Report: Addressing Health Inequality in Indigenous Australians

This report addresses health inequality in Indigenous Australians, examining the importance of self-determination, the ACCHS model of care, and the roles of Aboriginal Health Workers (AHWs) and Aboriginal Health Practitioners (AHPs). It delves into the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients, outlining strategies to improve patient outcomes. Furthermore, the report discusses the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) Codes of Conduct, emphasizing culturally-safe care practices to reduce health disparities. The analysis includes the significance of health promotion campaigns, the impact of historical factors, and strategies for effective communication and medication processes within the healthcare system. The report highlights the need for a multi-layered commitment to address health inequity and prepare healthcare professionals for culturally safe care.

Addressing Health Inequality
in Indigenous Australians

Table of Contents
PART A...........................................................................................................................................3
Importance of self-determination to Indigenous Australians.................................................3
ACCHS model of care reflects Indigenous understandings of health....................................3
Program by local ACCHS contributes to well being..............................................................4
Role of AHWs and AHPs in ACCHS in improving health outcomes...................................4
PART B............................................................................................................................................5
NSQHS Standards for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients...................................5
Strategies to improve patient outcomes for Indigenous Australians......................................5
PART C............................................................................................................................................6
NMBA Nursing and Midwifery Codes of Conduct for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander
patients....................................................................................................................................6
Strategies to provide culturally-safe care and contribute to reducing health inequality........6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

PART A
Importance of self-determination to Indigenous Australians
Health is very an stage of an individual of remaining physically, mentally, emotionally
and socially well being. There are various kinds of health care organizations which are provide
medical services to desired people and make them healthy or disease free. Thus, it can be
analyzed that health is required for an individual whether they are indigenous and non
indigenous people. The self determination help in providing choice to people where they are able
for fulfilling their social, economical and cultural needs.
Self determination right of indigenous Australians include to provide them choice of
ensuring that they are able to fulfill their overall social, cultural and economic needs. It is
observed that these people has worse health condition along with facing several problems.
Moreover, it is essential for government and other local authorities to put their efforts through
taking initiatives for their welfare as they are an important part of a country. Victorian
Aboriginal Health Service which is a local ACCHS of Melbourne and helps to people of given
community to remain well being. It was established in the year around 1972 for addressing
particular medical requirements of indigenous communities.
The Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service (ACCHS) have focused on this
population of nation and maintain several interventions to reduce barriers along with improving
health outcomes. Meanwhile, self determination is important in terms of providing rights to
indigenous Australians so that they can fulfill their actual needs, wants and desires of life
(Russell and et. al., 2013). However, this population has very small expectations and they only
required limited expectations to fulfilled. Additionally, right of self determination render them an
opportunity to gain medical services and they become capable to spend better life similar to other
Australians.
ACCHS model of care reflects Indigenous understandings of health
The health care problems and responsibility to boost up medical situation of communities
are examine or tackle by ACCHS (Aboriginal community controlled health service). The model
of ACCHS assist in reducing health care issues or problems with the help of medical services.
They focus on prevention, early intervention and comprehensive care to decrease problems and
facilitate to improve outcomes of health in terms of Aboriginal people. Moreover, it is examine

that there is a wide range of data to take information or evidences about these individuals in
order to achieve better outcomes for their well being status of them.
Initially, comprehensive primary health care consistent with patient centered medical
home model. Moreover, it involve to cover population of Aboriginal people more than 60 %
from the area of major metropolitan centers. Meanwhile, it include consistent improvement in
performance is considered as key working as best practice care indicators and superior
performance to mainstream general practice (Minkler and Wallerstein, 2011). There are several
important roles of ACCHS in providing specific training to medical professionals to deal with
Aboriginal individuals in proper manner. Additionally, this community set several desired
strategies for dealing with indigenous people and solve their health problems by appropriately
understanding actual needs of them.
Program by local ACCHS contributes to well being
There are different types programs which are carried out by ACCHS clinical services,
health promotion, cultural safety and community engagement. It include the criteria of making
people aware about various kinds of health issues and their crucial impacts on body. They
conduct several health promotional campaigns in order to render information about negat8ive
impacts along with conveying different precautions of daily and appeal to them to follow desired
instructions properly.
Health promotion campaign is one of the important programs which is carried out by
ACCHS because it provide knowledge to these indigenous people. Moreover, information
gathering from promotional event make people easily and appropriately understand about critical
diseases which facilitates to make them convinced to follow guidelines of carers for remaining
well being.
Role of AHWs and AHPs in ACCHS in improving health outcomes
The AHW (Aboriginal Health Workers) plays several roles in order to improve health
status of indigenous people. They lived within the community and establish relationship with
individuals as well as government agencies (Farmer, Munoz and Threlkeld, 2012). Moreover,
these workers have a duty to ties up community and health networks together so that desired
medical services can be provided to Aboriginal citizens for improving their well being outcomes.
AHWs provide medical facilities of patients, conduct various health promotions to make people

