Jackson has been homeless for the past five years after losing his job. He has a history of untreated depression that manifests as sadness, lack of motivation, and hopelessness. He also experiences anxiety and panic attacks. He doesn’t have many friends and doesn’t see his family and without a job or savings, he can’t find somewhere to live.
With no income, no savings, and no access to consistent health care, Jackson’s story is not unique. It’s a stark example of how social determinants – like housing, employment, access to health care, and social support – can shape a person’s health and well-being.
While the Australian health care system is one of the best in the world, we recognise some people and communities don’t have the same access to quality health care. As the operator of Western Australia’s three Primary Health Networks, WA Primary Health Alliance has a responsibility to improve access to affordable, quality health care for people and communities most at risk of poor health outcomes.
In Western Australia, some groups are at greater risk of poorer health outcomes including Aboriginal people, people from multicultural communities, LGBTIQA+ people, people experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage and those with limited access to health care.
While not every person in every group has the same experience, some groups are more likely to experience inequities in health and wellbeing associated with social determinants of health. This includes things like lack of local health services where they live, stigma, discrimination and unequal access to resources.
Evidence shows that these people tend to:
- Seek treatment later in the course of an illness.
- Present to hospital EDs more frequently.
- Face challenges in accessing preventative health care.
- Have poor health literacy.
Our under-served communities often face challenges accessing health care, which can be made more difficult when they are impacted by multiple social determinants of health. The needs of each group are diverse and there is no one size fits all approach to improving health equity.
Mapping and understanding under-served communities and the barriers they face is crucial. It helps us to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of primary health care services, particularly for those at risk of poor health outcomes, and allows us to improve the coordination of care to ensure patients receive the right care in the right place at the right time.
As a commissioner of primary health care services, achieving health equity means more than just funding health services. It’s about ensuring the services we commission reach the right people and are delivered in a way that meets their needs.
Through our commissioned service providers we can better understand the day-to-day struggles some people face in accessing the health care they need. The case studies below were developed by bringing together key elements of real cases about the challenges members of our communities can face in accessing health care.
Find out more about under-served communities in Western Australia