To set us up for the future, WA Primary Health Alliance has embedded a focus on Aboriginal people and Aboriginal health across our organisation to activate our commitment to closing the gap in health outcomes for Aboriginal people.
From our Board champion, Professor Rhonda Marriott to the members of our Strategic Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing Advisory Group and our staff, we are committed to reconciliation and action to improve health equity and outcomes for Aboriginal people.
To help achieve this ambitious agenda, several key new roles have been created – a Senior Advisor for Aboriginal Health, a Program Improvement Coordinator for Aboriginal Health, a Stakeholder Engagement Officer for Cultural Safety and an Aboriginal Health Program Coordinator within our Primary Care Innovation and Development Portfolio.
General Manager Commissioning and Reconciliation Champion, Mark Cockayne said recognising the importance of employing Aboriginal people in a wide variety of roles within WA Primary Health Alliance, enabling structures and processes are being put in place to achieve this, as set out in our soon to be finalised Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan.
“Given our Aboriginal staff are dispersed across the organisation, we intend to establish an Aboriginal Staff Engagement Group, to ensure they can connect with each other, share ideas and experiences in a supportive environment.
“We are also working with partner organisations, including the Aboriginal Health Council of WA, WA Country Health Service and the WA Department of Health, to establish peer support networks and information sharing structures.
“Concurrently, we are working with our colleagues from the Aboriginal Health Council of WA to refresh our partnership agreement to ensure it is more action focused and aligned to the current Aboriginal Health strategy and national and state policy context.”
WA Primary Health Alliance’s Aboriginal Health Strategy is under development and will direct resources to where they are needed most to support Aboriginal people with their health care.
Another key strategic initiative is the delivery of a Cultural Competence Framework, with a focus on the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal people. WA Primary Health Alliance is consulting key partners to inform the improvement of culturally competent healthcare for Aboriginal people in Western Australia.