aware, render guidelines to take precautions and analyze reason behind health care problems of
people.
AHPs put efforts in case coordination approach for providing better quality of medical
facilities in terms of holistic and culturally acceptable framework. They adopt several different
criteria to render more effective as well as efficient health care services within context of their
family and living environment in order to make people well being. Moreover, Aboriginal citizens
will easily accept medications because these services are relevant to their cultural and social
values.
PART B
NSQHS Standards for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients
The NSQHS stands for National Safety and Quality Health Service which provide several
standards which are helpful to gain better health outcomes. It includes clinical governance,
partnering with consumers, health care associated infection, medication safety, comprehensive
care, communicating for safety, blood management and recognizing & responding to acute
deterioration (Craig, Bejan and Muskat, 2013). In context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander patients, theses standards are required to be followed as a guide which provide help to
make people healthy and disease free in an appropriate manner.
Strategies to improve patient outcomes for Indigenous Australians
There are different types of strategies which can be carried out for improving patient
outcomes for indigenous Australians so that a comfortable life can be provided to them. It
include medication process, surgical teams, improve cultural safety, increasing communication
and promoting positive experiences. Moreover, it is necessary for medical professionals to make
appropriate strategies order to make an individuals well being properly of Indigenous
community.
In this part, two more specified strategies involve to conduct more accurate medications
and enhance communication so that desired information can be transferred properly between
medical professionals associated with particular cases. An effective as well as accurate
conversation is must among team of medical professionals related with specific case because
every single detail is required to conduct treatment procedure.

PART C
NMBA Nursing and Midwifery Codes of Conduct for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander
patients
The code of conduct for nursing has been developed by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of
Australia. This code will directly effect on all nurses and midwives in Australia on 1st March
2018. The code of conduct set all the legal requirements, professional behaviour an expectations
for all nurses and midwives in different setting of practices (Berry and et. al., 2011). The code of
conduct determine the culturally safe, respectful practices and need of nurses and midwives who
have knowledge regarding their own culture, attitude, values, assumptions and beliefs which
effect on such people. There are various code of conduct for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander
patients are described here.
Firstly, Australia has always been culturally and linguistically different countries.
Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander people have colonised and cared for the land in which the
First person of Australia nation are millennia and their histories and culture has shape unique
country. Secondly, they require nurses to understand the historical aspects which includes
colonisation that directly impact on Aboriginal or Torres Straits Islander people health, which
assist to inform care. Moreover, providing guidance and set expectation for health care provider
and midwives for assisting in health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait people. Additionally, giving
care is holistic, situation belief based on presumption and safely culture in respect of Aboriginal
and Torres Islander people. Thus, the code of conduct set all the judicial necessitate, professional
activity an anticipate for all health professional and midwives in various setting of practices.
Strategies to provide culturally-safe care and contribute to reducing health inequality
Heath inequality among aboriginal and Torres people are create major impact on
Australian culture (Freeman and et. al., 2011). The cultural barrier are vital factor in highlighting
the aboriginal health inequity. In this, health professional can be part of effective solution for
reducing in disparities in health care services. The health providers developing strategies which
help in controlling and maintaining culturally safe care and also help in reducing health inequity
effectively. There are various types of nurses and midwives who play different role in addressing
aboriginal cultures barrier among Torres Strait and aboriginal people. Along with this, the effect
of racism in health services towards aboriginal Australian is the main priority required to multi

layered commitment to strategy link with effective policy which reduces the health inequity.
There are various strategies which includes preparing undergraduates and health professional
regarding culturally safe care in respect of healthcare services provide to the aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander people. In this, nurses are uniquely positioned to initiate and sustain to
make contact with aboriginal Australian and others in health care work place so they can
intervene the point which has higher need in the society to highlight the important health care
and social issues.

REFERENCES
Books and journals
Berry, H. L. and et. al., (2011). Climate change and farmers’ mental health: risks and responses.
Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health. 23(2_suppl). 119S-132S.
Craig, S. L., Bejan, R., & Muskat, B. (2013). Making the invisible visible: Are health social
workers addressing the social determinants of health?. Social Work in Health Care.
52(4). 311-331.
Farmer, J., Munoz, S. A., & Threlkeld, G. (2012). Theory in rural health. Australian Journal of
Rural Health. 20(4). 185-189.
Freeman, T. and et. al., (2011). Reaching those with the greatest need: how Australian primary
health care service managers, practitioners and funders understand and respond to health
inequity. Australian Journal of Primary Health. 17(4). 355-361.
Minkler, M., & Wallerstein, N. (Eds.). (2011). Community-based participatory research for
health: From process to outcomes. John Wiley & Sons.
Russell, D. J. and et. al., (2013). Helping policy‐makers address rural health access problems.
Australian Journal of Rural Health. 21(2). 61-71.