Topic: Aboriginal health

Thanks to the contribution of general practice, half of all eligible Aboriginal people in NSW received their first COVID-19 vaccine by mid-September. But with easing of restrictions in NSW fast approaching, it’s important Aboriginal people aren’t left behind in double-dose vaccination targets.

Aboriginal people are at increased risk of acquiring and developing serious illness from COVID-19, yet vaccination rates of Aboriginal people in NSW lag behind non-Aboriginal people, in some areas by up to 30 per cent (first dose coverage, Source: Australia Immunisation Register, 30 September 2021).  Because of this, Aboriginal people still require priority access to a COVID-19 vaccine.

Contact your Aboriginal patients and offer priority vaccination

Advertising your vaccine-provider status helps, but pro-actively contacting your Aboriginal patients for a vaccination appointment will have a bigger impact: a phone call for some, SMS for others.

Use the opportunity to encourage your Aboriginal patients to bring their whole family/household to get vaccinated, and consider including web links to patient vaccine information in SMS message, including Q&A’s and information flyers.

Consider setting aside dedicated vaccination appointments for Aboriginal people each week, and ensure they are a priority when creating waitlists or when filling cancellations.

Give people the opportunity to identify as Aboriginal by asking the question

When people enquire about or book in for COVID-19 vaccination, asking the Aboriginal status question enables you to prioritise Aboriginal patients for appointments.

Accurate Aboriginal identification allows you to provide quality clinical care and is an opportunity to register patients for the CTG PBS Co-payment program. Aboriginal identification is also key to accessing funding under the Practice Incentives Program Indigenous Health Incentive. All patients should be asked the standard identification status question, consistent with RACGP recommendations and Standards for General Practice.

Making your practice inclusive and welcoming for Aboriginal people encourages self-identification (for vaccination and visits for other reasons). These practical steps will help in providing culturally safe healthcare and this printable reminder will keep Aboriginal patient identification top of mind.

Initiate conversations about vaccination with Aboriginal patients when they attend for other reasons

Use practice software prompts and action lists to identify Aboriginal patients during consultations, and ask about vaccination.

Information to help you discuss vaccination with Aboriginal people is available here. Aboriginal Health Workers in local Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services can also support conversations about vaccination.

Promote vaccination to Aboriginal patients inside your practice and through other patient communications

Take advantage of your patients’ focused attention and run videos on your waiting room TV screens. The NSW Health “Yarn-Up” series is popular, so use Episode 1, Episode 2 and Episode 3 on rotation.

Displaying posters designed for Aboriginal people and having patient brochures available helps, as does posting about vaccination on your website and social media. You can share posts from the NSW Health pages (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok) or create your own using our social tiles and videos.

If you don’t offer the preferred vaccine, help Aboriginal patients find another provider

If you’re not providing COVID-19 vaccination, or don’t have the preferred vaccine available, refer your Aboriginal patient to a local Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service, an Aboriginal-specific Local Health District service or a local pharmacy vaccine provider (this may involve helping your patient make an appointment).

Not all patients will be comfortable attending mass vaccination clinics, so finding a clinic that suits their needs is important. Being familiar with other vaccine providers in your area will help. More options are coming on-line each week.

Recent improvements mean it’s now easier for patients to find a clinic, register and book an appointment via the Vaccination Clinic Finder. This requires internet access, so offering help to access the portal will assist.

If transport is an issue for your Aboriginal patients, consider offering in-home visits

Earlier this year, the Australian Government implemented MBS new funding arrangements to improve the viability of administering of COVID-19 vaccines via in-home settings. The new MBS item number (90005), when combined with an assessment to determine a patient’s suitability and administering the dose itself, makes a home-visit delivery model more feasible.

Additional information/support

And finally, if you have questions or would like additional resources to support Aboriginal people around COVID-19 vaccination, get in touch with NSW Health.

Tharawal Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS) in Campbelltown has been doing some incredible work in ensuring our Indigenous people and the wider community are vaccinated against COVID-19.

Tharawal AMS joined general practices across South Western Sydney in March to be among the first GP services to vaccinate when the rollout began through primary care.

Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation Chief Executive Officer, Darryl Wright, was also among the first to roll up his sleeve for the jab.

At the time, Mr Wright told South Western Sydney PHN the service had 80 Elders aged 55 and over booked for vaccinations within 10 minutes of opening bookings.

