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Families flocked to Tharawal Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS) in Airds on Wednesday, 23 April, where furry friends and flu fighters turned out for a successful flu vaccination clinic.
More than 210 locals rolled up their sleeves for their annual flu vaccination, with South Western Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD) and Tharawal AMS staff working together to deliver the flu shots.
A pizza truck, petting zoo and raffles helped take the sting out of the vaccination for children – and their parents – with one grateful mum posting on Facebook: “Thank you for today, the boys really enjoyed the petting zoo and pizza. Made the whole flu shot experience much more enjoyable”.
The clinic was also an opportunity for some Tharawal AMS patients to keep their shingles, pneumonia and COVID-19 vaccines up-to-date. It was one of several SWSLHD flu vaccination clinics being held across the region this month.
The Bone Bus rolled into Tharawal Aboriginal Medical Centre (AMS) in Airds on October 31, but it wasn’t there to create Halloween scares.
The mobile service provides an accurate, reliable and precise bone mineral density measurement, negating the need for patients to travel to a major hospital or radiology lab to have their bone density measured.
Tharawal nurse Joanne Ross said the aim of the visit was to promote lifelong bone health through public awareness, education and knowledge of osteoporosis.
“Osteoporosis is a condition in which the bones become fragile and brittle, leading to a higher risk of fractures than in normal bone,” Ms Ross said.
“Osteoporosis occurs when bones lose minerals, such as calcium, more quickly than the body can replace them, leading to a loss of bone thickness so that even a minor bump or accident can cause serious fractures.”
Any bone can be affected by osteoporosis, but the most common sites are bones in the hip, spine, wrist, ribs, pelvis and upper arm.
Although the arrival of the bus on Halloween was coincidental, staff at Tharawal took the opportunity to have some fun with it.They dressed in skeleton costumes and had a face painter on site to help the local children get ready for their night of trick or treating.
“Everyone over 70 who hadn’t had a bone scan within the previous two years, as well as those over 50 with certain medical conditions, was eligible for the scan which was bulk-billed through Medicare,” Ms Ross said.
“Of the 43 that booked for the day we had 35 turn up, which was a good result.”
SWSPHN Integration and Priority Populations team members Anna Dasler and Georgia Eggert led the development and distribution of the First Nations Toolkit.
SWSPHN has created our first ever Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Toolkit to support our region’s general practices to provide culturally safe care to First Nations patients in South Western Sydney.
Additionally, the toolkit also supports general practices with practical advice around understanding and accessing billing available within Aboriginal health incentives.
The toolkit offers comprehensive guidance to help practice staff create a welcoming and safe environment for First Nations patients in mainstream primary healthcare settings. It includes information about government initiatives, incentives, services and programs, and a range of health resources to support holistic, patient-centred care.
Many services have been, and continue to be, culturally unsuitable and therefore inaccessible to many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
SWSPHN is working to not only increase cultural awareness, but also provide all practice staff with the skills and knowledge to effectively change their behaviour, practises and systems, to be culturally competent and safe.
Our toolkit aims to guide best practice and support cultural responsiveness within general practice settings.
What’s inside the toolkit?
government initiatives and practice incentive payments (CTG, PBS co-payments)
MBS 715 health assessment details
support for chronic conditions through the Integrated Team Care (ITC) program
training opportunities
steps to implement a culturally safe practice
supporting First Nations patients with self-identification
checklists for receptionists, practice managers, nurses and GPs
How do I use the toolkit?
The toolkit has a table of contents which takes practice staff directly to the section of interest. It serves as the first point of reference for practices with enquiries related to First Nation’s health.
SWSPHN’s Indigenous Health Project Officer, Georgia Eggert, is also available to provide support to practices on request. You can contact Georgia by emailing Georgia.Eggert@swsphn.com.au
What further cultural training and information is available?
SWSPHN is providing funding for non-RACGP members to complete RACGP Cultural Awareness Training. This course gives participants the freedom to complete the training at their own pace, with additional background support being provided by the Indigenous Health Project Officer.
Please contact Georgia for more information about the registration process for RACGP Cultural Awareness Training.
