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• Indigenous Chronic
  Disease Package
• Tackling Chronic Disease
  Risk Factors
  • National action to reduce Indigenous smoking rate
  • Helping Indigenous Australians to reduce their risk of chronic disease
  • Local Indigenous community campaigns to promote better health
• Improving Chronic Disease
  Management and Follow up
  • Subsidising PBS medicine co-payments
  • Higher utilisation costs for MBS and PBS
  • Supporting primary care providers to coordinate chronic disease management
  • Improving Indigenous participation in health care through chronic disease self management
  • Increasing specialist and allied health follow up care
  • Monitoring and evaluation
• Workforce Expansion,
  Training and Support
  • Workforce education and training
  • Expanding the outreach and service capacity of Indigenous health services
  • Engaging Medicare Locals to improve Indigenous Access to mainstream primary care
  • Attracting more people to work in Indigenous Health
  • Clinical practice and decision support

Closing the Gap - The Indigenous Chronic Disease Package in 2009-10 - Annual Progress Report on the Australian Government’s contribution to the National Partnership Agreement on Closing the Gap in Indigenous Health Outcomes - November 2010

Highlights & Challenges

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HIGHLIGHT:

A total of 294 new positions added to the Indigenous health workforce:

• 83 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Outreach Workers
• 41 Healthy Lifestyle Workers
• 21 Tobacco Action Workers
• 20 Tobacco Action Coordinators
• 34 additional Practice Manager and other health professional positions in Indigenous health organisations
• 95 Indigenous Health Project Officers

HIGHLIGHT:

29,799 Indigenous adult health checks provided, an increase of 26.1% on 2008-09.

CHALLENGE:

Developing implementation strategies across a range of sectors with diverse views on how closing the gap should be achieved.

HIGHLIGHT:

The number of follow-up services that can be claimed by an Aboriginal Health Worker or practice nurse following a health assessment increased from five to 10. In 2009-10, 3,564 services were provided by Aboriginal health workers and practice nurses, an increase of 611% on 2008-09.

HIGHLIGHT:

The new Practice Incentives Program (PIP) Indigenous Health Incentive began in May. By 30 June 2010, around 850 PIP practices and Indigenous health services had joined the incentive, and around 2900 patients had been registered.

CHALLENGE:

Developing a clear and easy to understand Monitoring and Evaluation framework for a complex Package, including extensive input from a range of stakeholders.

HIGHLIGHT:

38 additional general practitioner registrar training posts have been filled in Indigenous health services.

CHALLENGE:

Changing the way the complex mainstream health system responds to the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients and fostering a coordinated effort between mainstream and Aboriginal community controlled health services when implementing measures.

HIGHLIGHT:

Chronic Disease Management Package items were utilised by 120,978 Indigenous clients.

HIGHLIGHT:

Multidisciplinary health professional outreach teams provided 148 services in rural and remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities as part of the expanded Medical Specialist Outreach Assistance Program.

CHALLENGE:

Incorporating stakeholder feedback on the tackling smoking and healthy lifestyle measures, leading to a revision in the way these work together. This has meant a short delay in the introduction of this workforce from May 2010 until July 2010.

HIGHLIGHT:

Dr Tom Calma engaged as the National Coordinator for Tackling Indigenous Smoking.

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Page currency, Latest update: 09 December, 2010

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