Aboriginal Workforce in NSW Health: The overarching term that refers to all Aboriginal staff, irrespective of their role, working within NSW Health.
Aboriginal Health Worker Workforce: The umbrella term for Aboriginal Health Workers (AHWs) and Aboriginal Health Practitioners (AHPs).
Aboriginal Health Worker activities can include cultural navigation, social and emotional wellbeing support, patient advocacy, health promotion, and case coordination.
Aboriginal Health Practitioners can provide the cultural lens in conjunction with clinical activities. Clinical activities may include supporting discharge planning, clinical procedures, assessments and observations , pre-admission assessments and implementation care according to patient plans and protocols.
The above diagram represents the implementation of the Aboriginal Health Practitioner workforce into the multi-disciplinary team as its own defined clinical profession. Integration of Aboriginal Health Practitioners into the clinical multi-disciplinary team will strengthen the delivery of culturally safe clinical care to Aboriginal clients.
Healthy Deadly Feet is an exemplar project on how Aboriginal Health Practitioners and/or Aboriginal Health Workers and/or Allied Health Assistants can be incorporated into a multi-disciplinary team. For more information, visit Healthy Deadly Feet.
The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practice Board of Australia (ATSIHPBA) have developed the following Fact Sheet: Guidance for nurses and midwives working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Practitioners
To celebrate the National Day of Recognition for Aboriginal Health Workers and Aboriginal Health Practitioners on 7 August 2024, NSW Health has released a video highlighting the work the profession does in connecting Aboriginal people to culturally safe clinical care.
The Decision Making Framework for Aboriginal Health Practitioners supports the understanding of clinical scope of practice and safe practice considerations through supervision.
For additional information on the scope of practice for Aboriginal Health Workers and Aboriginal Health Practitioners, or further advice, please contact the Aboriginal Workforce team at MOH-AboriginalWorkforce@health.nsw.gov.au.