Mrs Conor Fardon1, Ms Krystal Smith1
1Queensland Ambulance Service, Kedron, Australia
Persistent health equity disparities among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples highlight the enduring impact of complex social determinants of health and historically culturally unsafe healthcare. As a leading ambulance service in Australia, the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) operates within a diverse geographic and response environment, including numerous discrete First Nations communities.
Over the past decade, the QAS has undertaken a transformative journey to address disparities faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals and communities, both within its workforce and among service recipients. This presentation delves into the QAS’s efforts to cultivate culturally safe ambulance services, detailing challenges, achievements, and insights gained.
Central to the QAS’s strategy is a comprehensive organisational approach that integrates First Nations perspectives across governance structures. This includes active involvement in First Nations Health Equity planning and initiatives such as the Indigenous Paramedic Program, aimed at enhancing workforce diversity. Additionally, co-design methodologies have been employed to develop organizational policies and processes that authentically reflect First Nations voices.
The outcome of these initiatives is the establishment of robust frameworks ensuring the longevity of efforts, facilitating ongoing progress in health equity and cultural safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and advancing towards closing the gap.
The session proposed would include discussion around the following:
- Our journey to date with health equity and cultural safety
- Barriers and challenges to the agenda (including mitigation strategies)
- Opportunities and achievements
- Where to next (Health Worker Project, expansion of programs etc.)
Biography:
Biography to come.