Adelaide PHN and Country SA PHN, in partnership, have received Commonwealth funding to participate in Round 2 of a national pilot to strengthen the capacity of the primary care sector to respond to family, domestic and sexual violence (FDSV) (including child sexual abuse), and to support primary care practices to create a space where victim-survivors feel safe to share their story and seek help.
This project is being delivered by Adelaide PHN in partnership with Country SA PHN.
The Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence (FDSV) project focuses on the development and delivery of training, resources and capacity building activities for primary care staff to enhance their capacity to recognise and respond to FDSV, as well as a range of system integration activities to ensure that victim-survivors receive an improved quality of support.
The FDSV project aims to improve integration and coordination between the primary care and the FDVS sector. Project activities target general practice-based primary care workers, including health professionals (general practitioners (GPs), practice nurses and allied health staff) and administrative staff (practice managers, receptionists and administration).
The FDSV project aims to contribute to the following outcomes:
A key attribute of the FDSV project is its flexibility in model design and implementation, Adelaide PHN will develop and implement a tailored model developed in response to the local needs and service context.
Adelaide PHN’s tailored approach will focus on three core components, being training, system integration, and influencing the system for sustainable change.
In 2019, 6 PHNs were funded as part of a national pilot to support primary care services to recognise and respond to family and domestic violence. Each PHN developed a model of support based on local needs as part of a place-based commissioning approach.
The models developed by the PHNs all had slight differences but were built on similar core components:
In the 2022-2023 budget the Commonwealth Government announced additional funding for the Supporting the Primary Care sector response to Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence pilot. The funding intends to expand and enhance the work undertaken by the 6 PHN pilot sites who participated in Round 1. This expansion encompasses both:
Adelaide PHN in partnership with Country SA PHN received funding to take a statewide approach to the FDSV pilot. The project objectives are as follows:
There are four stages to this project:
The pilot was independently evaluated by the Sax Institute and the models developed were well received by the stakeholders. Key outcomes included;
For more information regarding the evaluation of Round 1 of the pilot, please see the evaluation report: Evaluation of the Improving Health System Responses to Family and Domestic Violence Primary Health Network Pilots
If you would like to be involved in some way, or just kept informed, please contact the FDSV project team at: [email protected]
It is anticipated that full time GPs can see as many as 5 patients experiencing violence each week. Family, domestic, and sexual violence are often hidden from others in the community.
The silent nature of abuse means that it can be hard to have the conversation about abuse. Victim-survivors of violence and abuse are more likely to tell their GPs about their experiences more than any other professional group.
Therefore, primary care providers play a critical role in supporting people who are experiencing family, domestic and sexual violence.
The Supporting the Primary Care sector response to Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence pilot here in SA will give primary care providers the tools to get their patients the right support at the right time. If you would like to be involved with this work, there are a range of opportunities to be involved for primary care providers, representatives from the FDSV response sectors, and those with lived experience of FDSV.
The FDSV Project team spoke to people with lived experience of FDSV, primary care providers, and representatives from the FDSV response sectors across regional and metropolitan South Australia through one-on-one conversations, focus groups, and surveys.
The team aimed to understand how primary care providers currently support their patients’ experiencing violence and where there might be gaps or ways that this support could be improved. The team also learned how primary care and specialist FDSV response services currently work together and how this could be improved.
The outcomes of the needs assessment will be published in a report on the respective Adelaide PHN and Country SA PHN websites.
Two advisory panels have been put together to support the work of this project.
The first, a GP Advisory Panel represents the primary care sector across South Australia and will advise the project team on matters related to all phases of the project, including collaborative design and implementation of the model.
The GP Advisory Panel will assist the project team to effectively engage with and support General Practice to ultimately build their capacity to recognise, respond to, and refer patients who may be at risk of or who are experiencing violence or abuse.
The GP Advisory Panel will be expected to provide general advice regarding the primary care sector, whilst also advocating for their own communities. Recruitment for the GP Advisory Panel has closed at this time but may re-open in future if more members are needed.