Visit MBS Online to find out more about:
MBS item 721 (GP Management Plan, Team Care Arrangements, Multidisciplinary Care Plans)
MBS item 715 (Health Assessment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People)
03 September 2024
Enhance your practice’s ability to provide culturally safe care and generate extra revenue with the new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Toolkit for General Practice.
Created by SWSPHN’s Priority Populations team, this toolkit offers comprehensive guidance to help you create a welcoming environment for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander patients.
What’s inside the toolkit:
government initiatives and practice incentive payments (CTG, PBS co-payments)
MBS 715 health assessment details
support for chronic conditions through the Integrated Team Care (ITC) program
training opportunities
steps to implement a culturally safe practice
supporting First Nations patients with self-identification
checklists for receptionists, practice managers, nurses and GPs
Download the toolkit now and start implementing culturally safe practises. We recommend forming a working group within your practice to review and delegate the steps outlined in the guide.
Build on your practical cultural awareness and safety skills with the new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Toolkit for General Practice. Developed by the Priority Populations team at SWSPHN, the toolkit consolidates all of the information a practice needs to support practices in their efforts to provide a culturally safe environment for current (including not yet identified) and future patients.
What you will find in the toolkit:
government initiatives and programs available, including practice incentive payments, CTG and PBS co-payments
MBS 715 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples health assessment
how to support patients with chronic conditions using the Integrated Team Care program (ITC), also referred to as Aboriginal Chronic Care Program
training opportunities
actions to implement a culturally safe practice
supporting First Nations patients with self-identification
easy-to-follow checklists for medical receptionists, practice managers, practice nurses and GPs to follow
Download the toolkit and follow the steps appropriate to your role within the practice. We recommend setting up a working group within your practice to review and delegate actions within this guide.
29 July 2024
Pampering and health screening went hand in hand when Support The Girls visited Tharawal Aboriginal Medical Centre (AMS) in Airds last week.
A free bra and fitting were gifted to any woman who attended on the day for a lifesaving mammogram at the mobile BreastScreen NSW van.
Participants also received a bra washing bag, undies and Dove soap.
Three care packs which contained toiletries were raffled during the day.
Tharawal nurse Joanne Ross said the day was a great success with record numbers of local Aboriginal women turning up for the event.
“By halfway through the day we were at 100 and counting,” she said. “We more than doubled previous breast screening numbers and at least 175 bras were given out.
“I would like to say a huge thank you to all of our staff and volunteers who helped out with the setting up and packing away, as well as a huge thank you to Jane Holmes from Support The Girls for kindly lifting up all the ladies. We look forward to your return visit to Tharawal.”
Ms Ross said the event was a great way to encourage local Aboriginal women to get a potentially life-saving mammogram.
“The purpose of these collaborations is to provide a safe space in which women can come along and feel respected and treated with dignity,” she said.
“This is not only saving lives, but for many we know they have never been given the luxury of a bra fitting and some would definitely not be able to afford a bra. We want to encourage other organisations to follow the example of Tharawal.”
Support The Girls works with experienced service providers across NSW and Queensland who identify and send a support team out to women and girls in need.
They create and cultivate safe, positive and supportive spaces at community halls, service provider locations, domestic violence shelters and offices.
A spokeswoman said: “We believe in the power of collaboration to drive positive change. That’s why Support The Girls and BreastScreen NSW have joined forces to operate events focused on bra fitting and early breast cancer detection and prevention.
“Our partnership has a significant impact on boosting mammogram participation rates of both Indigenous women and women in rural communities.
“Together, we’re empowering women to embrace their strengths and prioritise their health. Our joint efforts ensure that more women have access to potentially life-saving mammogram screenings.”
The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation will host a webinar on Wednesday, 14 August from 2pm to 3pm for staff from Aboriginal community health services (ACCHO and AMS) about cervical screening self-collection for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.
Others who work with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander patients can also attend.
The self-collection method and discussing screening in a culturally sensitive manner, can help overcome certain barriers to cervical screening participation which are experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and people with a cervix.
Webinar presenters include executive director at the Australian Centre for the Prevention of Cervical Cancer Professor Marion Saville, and ACCHO sector representatives who will discuss how self-collection is being implemented in their community.
RACGP and ACRRM CPD points will be available for this training. A link to the webinar recording will be sent following the training date to those who register.
