Indigenous health expenditure deficits obscured in Closing the Gap reports

2015 ◽  
Vol 203 (10) ◽  
pp. 403-403 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katrina A Alford
Keyword(s):  
Health Expenditure ◽  
Indigenous Health ◽  
Closing The Gap

scholarly journals Choosing a nursing career: Building an indigenous nursing workforce

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Deravin ◽  
Karen Francis ◽  
Judith Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Government Policy ◽  
Health Workforce ◽  
Indigenous Health ◽  
Nursing Workforce ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Closing The Gap ◽  
Nursing Career ◽  
National Partnership ◽  
The Impact

Introduction: This paper provides an overview of the impact of government policy in supporting the growth of an Indigenous nursing workforce in New South Wales and Australia.Methods: Publically available nursing workforce performance reports along with current literature were reviewed to provide a perspective on the current situation.Results and discussion: The National partnership agreement on closing the gap in Indigenous health outcomes indicated that to improve Indigenous health outcomes, significant investment is required with particular reference to increasing an Indigenous workforce. As nurses comprise the majority of the health workforce a number of strategies and initiatives have been put in place to support this agreement. Even though there has been commitment through government policy and funding initiatives it is questionable if this is having any real impact on growing an Indigenous nursing workforce.Conclusions: Recruitment strategies that will increase the number of Indigenous nurses within the health workforce requires a multilevel approach. Despite efforts to increase Indigenous nursing workforce numbers, there has been limited impact to any real successful gains since 2008. Building and growing an Indigenous nursing workforce that will support the “Closing the Gap” initiative will require significant continuing effort.

Closing the gap in Indigenous health inequity - Is it making a difference?

2018 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 477-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Deravin ◽  
K. Francis ◽  
J. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Indigenous Health ◽  
Health Inequity ◽  
Making A Difference ◽  
Closing The Gap

Closing the Gap: Cultural safety in Indigenous health education

2011 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wayne Rigby ◽  
Elaine Duffy ◽  
Jan Manners ◽  
Heather Latham ◽  
Lorraine Lyons ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Education ◽  
Indigenous Health ◽  
Cultural Safety ◽  
Closing The Gap

scholarly journals Beyond the pipeline: a critique of the discourse surrounding the development of an Indigenous primary healthcare workforce in Australia

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chelsea Bond ◽  
Mark Brough ◽  
Jon Willis ◽  
Janet Stajic ◽  
Bryan Mukandi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Workforce Development ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Indigenous Health ◽  
Health Professions ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Indigenous Australian ◽  
Health Service Provision ◽  
Healthcare Workforce ◽  
Indigenous Representation ◽  
Closing The Gap

A central strategy in addressing health disparities experienced by Indigenous people has been based on a concern with workforce improvement. In this paper, the Indigenous Australian healthcare workforce literature since 1977 is reviewed and its scope of concern, as being often limited to questions of ‘supply’, is critiqued. The pipeline metaphor, whether used explicitly or implied, regularly focuses attention on closing the gap on Indigenous representation within the health workforce. The exception though is the discourse concerning Indigenous Health Workers (IHWs), where questions concerning the legitimacy of the role continue to abound within a workforce hierarchy where community knowledge, though shown to be crucial to culturally safe health service provision, is trumped by the other health professions whose knowledges and legitimacy are not in question. This contrast exemplifies the need to examine the working of power not just ‘supply’. The pipeline metaphor is disrupted with concerns about a range of other ‘gaps’ – gaps in the recognition of Indigenous knowledges, in organisational structures, in governance and in self-awareness by the health professions of their whiteness. As the health system continues to measure workforce development in terms of pipeline capacity, our study questions what happens beyond the pipeline.

scholarly journals Cost Implications of Hard Water on Health Hardware in Remote Indigenous Communities in the Central Desert Region of Australia

2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Browett ◽  
Meryl Pearce ◽  
Eileen M Willis
Keyword(s):  
Indigenous Health ◽  
Water Hardness ◽  
Hard Water ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Remote Areas ◽  
Provision Of Services ◽  
Closing The Gap ◽  
Cost Implications ◽  
The Cost