The second, a Lived Experience Advisory Panel, has been convened by LELAN to shape and co-design how responses to victim-survivor disclosures and links to additional support can be enhanced and expanded through this model.
To centre victim-survivors in building the supports they need and use, LELAN will be convening this Panel and are additionally contributing to partnership and decision-making processes.
LELAN is the independent peak body in South Australia by, for and with people with lived experience of mental distress, social issues or injustice. LELAN’s systemic advocacy targets the mental health and social sectors in South Australia, whilst their thought leadership and expertise on lived experience expertise and leadership is borderless.
At this time, recruitment for the Lived Experience Advisory Panel has closed but may re-open in future if more members are needed.
A series of community consultations and collaborative design activities occurred between October and December. These activities were an opportunity for individuals living or working in the two pilot regions to take part in the design of the pilot model.
Pilot Regions (boundaries to be defined through collaborative design activities)
The collaborative design activities aimed to capture the views and experiences of those who were most affected by the model. This included:
In addition, activities were catered towards communities that are heavily affected by violence and abuse and often experience inadequate access to acceptable services. This includes those from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, multicultural communities, LGBTIQA+ communities, and people living with disability communities. Specialist facilitators from TACSI, Purple Orange, NINI and LELAN were engaged to make sure the activities in this phase were culturally safe, accessible and inclusive, and trauma informed.
There will be two main commissioning activities involved in the implementation of the pilot model.
The first will involve seeking training providers that can deliver formal workforce capacity building modules to primary care providers.
The second will involve a system integration model that will be designed during the collaborative design and consultation phase and will likely be delivered by a specialist FDSV response service.
It is expected that commissioning activities will take place in the latter half of 2024 for the training providers and the first quarter of 2025 for the system integration model. Interest will also be sought from primary care providers who wish to participate.
To ensure that services are able to participate meaningfully in the tender process, the Adelaide PHN and Country SA PHN will provide regular updates on the progress of the collaborative design phase, as well as providing pre-market briefings.
If you’d like to be kept informed, please feel free to reach out to us at: [email protected]
Under the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010–2022 and the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032, many resources have been commissioned by the Commonwealth Government to increase the capacity of mainstream services to better respond to people experiencing family, domestic and sexual violence.
We all have a role to play in ending violence against women and children. Mainstream services, like primary care, are not expected to be specialists in responding to violence and abuse but as trusted members of our communities, they can be effective first responders.
The links below include a range of training modules and short resources for individual professionals to improve their knowledge, as well as some useful toolkits and information packages which may be helpful to use in your practice with patients and clients.
This section of our website will be regularly updated as new resources are released. If your organisation has a resource that you think would be useful for the primary care workforce, please reach out to the FDSV project team at: [email protected]
The RACGP publish the White book for health professionals – Abuse and violence: working with our patients in general practice.
HealthPathways is an online portal that provides GPs and other health professionals with easy access to comprehensive, evidence-based assessment, management, and localised referral resources for specific health conditions.
HealthPathways SA currently has a suite of pathways available to support health professionals with patients who may be experiencing violence and abuse, with more in development.
The child abuse and neglect pathway provides questions and responses on issues such as disclosure, safety screening, resources, and mandated reporting.
The pathway acknowledges cultural variations in parenting practices and the challenges surrounding limited resources available to migrants and refugees.
The domestic and family violence pathway provides help for clinicians to discern who and when to screen for domestic and family violence and includes a structured online DV risk assessment and guidance for escalation to multi-agency protection and support services.
Health Professionals can sign up free and access HealthPathways SA here.
HealthPathways SA is a partnership between SA Health, Adelaide PHN and Country SA PHN.
In March 2024, The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse (National Centre) launched initial foundational resources for the Strengthening Primary Health Care Responses to Sexual Violence and Child Sexual Abuse project, funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care.
The initial suite of resources includes two written reference guides and a short video, which are available on the National Centre website: Strengthening Primary Health Care Responses - The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse
Outside of the resources developed specifically for the primary health care workforce, The National Centre website includes a range of resources including webinars, knowledge summaries, and reports. It is a great place to stay up-to-date on the latest evidence about child sexual abuse.
