Rural and remote populations
On this subject
- Key points
- Demography
- Life expectancy
- Deaths by Aboriginality
- Premature deaths
- Potentially avoidable and unavoidable deaths
- Potentially avoidable deaths by Aboriginality
- Injury deaths
- Suicide
- Ambulatory care sensitive conditions
- Ambulatory care sensitive conditions by RCMG
- Heart disease
- Low birth weight by Aboriginality
- Premature babies by Aboriginality
- Antenatal care by Aboriginality
- Health service use
- Health care access
- Self-sufficiency
Introduction
Across Australia, people living in rural and remote areas have worse health generally than those living in metropolitan areas. Many factors contribute to this differential, including geographic isolation, socioeconomic disadvantage, shortage of health care providers, lower levels of access to health services, greater exposure to injury risks, and poorer health among Aboriginal people who comprise a significant proportion of the population in rural and remote areas (AIHW, 2008). Other chapters in this report present data by health area of residence, and compare grouped urban and rural health areas. Although useful for highlighting areas for action, such analyses do not explore the effect of remoteness on health, because they do not take into account the actual distances that individuals live from health and other facilities and services.
This chapter presents a range of health indicators for NSW according to Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC) Remoteness categories, NSW health areas, and Regional Co-ordination Management Group (RCMG) regions.
ASGC Remoteness was released in 2001 by the ABS, based on the Accessibility-Remoteness Index of Australia Plus (ARIA+) index, which was developed by the National Centre for Social Applications of Geographic Information Systems(GISCA). ARIA+ index values (between 0 and 15) are based on road distance from a locality to the closest service centre in each of five classes of population size. ASGC Remoteness categories are assigned to Census Collection Districts (CDs) on the basis of the average ARIA+ score within the CD. An assessment of remoteness in larger areas (such as Statistical Local Areas; SLAs) can then be made on the basis of the ASGC Remoteness categories allocated to the CDs making up that area. ASGC Remoteness categorises areas as 'major cities', 'inner regional', 'outer regional', 'remote' and 'very remote'(AIHW, 2008).
Areas are classifed as Major Cities; Inner Regional or Outer Regional (referred to here as 'regional' when taken together); Remote and Very Remote ('remote' when taken together). The term 'rural and remote' is used when referring generally to areas outside Major Cities.
There are 10 RCMG regions in NSW which were defined by the NSW Premier's Department as part of the Regional Coordination Program (RCP). RCMG regions are aggregates of Local Government Areas (LGAs). RCMG regions were implemented to help coordinate NSW government effort at a regional level to maximise benefits to local communities.
NSW Health is working to improve the provision of health services in small rural and remote communities through a range of service delivery and workforce initiatives.
The NSW Rural Health Plan, released in 2002, outlined three key directions for rural health - attracting and retaining health care professionals; providing certainty and security for services provided in rural areas; and providing services closer to where rural people live.
NSW Health is working to improve the provision of health services in rural and remote communities through new models of service delivery, such as MultiPurpose Services for small communities, development of further specialist services in Rural Referral Hospitals, transport initiatives such as the Isolated Patients' Transport and Accommodation Assistance Scheme and the development of health infrastructure.
The NSW Rural Health Report, released in September 2002, was developed by a group of clinicians, health service managers and consumers. In response, the NSW Government released the NSW Rural Health Plan which included initiatives to address three fundamental issues: attracting and retaining health care professionals; providing certainty and security for services provided in rural areas; and providing health services closer to where people live.
Since the release of the Plan, a range of clinical services in rural NSW have been expanded including renal, critical care, cardiology with the opening of Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratories and cancer with the opening of radiation therapy services. The NSW Institute of Rural Clinical Services and Teaching was established to support rural health staff by facilitating the networking of services and clinicians and providing opportunities to undertake rural based collaborative research. The NSW Rural and Remote Health Priority Taskforce advises on key rural health issues and monitors the implementation of rural health initiatives.
For more information
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Australia's health 2008. Cat. no. AUS 99. Canberra: AIHW, 2008. Available at: www.aihw.gov.au/publications/index.cfm/title/10585
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Rural, Regional and Remote Health: A guide to remoteness classifications. AIHW Catalogue PHE 53. Canberra: AIHW, 2004. Available at www.aihw.gov.au.
Australian Bureau of Statistics. ASGC Remoteness Classification: Purpose and Use Census Paper No. 03/01 2003. Available at www.abs.gov.au.
GISCA. About ARIA+ (Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia). Adelaide: National Centre for Social Applications of Geographic Information Systems (GISCA), 2001. Available at www.gisca.adelaide.edu.au/products_services/ariav2_about.html..
NSW Health Rural health at www.health.nsw.gov.au/rural.
Wearne SM et al. Training our future rural medical workforce. MJA 2004180(3):101-102.
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Copyright notice
This work is copyright NSW Department of Health, 2006. It may be reproduced in whole or in part, subject to the inclusion of an acknowledgement of the source. Commercial usage or sale is prohibited.
Suggested citation
Population Health Division. The health of the people of New South Wales - Report of the Chief Health Officer. Sydney: NSW Department of Health. Available at: www.health.nsw.gov.au/publichealth/chorep/. Accessed (insert date of access).
Produced by
Centre for Epidemiology and Research, Population Health Division, NSW Department of Health.
Last updated on 15 December 2008
