As part of the 2023-24 Victorian State budget, 11 Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) across metro and regional Victoria received over $35 million in funding over four years.
This initiative, ‘Strengthening Lifelong Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing of Aboriginal Victorians’, aims to deliver culturally informed, prevention focused health care to help Aboriginal communities better access culturally safe and holistic primary care closer to home.
The initiative and its implementation were co-designed with community and acted on the priorities of the Victorian Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing Partnership Forum.
It marked a significant shift in funding approaches for critical primary care services in ACCHOs, from short-term, project-specific grants to a self-determined, outcomes-based model for service delivery with four-year funding contracts.
Recipients can determine where the funding would be most effectively and strategically used based on their communities' health needs.
The initiative will also work towards ACCHOs' sustainability by drawing on their expertise in delivering culturally responsive and prevention-focused healthcare.
Focus on preventative care
This initiative aims to redirect treatment for potentially preventable conditions from hospitals to ACCHOs by prioritising preventative care. This shift ensures Aboriginal peoples in Victoria receive holistic, culturally safe, and timely care, reducing the reliance on acute treatment.
This initiative enables ACCHOs to expand their workforce, including nurses, general practitioners, support workers and drivers to improve access to health care.
By shifting demand from acute health services and hospitals to ACCHO-delivered prevention and early intervention services, the Aboriginal health sector along with the department can work to close the gap in Aboriginal health and wellbeing outcomes.
Case study: Victorian Aboriginal Health Service
In the first 6 months, the ‘Strengthening life-long Aboriginal health and wellbeing through access to early intervention and holistic care’ initiative funding has enabled the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (VAHS) to expand their comprehensive and culturally safe healthcare services, significantly decreasing emergency department presentations. The funding has supported VAHS to:
- Expand services available at their Fitzroy site to deliver more specialist preventative services and increase the number of completed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Health Assessments (MBS 715’s) through a dedicated space. This included access to another nine clinical rooms and a reception area.
- Increase their clinical workforce, including the number of the Aboriginal Health Worker workforce and the number of General Practitioners.
- Enhance their current recall systems and monitoring to ensure effective follow up and communication regarding test results, appointments, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Health Assessments (MBS 715's) and mental health plan follow ups.
- Extend their operating hours in Fitzroy, Epping, St Albans and Preston, including establishing a Saturday morning walk-in clinic at Fitzroy, providing greater accessibility for those needing treatment.
By focusing on proactive service approaches, VAHS is helping to identify health issues early and preventing escalation while also managing and/or identifying potentially chronic health conditions in their early stages.
Reviewed 04 July 2024