The Safer Families Centre of Research Excellence delivers the Readiness Program training for frontline healthcare workers. The Safer Families Centre is a partnership with:
The Safer Families Centre has a range of self-paced learning modules that have been accredited through the RACGP for CPD. In addition, there is a series of RACGP hosted webinars available on the Safer Families website. Finally, the Safer Families website has a variety of clinical tools to support your work with patients.
Monash University has partnered with the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine to develop and deliver a three-unit Course for health practitioners in Recognising and Responding to Sexual Violence which commenced in 2021 and will continue until 2027.
Monash University is seeking expressions of interest from AHPRA registered and Australia-based practicing health practitioners providing primary health care services to undertake the RACGP and other medical college CPD-accredited training at no cost.
You can enrol in single or multiple units.
More information and registration can be found here.
The Zahra Foundation Australia are deeply committed to addressing the critical issues of financial abuse and coercive control - forms of domestic and family violence that have a profound impact on individuals' lives.
Financial abuse occurs when someone controls access to money and resources, often leaving the victim unable to make decisions about their finances or those shared in a relationship. This form of abuse is subtle yet deeply harmful, affecting one in six women in Australia and present in 60% of domestic and family violence situations.
Zahra Foundation Australia has developed an education campaign with multiple resources that clearly outline what financial abuse is, how it manifests, and where to find help. Additionally, they offer essential advice not only for victims and survivors but also for their colleagues, friends and family members.
These resources can be accessed through their website – The Zahra Foundation – Resource Library.
Three steps anyone can learn to
help prevent suicide.
QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer – the 3 simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide. QPR training will provide you with:
If you live in Country South Australia you can access the training free using the code CSA
For any enquiries regarding the training please contact Karen McColl to obtain a licence free of charge.
Got a question about QPR? We’re here to help.
Question Persuade and Refer (QPR) is an evidence-based training which provides:
The self-paced session takes 60-90 minutes on average to complete and does not need to be completed in a single sitting – you can take as long as you like and take a break as need.
QPR online covers the following content:
QPR online licences can be accessed by contacting Karen McColl [email protected].
You will then be provided with:
If you are having difficulties logging into your account, please contact [email protected].
All you need to complete QPR online is your username/password and access to a computer or mobile device with internet connection.
At all times during the QPR online training there will be a Need Help option which will refer the participant to support lines.
Community suicide prevention training aims to teach individuals the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to respond. QPR training is not recommended for individuals recently bereaved by suicide, as it is not a therapy or support group, rather an education session to learn how to support others.
If you or someone you know is in need of more urgent care, please contact:
Training as a tool to raise awareness about suicide
Starting with General Awareness Training, a worker becomes 'inducted'. Following GAT, volunteers can become Connectors, and some of those continue to become ASIST-trained workers. Surrounding these training levels is the MATES 24/7 support network via Field Officers and Case Manager site and phone support.
The Rural Health Innovation Fund (RHIF) is a new and exciting opportunity to drive health care improvements for country South Australians.
We are passionate about supporting rural communities by strengthening and encouraging innovative programs that will have a lasting impact.
The RHIF will create positive change through supporting innovative community-based programs that address the diverse health and wellbeing needs in the rural community. We strive to positively impact the lives of country South Australians now and into the future.
The RHIF has been made possible by Country SA PHN.
The Rural Health Innovation Fund (RHIF) is proud to announce the successful recipients of the 2024-25 Round 2 grants. These projects, characterised by their diversity and innovation, aim to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for regional South Australians.
As we near the end of 2024, we are excited to see the RHIF community expand. The initiatives supported through both grant rounds have made a significant positive impact in country South Australia. The wide range of applications for Round 2 in 2024 highlights the ongoing commitment to addressing the unique needs of our communities.
We look forward to building relationships and growing the Rural Health Innovation Fund.
We welcome your input and would love to hear from you. Contact the RHIF Coordinator at: [email protected]
Rural Health Innovation Fund has a Facebook Group. We encourage you to join the group so that you can stay updated, click here.
