Initiatives

1 Deadly Step

The 1 Deadly Step program promotes screening, early detection and follow up of chronic disease in Aboriginal communities in NSW. The unique component of 1 Deadly Step is the emphasis is getting together and having fun via community sporting event to engage Aboriginal people who would not normally be screened for chronic disease.

Agency for Clinical Innovation

Aboriginal health Drug and alcohol Nutrition Rural health Mental Health

ACI Consumer Enablement Guide

Engaging consumers to understand their health conditions and have the confidence, knowledge and ability to actively manage their health and wellbeing and access the healthcare services they need.

ACI

Aboriginal health Drug and alcohol Nutrition Rural health Socio-economic position Mental Health

Bromley by Bow

The UK’s Bromley by Bow Centre is a charity which combines medical practice with a range of community services in recognition that good health is a result of positive social factors.

Bromley by Bow Centre

Poverty Residential environment Social exclusion Mental Health

Deadly Choices

In Aboriginal slang, if something is ‘deadly’ it is great. Deadly Choices is empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to make healthy choices for themselves and their families – stopping smoking, eating good food and exercising daily. Deadly Choices also encourages people to visit their local Community Controlled Health Service to complete an annual ‘Health Check’ to focus on preventative health - encouraging community to visit the doctor not just when they are unwell but to take steps to prevent and better manage chronic conditions and stay healthy.

Aboriginal health Nutrition

Dress for Success

Dress for Success is an international not-for-profit organization that empowers women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and the development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. Since starting operations in 1997, Dress for Success has expanded to more than 150 cities in 25 countries and has helped more than one million women work towards self-sufficiency. Donations of gently used, nearly-new professional attire equip women to attend job interviews and gain employment, empowering them to take charge of their lives.

Employment and work Poverty

Dress for Work

Dress for Work is a program which was established in response to male clients experiencing financial hardship. The program provides immediate and practical support to men seeking employment. Modelled on the women’s service, ‘Dress for Success’, Dress for Work provides clothing for men who cannot afford quality clothing to make a good first impression at job interviews and for other important appointments.

Employment and work Poverty

Figtree Caravan Park Healthy Living Project

This a healthy living project aimed at supporting the residents of the Figtree Caravan Park to better manage their own health and wellbeing.

Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District, Unanderra Community Centre

Nutrition Poverty Residential environment Social exclusion

Foodbank

Foodbank is a non-denominational, non-profit hunger relief organisation which provides 67 million meals to over 2,400 charities and 1,750 schools each year. Foodbank works with the food and grocery industry including farmers, wholesalers, manufacturers and retailers to provide a conduit between the food industry’s surplus and the welfare sector’s need.

Nutrition Poverty Socio-economic position

FoodFairness Illawarra

This a voluntary, not-for-profit alliance of community groups, individuals, agencies and government organisations, administered by Healthy Cities Illawarra, committed to enabling access to a healthy and affordable food supply for all residents of the Illawarra.

Healthy Cities Illawarra

Nutrition Poverty Socio-economic position

Healthy Eating Active Living

Australians are living in an environment where being unhealthy has become normal. But small lifestyle changes can make a big difference. NSW Health offers free initiatives including digital tools, information and free programs to tackle overweight and obesity to help make healthy normal.

NSW Health

Aboriginal health Nutrition

Healthy Food in Childcare

Hunter New England LHD NSW Health 2018 Innovation Award winning project to improve the diets of young children by supporting childcare services to provide healthier foods.

Hunter New England Local Health District

Nutrition

Healthy Homes and Neighbourhoods

A population-based model that focuses on care coordination for vulnerable families with long-term complex health and social needs.

Sydney Local Health District

Aboriginal health CALD communities Housing Poverty

Home Away from Home

Northern NSW LHD used redesign method to improve lifestyle and wellbeing of people living in Urbenville Multi-Purpose Service. Social interventions and wellbeing measures increase access to more appropriate care for older people in a rural community.

Northern NSW Local Health District

Housing Residential environment Rural health Mental Health

Housing for Health

Housing for Health is a copyright methodology for improving living conditions in Aboriginal communities. The methodology focuses on improving health outcomes through environmental changes particularly for children in early life 0-5 years. Evidence indicates that improving essential health hardware (fixing a leaking toilet, electrical repairs, having sufficient hot water, having somewhere to wash a baby or child, etc.) can improve health status and reduce the risk of disease and injury.

