This project supports clinicians and staff working in rehabilitation ward areas and other areas of healthcare to assess the cultural appropriateness of their service and develop an action plan to improve the experience of Aboriginal people.
How to get started
- Assess your own cultural awareness, by taking the quiz and promote to others
- Use the service audit tool to evaluate the cultural competency of your ward environment and staff; and monitor your improvements
- Create a plan for action:
- Learn how to communicate positively and effectively with Aboriginal people and their families
- Create a culturally safe environment in your ward with the delivery of your services and design of your physical environment
- Encourage staff to increase their cultural competence with education and training
- Plan your approach to improving care for Aboriginal people using the implementation toolkit
- Find inspiration in some of the changes and actions that other rehabilitation services have found successful.
Resources
See our implementation toolkit for videos, templates, posters and links to references and training resources.
Gadjigadji resources Implementation tools
About the Gadjigadji initiative
My rehab, my journey – Gadjigadji (regrowth) aims to improve the hospital experience for Aboriginal people.
Exploring the factors that can improve the experience of Aboriginal people in the healthcare environment is critical to drive change.
While the project specifically looked at the experience of Aboriginal people in rehabilitation wards, the findings and resources are applicable to many areas of healthcare.
Closing the gap in health outcomes between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people is a NSW Health priority and we all have an important part to play.
Watch the video to learn more about the My rehab, my journey - Gadjigadji project.
Consultation
To explore the factors that influence the experience of Aboriginal people in rehabilitation facilities we took the following actions:
- Conducted a literature review to identify aspects of care that could be improved for Aboriginal people experiencing a long hospital stay
- Held a series of workshops with clinicians to validate areas for improvement and identified the need for resources
- Surveyed clinicians working in the relevant areas to determine a baseline understanding, and any cultural adaptations currently being undertaken in rehabilitation settings.
The following key areas were identified as areas for improvement:
- Identification of Aboriginal people
- Suitability and cultural appropriateness of the ward environment
- Cultural appropriateness of the care provided including flexibility to accommodate needs, preferences of patients and consideration of privacy requirements
- Communication, shared decision-making and discharge planning.
The findings from this consultation process has informed the development of the resources and tools provided in the My rehab, my journey – Gadjigadji project.
Feedback
This project is an initiative of the Agency for Clinical Innovation’s Trauma, Pain and Rehabilitation Stream, in collaboration with the NSW Aboriginal and rehabilitation workforce state-wide.
We welcome feedback on how you are using these resources and any gaps or additional resources that would help support your work.
Contact us to provide your feedback at ACI-PRISM@health.nsw.gov.au