Rural Health Innovation Fund would like to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands across Australia and pay respects to the Elders past present and future. We recognise and respect the unique cultural and spiritual relationships to the land, waters and seas, which continue to be important to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living today.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this website may contain images, voices and names of people who have passed away.
A national priority
Flexible funding enables Country SA PHN to commission services in response to the identified national priority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health.
The range of services being commissioned by the Country SA PHN include:
Holistic management
Funding has been provided to some Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations to deliver a more holistic Chronic Disease Management (CDM) program within their communities.
The funding provides increased access to Allied Health Professionals and Specialist Services, additional staff to existing CDM teams to assist in the coordination of health services in chronic conditions and training and development of staff in these areas, as well as Ngangkari Services.
Service Providers include:
Increasing the quality of health care services
Workforce Support and Capacity Building funding is available to Aboriginal primary health care providers inclusive of Integrated Team Care Providers. Activities aim to:
Services who receive Workforce Support and Capacity Building funding change as according to the organisations communicated needs.
Supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander understandings of health
The activity aims to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander understandings of health and the complex interplay between cultural, spiritual, physical, social and emotional health. This is targeted at Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) to provide Ngangkari Services as part of a holistic health framework. It is to support the clinical activities undertaken and can serve to improve participation and engagement in lifestyle programs and education that needs to be undertaken.
Service providers who have access to these services via other funding areas include:
Supporting the Aboriginal community
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health services provide access to effective high-quality health care services in regional, rural and remote locations. This includes through Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs), wherever possible and appropriate, as well as through mainstream services delivering culturally appropriate primary health care.
This program enables Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people access to mental health services that are joined up, integrated, culturally appropriate and safe, and designed to holistically meet the mental health and healing needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at the local level.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health and AOD programs are designed to better support substance abuse services to identify and treat coinciding mental illness and substance abuse disorders (including those involving methamphetamine or ‘ice’) by greater service integration.
The program ensures culturally appropriate use of triage systems and processes to identify clients with mental illness and substance abuse disorders and where clients present with co-morbidities to integrated and coordinated care across these services.
Improving patient service navigation
The aim of the activity is to improve patient pathways of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in systematic discharge, referral and follow-up between hospital and primary health care services.
The objective of the activity is to develop a sustainable platform which identifies and addresses barriers to Aboriginal patient navigation through primary, secondary and tertiary health services.
Need support? Contact our Team
There is a list of MBS Items available for Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations and Primary Health Care Providers who deliver services to Aboriginal and Torre Strait Islander people from the Department of Health. MBS Online also provides information on specific MBS items.
Online learning resources are also available:
Cultural Awareness Training is available through your local service providers delivering the ITC program. Please contact your local provider to access this assistance.
There are some things that can your Practice can do to start moving your Practice to one that is culturally responsive to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patient needs which have been completed by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care.
Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care
The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care will be updating the standards required of health care providers in 2018. In these standards, Improving Care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People will be undertaken and will affect accreditation processes in the future. For more information please go to Improving care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.
Overview: Guide to better care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Consumers (Word 503KB)
As the first step in providing culturally safe care that is tailored to the needs of patients, you first must know whether your patients identify as being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin. You cannot tailor care if you do not know. To do this, there are resources dedicated to assist this process. The question must be asked in the exact same manner every single time and there are different ways that it could be implemented. The strategies which are more suitable are largely dependent on your local area and your own practice context.
Indigenous Health Project Officers in your region, can assist you with Quality Improvement cycles in identification as well as providing you with local strategies that are the most appropriate.
Health Pathways South Australia is an online portal that provides general practitioners and other health professionals with easy access to comprehensive, evidence-based assessment, management, and localised referral resources for specific health conditions. HealthPathways is both a model of working; bringing together clinicians across the health care sectors to co-develop pathways, and a tangible product in the form of an online health information portal.
There are clinical care pathways that are different for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across a range of health topics. Some of these are currently located in Health Pathways South Australia and are localised to the South Australian context. Different aspects to management and referral pathways are highlighted with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags.
The Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet is a specific Website that delivers Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander specific health information and resources across Australia to support practice in the delivery of care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It is extensive.
It contains many resources that cover a range of topics either specific to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander context in South Australia, across other jurisdictions or nationally. If using resources that are either national or from other jurisdictions, please check with Indigenous Health Project Officers regarding local relevance of these resources.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations, and migrant groups from developing countries, have a higher prevalence of ARF and RHD compared to the general Australian population. ARF and RHD are notifiable under the South Australian Public Health Act 2011. For more information about the State-wide RHD Control Program, please see the SA Health website New Australian Guidelines were released in February 2020 and are available from the RHDAustralia website along with a diagnosis calculator app and accredited E-learning modules.
There are a range of resources that are available for Cancer, however, a few have been provided to assist with specific care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Optimal Care Pathway for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people- Cancer Australia Report
Quick Reference Guide for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People with Cancer
There are a range of resources available to support the provision of Diabetes care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
There is a current project to deliver South Australian Aboriginal specific film resources currently underway and will be included on completion.
Ear Health is a public health issue within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population within Country South Australia. HealthPathways South Australia provides a range of relevant resources regarding Otitis Media for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this website may contain images, voices and names of people who have passed away.
A national priority
Flexible funding enables Country SA PHN to commission services in response to the identified national priority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health.
The range of services being commissioned by the Country SA PHN include:
Holistic management
Funding has been provided to some Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations to deliver a more holistic Chronic Disease Management (CDM) program within their communities.
The funding provides increased access to Allied Health Professionals and Specialist Services, additional staff to existing CDM teams to assist in the coordination of health services in chronic conditions and training and development of staff in these areas, as well as Ngangkari Services.
Service Providers include:
Increasing the quality of health care services
Workforce Support and Capacity Building funding is available to Aboriginal primary health care providers inclusive of Integrated Team Care Providers. Activities aim to:
Services who receive Workforce Support and Capacity Building funding change as according to the organisations communicated needs.
Supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander understandings of health
The activity aims to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander understandings of health and the complex interplay between cultural, spiritual, physical, social and emotional health. This is targeted at Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) to provide Ngangkari Services as part of a holistic health framework. It is to support the clinical activities undertaken and can serve to improve participation and engagement in lifestyle programs and education that needs to be undertaken.
Service providers who have access to these services via other funding areas include:
Supporting the Aboriginal community
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health services provide access to effective high-quality health care services in regional, rural and remote locations. This includes through Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs), wherever possible and appropriate, as well as through mainstream services delivering culturally appropriate primary health care.
This program enables Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people access to mental health services that are joined up, integrated, culturally appropriate and safe, and designed to holistically meet the mental health and healing needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at the local level.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health and AOD programs are designed to better support substance abuse services to identify and treat coinciding mental illness and substance abuse disorders (including those involving methamphetamine or ‘ice’) by greater service integration.
The program ensures culturally appropriate use of triage systems and processes to identify clients with mental illness and substance abuse disorders and where clients present with co-morbidities to integrated and coordinated care across these services.
Improving patient service navigation
The aim of the activity is to improve patient pathways of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in systematic discharge, referral and follow-up between hospital and primary health care services.
The objective of the activity is to develop a sustainable platform which identifies and addresses barriers to Aboriginal patient navigation through primary, secondary and tertiary health services.
Need support? Contact our Team
There are a range of resources that are available for Cancer, however, a few have been provided to assist with specific care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Quick Reference Guide for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People with Cancer
There are a range of resources available to support the provision of Diabetes care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Series of video resources, featuring members of rural and remote Aboriginal communities, to capture diabetes stories that highlight challenges and successes in managing diabetes and diabetes risks and complications.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this website may contain images, voices and names of people who have passed away.
