The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) will today convene an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health roundtable.
Held over two days and attended by people from across Australia with experience in primary healthcare for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the roundtable will provide attendees with a special forum to exchange ideas on how best to support health services nation-wide so that they are prevention-focussed, culturally safe and responsive, equitable, and free from racism.
RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins said the event held great potential.
"Today's roundtable is a small but important step forward in improving healthcare for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients," she said.
"There is plenty of work to be done and not a moment to lose. As President this is right at the top of my priorities over the next two years, and I look forward to working closely with NACCHO on a range of endeavours that will make a real difference in healthcare for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Our organisations are currently working in partnership to develop flagship resources that support effective, culturally safe, and responsive primary healthcare that is valued by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. So, stay tuned because there is plenty more to come following this roundtable."
Chair of the RACGP Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Faculty, Dr Karen Nicholls, said the roundtable would tackle some of the key challenges holding back healthcare for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients.
"I'm optimistic that if we put our minds to it and listen carefully to health experts and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients we can improve primary healthcare outcomes," she said.
"By boosting primary healthcare, including access to strong and culturally safe general practice care, we can significantly enhance long-term health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients. I look forward to roundtable participants discussing annual health checks for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as a key preventive health activity and how to design quality health checks so that they are effective.
"The focus will very much be on how to support genuine shared decision making and partnerships, and carefully considering how the cultural and social determinants of health impact primary healthcare for these patients."
The RACGP and NACCHO will publish the fourth edition of the National guide to preventive healthcare for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people later this year – a flagship publication, spearheaded by NACCHO.
At a ceremony in Darwin in 2019 a new Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the organisations driven by a shared commitment to support the growth of the next generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander doctors and ensure GPs are equipped to provide clinically and culturally appropriate primary healthcare.
About us:
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) was established in 1958 and is Australia's peak general practice representative organisation.
The RACGP has more than 45,000 members working in or towards a career in general practice across metropolitan, regional, and rural areas of the country. Nine in every 10 GPs are with the RACGP.