“It’s about keeping healthy – we want to ensure our Elders and those with chronic disease in particular, don’t get the coronavirus,” he said.

Since March, Tharawal AMS has continued to educate local Aboriginal people about the benefits of vaccination and has held a number of vaccination clinics to ensure as many people as possible – including young people – are vaccinated.

This included a drive aimed at 12 to 18-year-olds which saw around 160 Aboriginal teenagers vaccinated, once the opportunity was opened to First Nations people aged 12 and over in August.

Mr Wright told SBS on 20 August now that Indigenous young people were eligible for vaccination, they had showed up with their parents and grandparents.

“Even now, with the young ones between 12 and 18, we advertised and within an hour we had 90 (vaccine) bookings, so that’s a good sign,” he told SBS.

• Read more on the SBS website
• Read more from the Sydney Morning Herald

Now Tharawal AMS’s vaccination service has gone mobile, taking to the road to vaccinate vulnerable communities regardless of background.

SWSPHN’s COVID-19 Response Team is helping facilitate the vaccinations, providing Tharawal AMS with the names of vulnerable individuals in Campbelltown and Camden who face barriers to accessing the vaccine.

Dr Tim Senior, Dr Allison Thorn and nurse Paige Leech (pictured right) visited Mount Gilead retirement village on Thursday, 2 September to vaccinate 10 residents.

During the past week, staff have also administered vaccines to 12 teenagers in a group home, a 16-year-old boy living with disability and a bed-bound elderly man in Campbelltown.

“We’ll go out with the van and do anyone walking around the street in Campbelltown, because we want everyone to be vaccinated, because they’re living in the community.”

• General practices across South Western Sydney are working to support vulnerable people who are struggling to access the COVID-19 vaccine by administering vaccinations in homes and work places. If you are aware of someone in the community who is immobile or living with disability, and wants to be vaccinated, please email SWSPHN’s COVID-19 Response Team at covid19@swsphn.com.au to be connected to a local general practice providing vaccine in-reach services.

All Aboriginal people 12 years and over are eligible and a priority population for COVID-19 vaccination, yet the current vaccination rate among Aboriginal people in NSW is significantly lower than non-Aboriginal people. Outbreaks affecting Aboriginal communities in different parts of NSW have increased the urgency for vaccination.

Building on trusted relationships with your patients and the local community, general practice is well placed to overcome barriers to vaccination among Aboriginal people, including misunderstanding about eligibility and concerns about adverse reactions.

NSW Health suggests the following to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates among Aboriginal people:

• Ensure eligible Aboriginal people are prioritised for a vaccination appointment
• Contact existing eligible Aboriginal patients and offer priority vaccination
• Ensure people who enquire about COVID-19 vaccination are asked if they identify as Aboriginal, to confirm their vaccination eligibility
• Offer vaccination to Aboriginal patients when attending for other reasons
• If you are not providing COVID-19 vaccination, refer Aboriginal patients to another provider
• Display/use hardcopy posters and social media images to encourage vaccination

Information to support health professionals to talk to Aboriginal people about vaccination is available here.

Please contact NSW Health if you have questions or would like additional resources to support Aboriginal people around COVID-19 vaccination.

NSW Health appreciates the significant contribution general practice in South Western Sydney is making to the COVID-19 control and prevention efforts – thank you.

More than 220 young Indigenous people have had their first COVID-19 shot after Tharawal Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS) partnered with NSW Health last week to co-ordinate a Pfizer clinic at the AMS in Airds.

Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation Chief Executive Officer, Darryl Wright, who led by example receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine on the first day it was rolled out through general practices in March, said he was happy to see so many young people turn up to be vaccinated, including 130 on the first day.

“As I said when I got my jab in March, don’t be afraid, it’s not only for your own good but for your family,” he said.

All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 16 and over are now able to access a COVID-19 vaccine. Getting a COVID-19 vaccine is a safe and effective way of protecting yourself from getting really sick from COVID-19.

Check with your local healthcare worker to make an appointment.

Find information for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples about COVID-19 vaccines

Pictured are the vaccination team: Sandra Castle, Rose Gordon, Amelia Tran-Bencio and Tracy Burnett (NSW Health – vaccination team); Karen Beetson and Natalie Sabuncuoglu (NSW Health – Aboriginal Health); and Darry Wright CEO, Dwayne Knight and Joanne Ross (Tharawal AMS).