Delivering better health care to the Aboriginal Community in SA
The current National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2013-2023 delivered by the Department of Health guides all health activities in Australia. This is likely to significantly change post 2023 to be in line with the reforms in the National Partnership Agreement delivered in 2020. The Implementation Plan has also been provided to assist further in the implementation of these policies.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ Mental Health and Social and Emotional Wellbeing 2017-2023
Supporting emotional and social wellbeing
There are multiple services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people being funded by Country SA PHN. The areas of funding include:
Services co-designed with the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health sector have a strong basis in the Social and Emotional Wellbeing perspective, where physical health, while a key concern, is not the only concern and multiple factors affect physical health.
Country SA PHN is part of the South Australian Aboriginal Chronic Disease Consortium, which was established to improve the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal South Australians by working together in the prevention and support of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with chronic diseases.
The South Australian Aboriginal Chronic Disease Consortium Road Map for Action outlines the specific activities in which the partnership is striving toward.
Visit the SA Aboriginal Chronic Disease website for more information.
Five local South Australian community leaders have supported Country SA PHN by recording messages to support the community.
Country SA PHN works closely with the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute in the connection between Aboriginal Health research and policy.
The Wardliparingga Aboriginal Research Theme provide invaluable information to support the strategic direction of Aboriginal health policy in country South Australia.
Country SA PHN is part of the South Australian Aboriginal Chronic Disease Consortium, which was established to improve the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal South Australians by working together in the prevention and support of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with chronic diseases.
The South Australian Aboriginal Chronic Disease Consortium Road Map for Action outlines the specific activities in which the partnership is striving toward. Aboriginal Health has a national policy framework that is delivered through the National Partnership Agreements between the Australian Government and the States and Territories of Australia. This agreement has a supporting National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2013-2023 delivered by the Department of Health and guides all health activities in Australia.
Ensure research outcomes are applied within an Aboriginal context encompassing self-management and self-determination within a holistic health framework.
A national priority
Flexible funding enables Country SA PHN to commission services in response to the identified national priority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health.
The range of services being commissioned by the Country SA PHN include:
Holistic management
Funding has been provided to some Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations to deliver a more holistic Chronic Disease Management (CDM) program within their communities.
The funding provides increased access to Allied Health Professionals and Specialist Services, additional staff to existing CDM teams to assist in the coordination of health services in chronic conditions and training and development of staff in these areas, as well as Ngangkari Services.
Service Providers include:
Increasing the quality of health care services
Workforce Support and Capacity Building funding is available to Aboriginal primary health care providers inclusive of Integrated Team Care Providers. Activities aim to:
Services who receive Workforce Support and Capacity Building funding change as according to the organisations communicated needs.
For more information go to our Digital Health and Practice Support pages.
Supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander understandings of health
The activity aims to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander understandings of health and the complex interplay between cultural, spiritual, physical, social and emotional health. This is targeted at Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) to provide Ngangkari Services as part of a holistic health framework. It is to support the clinical activities undertaken and can serve to improve participation and engagement in lifestyle programs and education that needs to be undertaken.
Service providers who have access to these services via other funding areas include:
Supporting the Aboriginal community
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health services provide access to effective high-quality health care services in regional, rural and remote locations. This includes through Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs), wherever possible and appropriate, as well as through mainstream services delivering culturally appropriate primary health care.
This program enables Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people access to mental health services that are joined up, integrated, culturally appropriate and safe, and designed to holistically meet the mental health and healing needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at the local level.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health and AOD programs are designed to better support substance abuse services to identify and treat coinciding mental illness and substance abuse disorders (including those involving methamphetamine or ‘ice’) by greater service integration.
The program ensures culturally appropriate use of triage systems and processes to identify clients with mental illness and substance abuse disorders and where clients present with co-morbidities to integrated and coordinated care across these services.
Improving patient service navigation
The aim of the activity is to improve patient pathways of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in systematic discharge, referral and follow-up between hospital and primary health care services.
The objective of the activity is to develop a sustainable platform which identifies and addresses barriers to Aboriginal patient navigation through primary, secondary and tertiary health services.
Need support? Contact our Team
There is a list of MBS Items available for Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations and Primary Health Care Providers who deliver services to Aboriginal and Torre Strait Islander people from the Department of Health. MBS Online also provides information on specific MBS items.
