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Aboriginal health

Improving health outcomes for Aboriginal people accessing our services

Aboriginal health

Four women and one man from the SMHS Aboriginal Health Strategy team standing together

SMHS is committed to improving health outcomes for Aboriginal people accessing our services.

Our actions are characterised by acknowledging past history and understanding the social determinants impacting health inequities. We recognise Aboriginal people's strong connection to country, their enduring diverse cultures, languages, experiences and circumstances may impact on their health outcomes.

SMHS aims to close the health gap by ensuring that our attitudes, strong commitment and approaches to service delivery continues to impact positively on health outcomes for Aboriginal people accessing SMHS services.

Aboriginal health strategy

SMHS works in partnership with the Aboriginal community and all staff to deliver high-quality and culturally responsive care to Aboriginal people accessing our services. 

To achieve this we focus on:

  • increasing our Aboriginal workforce across clinical and non-clinical areas, including improving career pathways through entry level positions
  • building a skilled and culturally safe non-Aboriginal workforce
  • partnering with community and consumers in the design and delivery of health services to Aboriginal people
  • increasing knowledge across the SMHS workforce of the barriers Aboriginal people experience in accessing quality and timely health care and developing programs and resources to address these barriers
  • educating our workforce on Aboriginal history, past and present issues and its impact today.

Email the SMHS Aboriginal Health team

Aboriginal Hospital Liaison Officers

Aboriginal Hospital Liaison Officers (AHLOs) are vitally important in bringing their cultural expertise into the health service to ensure culturally sensitive care and appropriate referral for Aboriginal patients.

AHLOs provide a range of services to all Aboriginal inpatients of Fiona Stanley, Rockingham and Fremantle Hospitals depending on the needs of the individual client. Services include, but are not limited to:

  • support with hospital admission
  • cultural support/awareness
  • advocacy/interpretation
  • patient/family support
  • discharge planning support
  • linking patient to appropriate health care services
  • routine visits as required
  • coordinated approach to patient care
  • ensuring a patient centred approach
  • navigating around the hospital.

Aboriginal health projects

COVID 19 – health literacy project

In March 2020, in response to the COVID 19 pandemic, the SMHS Aboriginal Health Strategy team developed Aboriginal specific posters to promote COVID safety and hand washing. These were distributed throughout the SMHS hospitals and Perth Children’s hospital and more broadly to Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (ACCHOs) and community health care providers in the southern suburbs.

Aboriginal Health Champions Program

A first for a WA health service provider, SMHS launched the Aboriginal Health Champions (AHCs) program in July 2018 to help improve health outcomes for Aboriginal patients. Developed by Aboriginal consumers and passionate SMHS staff across multiple disciplines, the program focuses on increasing the cultural competency of non-Aboriginal staff.

The AHCs walk side-by-side with the Aboriginal workforce to identify and implement culturally safe practices for Aboriginal patients, their families/carers and support people, making ‘Aboriginal health everybody’s business’. This increases both the cultural competency levels of the SMHS workforce and its engagement with Aboriginal patients.

SMHS Aboriginal Community and Consumer Engagement Framework

The SMHS Community and Consumer Engagement Framework was developed in 2017 and has been implemented throughout SMHS. Engagement and/or consultation with the Aboriginal community is conducted across the organisation to provide the cultural lens. Aboriginal consultation groups are set up to advise, endorse and provide input into new projects to ensure that Aboriginal cultural and clinical needs are considered.

Aboriginal consumer stories, patient experiences and patient satisfaction levels have been captured across the organisation.

Patient Centred Cultural Care Guidelines

SMHS has invested in building the capacity of the organisation to incorporate an understanding of culturally competent care in policy and program development and delivery. This has resulted in the development of the Patient Centred Cultural Care Guidelines 2018 – Aboriginal Health Strategy, SMHS.

The guidelines were developed in collaboration with Aboriginal community members and aim to support health professionals in the delivery of safe, clinical and culturally responsive care for Aboriginal patients. The focus is on factors influencing access to health care, providing culturally capable patient care and aspects of clinical care.

Last Updated: 13/10/2021
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