patient with chronic kidney disease.

RACGP CPDA 2 points per hour Activity # 367776 (pending approval)

If you have a Zoom account you can register here.

Image of diabetes educator with a patient. Image source: Moreton Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service’s Diabetes education webpage.

Sector Jobs

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.