Online learning resources are also available:
Cultural Awareness Training is available through your local service providers delivering the ITC program. Please contact your local provider to access this assistance.
There are some things that can your Practice can do to start moving your Practice to one that is culturally responsive to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patient needs which have been completed by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care.
Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care
The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care will be updating the standards required of health care providers in 2018. In these standards, Improving Care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People will be undertaken and will affect accreditation processes in the future. For more information please go to Improving care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.
Overview: Guide to better care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Consumers (Word 503KB)
As the first step in providing culturally safe care that is tailored to the needs of patients, you first must know whether your patients identify as being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin. You cannot tailor care if you do not know. To do this, there are resources dedicated to assist this process. The question must be asked in the exact same manner every single time and there are different ways that it could be implemented. The strategies which are more suitable are largely dependent on your local area and your own practice context.
Indigenous Health Project Officers in your region, can assist you with Quality Improvement cycles in identification as well as providing you with local strategies that are the most appropriate.
Health Pathways South Australia is an online portal that provides general practitioners and other health professionals with easy access to comprehensive, evidence-based assessment, management, and localised referral resources for specific health conditions. HealthPathways is both a model of working; bringing together clinicians across the health care sectors to co-develop pathways, and a tangible product in the form of an online health information portal.
There are clinical care pathways that are different for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across a range of health topics. Some of these are currently located in Health Pathways South Australia and are localised to the South Australian context. Different aspects to management and referral pathways are highlighted with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags.
The Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet is a specific Website that delivers Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander specific health information and resources across Australia to support practice in the delivery of care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It is extensive.
It contains many resources that cover a range of topics either specific to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander context in South Australia, across other jurisdictions or nationally. If using resources that are either national or from other jurisdictions, please check with Indigenous Health Project Officers regarding local relevance of these resources.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations, and migrant groups from developing countries, have a higher prevalence of ARF and RHD compared to the general Australian population. ARF and RHD are notifiable under the South Australian Public Health Act 2011. For more information about the State-wide RHD Control Program, please see the SA Health website New Australian Guidelines were released in February 2020 and are available from the RHDAustralia website along with a diagnosis calculator app and accredited E-learning modules.
There are a range of resources that are available for Cancer, however, a few have been provided to assist with specific care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Optimal Care Pathway for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people- Cancer Australia Report
Quick Reference Guide for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People with Cancer
There are a range of resources available to support the provision of Diabetes care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
There is a current project to deliver South Australian Aboriginal specific film resources currently underway and will be included on completion.
Ear Health is a public health issue within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population within Country South Australia. HealthPathways South Australia provides a range of relevant resources regarding Otitis Media for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this website may contain images, voices and names of people who have passed away.
Delivering better health care to the Aboriginal Community in SA
The current National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2013-2023 delivered by the Department of Health guides all health activities in Australia. This is likely to significantly change post 2023 to be in line with the reforms in the National Partnership Agreement delivered in 2020. The Implementation Plan has also been provided to assist further in the implementation of these policies.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ Mental Health and Social and Emotional Wellbeing 2017-2023
Supporting emotional and social wellbeing
There are multiple services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people being funded by Country SA PHN. The areas of funding include:
Services co-designed with the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health sector have a strong basis in the Social and Emotional Wellbeing perspective, where physical health, while a key concern, is not the only concern and multiple factors affect physical health.
Country SA PHN is part of the South Australian Aboriginal Chronic Disease Consortium, which was established to improve the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal South Australians by working together in the prevention and support of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with chronic diseases.
The South Australian Aboriginal Chronic Disease Consortium Road Map for Action outlines the specific activities in which the partnership is striving toward.
Visit the SA Aboriginal Chronic Disease website for more information.
Provide your patients with culturally appropriate information about COVID vaccination from trusted community leaders within your region.
Country SA PHN and Healthily with the use of GoShare Plus will use CAT4 to identify eligible patients to provide General Practices and Aboriginal Medical Services the opportunity to convey culturally appropriate video messages on the importance of being vaccinated against COVID-19.
