South Western Sydney PHN (SWSPHN) supports primary care health professionals to identify and address priority health needs of people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) and refugee backgrounds and improve health outcomes.
Four priority areas
Improve access and quality of care
Ensure people can get the care they need; in the way they need when they need it.
Build health literacy
Empower individuals to have the information they need to make health choices.
Enhance system responsiveness
Ensure service providers and health professionals are supported to deliver culturally safe care.
Understand health needs
Ensure we have a comprehensive understanding of health needs, service needs and population group needs.
Projects and activities
Here are the ways SWSPHN address the four priority areas to improve the health outcomes of people from non-English speaking and culturally diverse backgrounds who live in South Western Sydney.
Improve access and quality of care
Mental health services
Commission mental health services like You in Mind, Odyssey house which have a CALD focus.
You in Mind – Psychological therapies for select populations
Odyssey House Community Programs
Care navigation for older people
Deliver healthy ageing education and care navigation services for culturally and linguistically diverse older people and their carers.
Healthy Ageing Education
Care finder services for patients needing aged care support
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander support
Commission Tharawal and Gandangara to deliver a Social and Emotional Wellbeing program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the region.
As of April 2024, SWSPHN are in the process of implementing new CALD and refugee specific projects, for implementation by 30 June 2024.
Build health literacy
HealthPathways
SWSPHN maintains HealthPathways in partnership with South Western Sydney LHD. HealthPathways is the clinical and referral information portal used at point-of-care by GPs to support the treatment of health issues.
Health Resource Directory
Provide Health Resource Directory to help patients understand their health conditions including services and supports available within South Western Sydney. Health Resource Directory offers web pages and audio files in Arabic, English, Mandarin, and Vietnamese.
SWSPHN also translate resources where relevant within our health portfolios and are in the process of developing a health literacy framework, which will include recommendations for primary care providers to ensure they provide a culturally safe and appropriate service to non-English speakers and for people of various cultural backgrounds.
Enhance system responsiveness
- All SWSPHN staff complete cultural competency training
- All SWSPHN commissioned service providers are required to have the cultural competency to provide culturally safe services to culturally and linguistically diverse and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
- Regularly offer culturally relevant training to service providers and practice staff through CPD events.
CPD Events | South Western Sydney PHN
Understand health needs
Needs assessments
SWSPHN conducts a review of health and service needs of all groups within South Western Sydney every three years. The needs assessment includes literature review, data collection and analysis, stakeholder and community surveys, consultations and focus groups, to identify any emerging needs.
CALD and refugee co-design
This project evaluates the health and service needs of CALD/Refugee groups.
SWSPHN also partner with universities to conduct research projects related to CALD and refugee population groups.
Community involvement
SWSPHN participates in community working groups. For example:
- Fairfield Health Alliance – Partnerships
- Refugee Women’s Health Group
- NSW Multicultural Working Group
This allows SWSPHN to get feedback, insights, and input from community members.
For more information go to Enhancing health equity: Meeting the diverse needs of South Western Sydney’s CALD and refugee communities