NSW Health

Aboriginal health Housing Residential environment Socio-economic position

Improving Aboriginal food security and dietary intake

Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Women’s Council, Nganampa Health Council, Mai Wiru Regional Stores Aboriginal Corporation and the Australian Prevention Partnership Centre worked together in a concerted intervention to improve availability, affordability, accessibility and promotion of healthier, more nutritious food in what is usually the single store in remote Aboriginal communities in South Australia. The results of the research project show the first improvement in over 40 years in the amount of healthy and food and drinks sold.

Australian Prevention Partnership Centre

Aboriginal health Nutrition Rural health

NSW Knockout Health Challenge

The NSW Aboriginal Knockout Health Challenge is a community-led weight loss and healthy lifestyle program for Aboriginal communities across NSW. The program consists of two challenges of 10 weeks which run throughout the year.

NSW Office of Preventive Health

Aboriginal health Drug and alcohol Nutrition Rural health Mental Health

Orange Sky

Using mobile vans Orange Sky provides a portable laundry and shower service for people who are homeless. Orange Sky volunteers provide clean laundry, a warm shower and genuine conversation to create safe, positive and supportive environments for vulnerable people.

Orange Sky Australia

Housing Residential environment Rural health Social exclusion Mental Health

Oz Harvest

OzHarvest is a food rescue organisation, collecting quality excess food from commercial outlets and delivering it directly to more than 1300 charities supporting people in need across Australia.OzHarvest was founded in 2004 by Ronni Kahn AO, after she noticed the huge volume of good food going to waste from the hospitality industry. Starting in Sydney with one van Kahn delivered 4,000 meals in the first month. OzHarvest now rescues over 180 tonnes of food each week from over 3,500 food donors including supermarkets, hotels, airports, wholesalers, farmers, corporate events, catering companies, shopping centres, delis, cafes, restaurants, film and TV shoots and boardrooms.

Employment and work Housing Nutrition Poverty Social exclusion

Safe Haven Café St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne

For many people experiencing difficulties with their mental health a hospital emergency department is the only option for care in the evenings. The St Vincent's Melbourne Safe Haven Café, the first of its kind in Australia, provides a non-clinical alternative to attending the emergency department for mental health consumers who are seeking out of hours support for their wellbeing.

St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne

Social exclusion Mental Health

The Shed in Mt Druitt

The Shed provides support to men considered to be at risk of serious stress and suicide, generally due to their disadvantaged situations often brought on by unemployment, separation or loss. Most of these men are of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin since these are often the men most at risk.

University of Western Sydney, Holy Family Church at Mount Druitt

Aboriginal health CALD communities Employment and work Social exclusion

Social prescribing: integrating GP and community health assets

Recognising the importance of social care as part of improving health outcomes, this UK project involved City and Hackney Clinical Commissioning Group commissioning Family Action to provide a social prescription assessment service in 23 GP surgeries across Hackney and City. The aim was to improve the relationship between GPs and the local community, and to improve health and wellbeing outcomes.

Social exclusion Socio-economic position Mental Health

St Vincent’s Hospital Homeless Health Service (HHS)

The Homeless Health Service is a multi-speciality service that supports people experiencing or at risk of homelessness to actively engage in healthcare and can facilitate access to mainstream services of their choice. The HHS partners with local services to provide assessment, treatment, education, support and referral.

St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney

Housing Poverty Social exclusion Socio-economic position Mental Health

Taking action on the social determinants of health: The Health Foundation grant programme

This grant program was offered to UK Public Health Network organisations to work with partners from outside of public health to take action on the social determinants. Read here about the five successful grant projects. It is anticipated that results will be available in 2020.

Employment and work Housing Residential environment Social exclusion Socio-economic position Mental Health

Trying to Cure Loneliness - BBC Stories

Loneliness and isolation can trigger a host of other problems, particularly for health and has been described as a world-wide epidemic. Watch this video to see how the town of Frome, in Somerset in the United Kingdom, is taking steps to alleviate the problem.

Residential environment Social exclusion Mental Health

VIP Project: Reducing re-presentations and readmissions to hospital for very intensive patients

VIP = Very Intensive Patients and Very Important Priority. This project focussed on identifying people at risk of re-presentations and readmissions. The aim was to improve the quality of life of these patients, their health care experience by addressing both their medical and social needs.