The provision of services such as power, water, and housing for Indigenous people is seen as essential in the Australian Government’s "Closing the Gap" policy. While the cost of providing these services, in particular adequate water supplies, is significantly higher in remote areas, they are key contributors to improving the health of Indigenous peoples. In many remote areas, poor quality groundwater is the only supply available. Hard water results in the deterioration of health hardware, which refers to the facilities considered essential for maintaining health. This study examined the costs associated with water hardness in eight communities in the Northern Territory. Results show a correlation between water hardness and the cost of maintaining health hardware, and illustrates one aspect of additional resourcing required to maintain Indigenous health in remote locations.

Closing the Gap: Cultural safety in Indigenous health education

2010 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wayne Rigby ◽  
Elaine Duffy ◽  
Jan Manners ◽  
Heather Latham ◽  
Lorraine Lyons ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Education ◽  
Indigenous Health ◽  
Cultural Safety ◽  
Closing The Gap

scholarly journals Does evidence influence policy? Resource allocation and the Indigenous Burden of Disease study

2016 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 705 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher M. Doran ◽  
Rod Ling ◽  
Andrew Searles ◽  
Peter Hill
Keyword(s):  
Health Policy ◽  
Burden Of Disease ◽  
Health Expenditure ◽  
Research Funding ◽  
Indigenous Health ◽  
Health Spending ◽  
Potential Effect ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Indigenous Research ◽  
Potential Influence

Objective The Indigenous Burden of Disease (IBoD) report is the most comprehensive assessment of Indigenous disease burden in Australia. The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential effect of the IBoD report on Australian Indigenous health policy, service expenditure and research funding. Findings have significance for understanding factors that may influence Indigenous health policy. Methods The potential effect of the IBoD report was considered by: (1) conducting a text search of pertinent documents published by the federal government, Council of Australian Governments and the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC) and observing the quantity and quality of references to IBoD; (2) examining data on government Indigenous healthcare expenditure for trends consistent with the findings and policy implications of the IBoD report; and (3) examining NHMRC Indigenous grant allocation trends consistent with the findings and policy implications of the IBoD report. Results Of 110 government and NHMRC documents found, IBoD was cited in 27. Immediately after publication of the IBoD report, federal and state governments increased Indigenous health spending (relative to non-Indigenous), notably for community health and public health at the state level. Expenditure on Indigenous hospital separations for chronic diseases also increased. These changes are broadly consistent with the findings of the IBoD report on the significance of chronic disease and the need to address certain risk factors. However, there is no evidence that such changes had a causal connection with the IBoD study. After publication of the IBoD report, changes in NHMRC Indigenous research funding showed little consistency with the findings of the IBoD report. Conclusions The present study found only indirect and inconsistent correlational evidence of the potential influence of the IBoD report on Indigenous health expenditure and research funding. Further assessment of the potential influence of the IBoD report on Indigenous health policy will require more targeted research, including interviews with key informants involved in developing health policy. What is known about the topic? There are currently no publications that consider the potential effed of the IBoD study on Indigenous health expenditure and research funding. What does this paper add? This paper offers the first consideration of the potential effect of the IBoD report. It contains analyses of data from readily available sources, examining national expenditures on Indigenous health and NHMRC Indigenous research, before and after the publication of the IBoD report. What are the implications for practitioners? The paper is relevant to analysts interested in drivers of Indigenous health policy. Although it finds correlations between the release of the IBoD report and some subsequent health spending decisions, other factors should be investigated to better understand the complexity of processes that drive government efforts to improve Indigenous health.

Closing the Gap in Indigenous health: why section 19(2) of the Health Insurance Act matters

2016 ◽  
Vol 205 (6) ◽  
pp. 283-283
Author(s):  
Craig Cumming ◽  
Stuart A Kinner ◽  
David B Preen
Keyword(s):  
Health Insurance ◽  
Indigenous Health ◽  
Closing The Gap
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