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Priorities

Priorities
NSW Health is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal people, their families and communities

Social Determinants of Health

The social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age. The unacceptable level of health disadvantage still being experienced by many Aboriginal people highlights that there is much still to be done, particularly using a whole-of-government approach to increase the life expectancy and quality of life for Aboriginal people.

The social and emotional well-being of Aboriginal people is affected by a range of social determinants of health. These include:

  • Inter-generational trauma
  • Institutional and individual discrimination and racism
  • Lower income and standards of living
  • Poor quality and over-crowded housing and community infrastructure
  • Poor outcomes in health, education, employment and the justice system

Cultural Determinants of Health

Health can be impacted by support for cultural expression including:

  • Self-determination
  • Freedom from institutional and individual discrimination and racism
  • Individual and collective rights
  • Freedom from assimilation and destruction of culture
  • Protection from removal / relocation
  • Connection to, custodianship and utilisation of country and traditional lands
  • Reclamation, revitalisation, preservation and promotion of language and cultural practices
  • Protection and promotion of Traditional Knowledge and Aboriginal Intellectual Property
  • Understanding of lore, law and traditional roles and responsibilities


Working Together

NSW Health is committed to working in partnership with Aboriginal people, community members and other government and non-government agencies to 'Close the Gap' in employment outcomes between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in NSW:

  • There are more than 4,000 Aboriginal people employed by NSW Health
  • Increasing the proportion of Aboriginal people in NSW Health's workforce supports the economic and social wellbeing of Aboriginal people, and enables NSW health services to provide culturally safe accessible services that are responsive to the health needs of Aboriginal people
  • The commitment to increasing the Aboriginal health workforce encompasses all of NSW Health
  • Good Health - Great Jobs, the NSW Health Aboriginal Workforce Strategic Framework 2016 - 2020 provides the structure to guide NSW Health in meeting its Aboriginal employment target.


Aboriginal Workforce Initiatives

The Ministry of Health is working on a number of initiatives to support the growth of the Aboriginal workforce across NSW Health in clinical, non-clinical and leadership roles, including:

  1. The Good Health - Great Jobs NSW Health Aboriginal Workforce Strategic Framework 2016 - 2020

    The NSW Health Good Health - Great Jobs framework focuses on addressing health workforce skills gaps as well as supporting the economic and social wellbeing of Aboriginal people.

  2. Respecting the Difference

    THe NSW Health Respecting the Difference program is an Aboriginal Cultural Training Framework which is mandatory for all staff.

  3. The Aboriginal Health Worker Project

    The NSW Health Aboriginal Health Worker Guidelines and The Decision Making Framework for Aboriginal Health Workers are aimed at strengthening the roles and supporting the career development of Aboriginal health workers in NSW Health.

    These resources support the ongoing professional development and career pathway development of Aboriginal health workers in line with the Good Health - Great Jobs: Aboriginal Workforce Strategic Framework 2016-2020.