National Reconciliation Week is an opportunity to reflect on how we can contribute to Closing the Gap in Australia. Everyone is encouraged to explore different events and activities, and reflect on their role in understanding and educating.
The theme for 2024, Now More Than Ever, reminds us that the fight for justice and the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will – and must – continue.
During this week, primary care teams are encouraged to think about how they can support the health and wellbeing of First Nations people. Read on to see how North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network (NWMPHN) can assist.
Why Closing the Gap matters
Aboriginal people have an average life expectancy 10 years lower than the non-Indigenous community. They are also more likely to be burdened with chronic disease and have difficulty accessing housing, employment and health care.
Closing the Gap aims to reduce disadvantage among First Nations peoples in areas including child mortality, childhood education, life expectancy, and health and wellbeing. Increasing life expectancy is a health equity and human rights issue and is central to the empowerment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Quality improvement activities for your practice team
NWMPHN is committed to improving health outcomes with and for Aboriginal people living across its vast region. We work closely with closely with the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation and the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service to do this.
However, we know that Aboriginal people also attend other health services. We have developed several quality improvement (QI) activities to assist practice teams to work more closely with First Nations patients.
They are templates that are easy to use and adapt, providing practical ways to contribute towards Closing the Gap.
You can find them here:
- Improve identification in general practice of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- Increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients with a current 715 health check
- Increase the number of GP management plans and team care arrangements for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients with a chronic disease
- Increase the number of absolute cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk assessments for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients
- Increase the number of staff who have completed an accredited cultural awareness and safety training in your practice
Feedback
We want to hear from you about how these activities worked, and how they might be improved. Feel free to share anonymised case studies with us. With your permission, we might publish these on our website, or in our e-news bulletins.