Training will be delivered in partnership with the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care and the Australian Centre for the Prevention of Cervical Cancer.
The RACGP is hosting Our Woven Ways: Supporting goal setting with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents on Thursday, 25 July, from 7pm to 8.30pm.
GPs and other primary healthcare professionals who work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families are invited to attend.
The webinar is part of a series which discuss the practice skills required to effectively work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents to explore and respond to their concerns about their children’s social and emotional wellbeing.
More general practice resources, including accredited eLearning courses and webinar recordings, can be found at this GP toolkit.
04 June 2024
Expressions of Interest open
GPs and general practice staff are invited to express their interest in undertaking a RACGP CPD-accredited online cultural awareness module at no cost.
SWSPHN is funding up to 20 places for non-RACGP members.
The introduction to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural awareness in general practice activity aims to improve the health of First Nations peoples by enhancing the cultural awareness of GPs, general practice staff, medical students, primary healthcare staff and other healthcare providers.
The module is a total of six hours – 3 CPD educational activity hours and 3 CPD reviewing performance hours. Participants have one month to complete the module from the date they receive their login details from the RACGP.
If you and your practice staff are interested, please provide the following information:
full name
practice
position within practice
email address
mobile or other contact number
Email the details to SWSPHN Integration and Priority Populations Team Lead Natalie Robson at Natalie.Robson@swsphn.com.au
27 May 2024
Victim-survivors shared stories of their recovery journeys and what gives them hope, at this month’s official launch of the Supporting Recovery from Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence Program at Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre in Liverpool.
Delivered by CatholicCare Sydney and Anglicare Sydney, the Supporting Recovery program addresses the critical need for comprehensive support services for victim-survivors of family, domestic and sexual violence (FDSV) in our region.
The Department of Health and Aged Care has funded South Western Sydney Primary Health Network (SWSPHN) and five other PHNs, to deliver the $67 million Supporting Recovery pilot program.
The program aims to address the current FDSV mental health recovery service gaps by offering long-term recovery support which complements existing short-term and crisis support programs.
SWSPHN Director of Planning and Performance, Amy Prince speaking at the Supporting Recovery launch.
SWSPHN Director of Planning and Performance, Amy Prince, spoke during the event about the urgency and importance of the program for our region.
“In South Western Sydney last year, unfortunately, there were around 5,200 domestic violence-related assault offences. The areas of Campbelltown, Liverpool and Fairfield have the highest representation, but we know many more cases go unreported,” she said.
“Last year, SWSPHN had the opportunity to apply for grant funding from the Department of Health and Aged Care to deliver the Supporting Recovery program. We were one of just six PHNs selected, and we are so grateful to be able to bring this service into South Western Sydney, as we know it’s very much needed here.
“I’m really proud to be part of an organisation that’s been able to fund this service, and I really look forward to seeing the program achieve positive outcomes for victim-survivors in our region.”.
The Supporting Recovery program is designed to provide comprehensive, trauma-informed care for victim-survivors of FDSV.
Panel discussion at the Supporting Recovery launch
One of the panellists emphasised the significant positive impact of programs like the Supporting Recovery program.
“I’m living in recovery from complex PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) from generational trauma, so I believe passionately that domestic violence services like this one are vital for the safety and healing of those of us trying to live and heal from domestic and sexual violence,” the panellist told the crowd.
“I have hope because I get to talk to people about these things. When I was growing up, we didn’t have the words for it.”
Attendees also heard from a First Nations person and survivor advocate about providing cultural safety and supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander FDSV victim-survivors.
“You need to remember it takes a lot for Aboriginal people to be able to trust other services and people because of their past history. It’s about active listening, so use your approach as a yarning rather than talking across or to someone,” the crowd was told.
“It’s about having that understanding about us, making us feel safe so we can open up to you because we will very rarely ask for help from anyone unless it’s really necessary.”
Werriwa MP Anne Stanley at the Supporting Recovery launch
Werriwa MP Anne Stanley was also in attendance at the launch event on behalf of Emma McBride, the Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention.
“This pilot comes at a time when family and domestic violence is reaching a boiling point in our society, and it’s about time it has come to the national spotlight,” she said.
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