Improving indigenous health and uplifting the lives of these communities are national priorities, and the government of Australia is constantly coming up with improved strategies to achieve this. The Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care works in collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to implement strategies, initiatives, and programs to improve the status of these communities.

Action to improve health outcomes

Here are the actions that the Department of health and aged care takes to improve the health outcomes of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people:

Working towards the Priority Reform commitments mentioned under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.

Supporting the presentation and delivery of health services that are essential and of high quality.

Implementing strategies and plans to improve health outcomes of Aboriginal communities, such as through chronic disease management program and smoking cessation.

The government is planning to spend $4.1 billion on specific health initiatives targeting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, in 2023. This includes the Indigenous Australians’ Health Program as well.

Health services

The government funds the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) and other providers to increase the support provided to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with regard to healthcare services. ACCHSs are dedicated to providing culturally appropriate healthcare services.

The broader health system is crucial in providing access to culturally safe and appropriate medical care. The government health department funds healthcare services to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People have access to culturally appropriate medical care at any stage of their lives, spread across the entire nation. This includes:

Pregnancy and early childhood support to ensure children get a good start

Primary healthcare services to prevent illnesses and limit hospital visits

Targeted chronic disease management programs

Conducting eye and ear-related health issues

Programs targeted to tackle smoking and tobacco use

Policy work

Closing the gap

The National Agreement on Closing the Gap is a commitment undertaken by all state governments in the nation to uplift the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. There are 4 priority reforms in this agreement as follows:

Priority Reform 1 – Official partnerships and shared decision making

Priority Reform 2 – Uplifting the community-controlled field

Priority Reform 3 – remodeling government organizations

Priority Reform 4 – shared access to information and data at a regional level

National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health plan

The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health plan lays out the policy framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. The government health department has formulated the health plan to:

Build connections with other substantial commonwealth health activities

Identify focus areas to guide attempts to uplift Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health status.

National Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce implementation plan 2021-2031

The National framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health implementation plan 2021-2031 is aiming to grow the First Nation’s Health Workforce. Its policy framework focuses on increasing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representation to 3.43% of the Australian health workforce by 2031.

The plan supposedly aligns with the priority reforms of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.

National Framework for health services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Families

This policy provides guidelines for the following:

Policies, procedures, and programs design

Development and implementation of healthcare services

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health performance framework (HPF)

This framework monitors progress in the following:

Performance of the overall health system

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health outcomes

The broader determiner of health, which includes safety, employment, and education

The HPF has 68 measures across the following 3 tiers:

Tier 1 – Health status and outcomes

Tier 2 – Determiners of health

Tier 3 – Health system performance

Social and Emotional wellbeing policy Partnership

The objective of this partnership is to focus on the following with regard to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people”

Improve mental health

Improve emotional and social wellbeing

Reduce suicide rates

Improving the accessibility of health services in urban and rural settings for Indigenous people

Healthcare services that are physically available, affordable, appropriate, and acceptable fall under the accessible health services category. Although a wide range of health services are available, rural, remote, and regional areas may not have access to all of these. The unavailability of such healthcare services directly impacts indigenous people living in these parts of the country.

What works?

There are several strategies that work in uplifting access to health services for indigenous people. Here’s how it works:

Providing solutions to economic and physical barriers by providing services locally and providing transport to health services.

Addressing acceptability, appropriateness, and cultural competence by implementing health programs around the holistic model of health and wellbeing. It also includes providing health services in non-conventional settings.

Strategies such as fee-for-service approaches and highly structured programs prove to be ineffective in enhancing access to healthcare for Aboriginal communities.

Barriers to accessing healthcare services for Aboriginal people

The complex nature of Australia’s healthcare system could make it challenging to provide access to high-quality healthcare services, especially to indigenous communities in rural and remote regions in the country.

Here are the enablers and barriers to accessing healthcare services for aboriginal people in Australia.

Improved coordination of healthcare services is required

Poor coordination of healthcare is a major barrier to aboriginal people accessing high-quality healthcare services. It leads to inconsistency and under-servicing. The appointment of local health representatives allowed for enhanced access to healthcare services for Aboriginal people.

Coordination is also crucial for each individual patient, as Aboriginal people generally have complex care needs. This coordination depends on motivated healthcare employees who can meet the complex care needs of Aboriginal people.

Enhanced communication between healthcare services and patients

Poor communication between local healthcare workers and patients is another significant barrier that keeps Aboriginal people from having access to quality healthcare services. More communication is required between local and existing healthcare services. Communication between healthcare workers and services is also crucial in terms of patient safety.

Trust and confidence in the healthcare service provider and experience of cultural safety

Fear of disrespect, racism, and negative judgment are barriers to Aboriginal people having access to mainstream healthcare services. The trust between healthcare workers and patients enables Aboriginal people to have enhanced access to healthcare services. The cultural competence of non-Aboriginal staff and developing trust and consistency are also all equally essential in this regard.

Prioritizing health services toward key community issues of the Aboriginal people

Healthcare service providers should work closely with patients to encourage their participation in clinics and healthcare programs. Indigenous communities including Aboriginal people are often reluctant to come forward with healthcare and personal issues. This mindset should be changed and healthcare services and facilities should be prioritized.

Further, the importance of reliable, sustainable, and affordable healthcare services and the impact of distance and transport availability on access to healthcare services are also key contributors to the Enablers and barriers to accessing healthcare services for Aboriginal people.

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