Country SA PHN works closely with the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute in the connection between Aboriginal Health research and policy.
The Wardliparingga Aboriginal Research Theme provide invaluable information to support the strategic direction of Aboriginal health policy in country South Australia.
Country SA PHN is part of the South Australian Aboriginal Chronic Disease Consortium, which was established to improve the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal South Australians by working together in the prevention and support of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with chronic diseases.
The South Australian Aboriginal Chronic Disease Consortium Road Map for Action outlines the specific activities in which the partnership is striving toward. Aboriginal Health has a national policy framework that is delivered through the National Partnership Agreements between the Australian Government and the States and Territories of Australia. This agreement has a supporting National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2013-2023 delivered by the Department of Health and guides all health activities in Australia.
Ensure research outcomes are applied within an Aboriginal context encompassing self-management and self-determination within a holistic health framework.
Efficient, effective & coordinated health care
Increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of health services for people, particularly those at risk of poor health outcomes
Improving the coordination of health services, and increasing access and quality support for people.
Measure ongoing improvement activities
The Clinical Audit Tool (CAT) suite of products, comprising CAT 4 and Cleansing CAT is a data extraction tool created by Pen Computer Systems Pty Ltd. When used effectively, CAT scrutinizes the practice’s aggregated patient information and presents it in an easy-to-understand graphical format.
The data analysis functions can be customised to suit practice needs, filtering by demographics, conditions and medications, allowing practices to target patients with particular needs or specific health risk profiles. CAT is compatible with the majority of clinical desktop software.
The Cleansing CAT module allows the easy identification of critical missing patient data by providing a set of predefined reports. These reports provide data that would otherwise require multiple filter selections and recalculation.
The reports available allow for identification of: missing demographic data missing clinical / accreditation data indicated Chronic Kidney Disease where no diagnosis is recorded indicated Diabetes where no diagnosis is recorded medication review for Diabetes with elevated HbA1c indicated Mental Health where no diagnosis is recorded indicated COPD where no diagnosis is recorded indicated Osteoporosis where no diagnosis is recorded Pen CS wishes to acknowledge the ideas and commitment to continually improving primary health care provided by Judy Evans, Manager e-health, RACGP in this project.
The PAT CAT function supports the collection of data from General Practices. This can then be aggregated by region. General Practice will receive a login, which enables them to view their data set against their aggregated regional group and all against all of the South Australian General Practice aggregated data.
The Topbar supports the individual consult with applications to identify missing data fields, prompt for MBS items and a Patient health summary overview. There is also a waiting room application which can prompt Reception staff to complete missing demographic information.
A way of measuring systematic improvement processes.
Measure ongoing improvement activities
Immediate potential benefits of using these tools in your practice may include:
Data extraction tools create a data extract that represents a snapshot of your clinical data at that point in time. Practice staff can use the data extract file at any time, without further reference to your clinical software, and it allows you to view and export (into Excel) registers or lists of identified patients.
Training
Country SA PHN staff will provide training that includes data interpretation and opportunities for improved patient outcomes. This training may be supplied via a number of mechanisms e.g. telephone support, computer-based training or on-site.
Time and resources
To get the best out of the extraction tools we suggest at least one general practitioner, nurse or practice manager, spends some time each week or month reviewing the extracted data. This could become part of your regular practice review process and the content could be presented at staff meetings to take advantage of the availability of such data.
Quarterly data share (optional)
A de-identified data extract to be sent to Country SA PHN on a quarterly basis. This is optional and will be subject to a separate Data Sharing Agreement should you agree to participate. Access to the tools is not conditional on your participation in data sharing.
CAT4 has an optional function to send de-identified encrypted data sets securely to CSAPHN, via practice-initiated FTP upload direct to Country SA PHN’s server, and can only be sent with practice consent each time this function is utilised. No data leaves the practice without the practice’s initiation, knowledge and consent. No identified patient data leaves the practice with any of the data quality tools provided by CSAPHN.