Our role
We work to improve health outcomes for the entire NT population. As part of this, we aim to reduce preventable hospitalisation for people with chronic and vaccine-preventable diseases.
We also support health care providers to address factors impacting population health.
Refugee Health Program
The Northern Territory receives up to 200 refugees each year.
To support these refugees in their first 12 months of arriving, we fund the Refugee Health Program.
The program aims to provide comprehensive, coordinated, appropriate, timely, and sustainable primary health care services to refugees in the Darwin region. These services include:
a GP clinic network provides comprehensive, culturally appropriate general practice services on a bulk-billing basis to all referred refugee clients.
this service applies a social model of care that facilitates, supports, and coordinates the provision of comprehensive, appropriate, timely, and sustainable primary health care services for refugee clients within their first 12 months of settlement.
The program is also working to increase health literacy within the refugee and migrant populations.
Primary Health Care Accessibility and Inclusion Project
In October 2019, we met with stakeholders to better understand the difficulties experienced by people with a disability, and their carers, when accessing primary health care services. Recognising the many barriers and challenges that people with disability face accessing primary care, we have committed to a collaborative approach with key stakeholders to work towards improving and addressing these barriers.
The Primary Health Care Accessibility and Inclusion project is informed by a working group consisting of a broad cross-section of primary and allied health practitioners, disability and community service providers and consumers with living experiences of disability, that contributes to planning activities that aim to improve the experience of people with a disability when accessing primary health care services. These activities may address clinical management, awareness, education and referral pathways, links between primary care and specialist services, and improving the health literacy of people with a disability, their families, and carers.
The project aims to increase knowledge and awareness of the primary health care needs of people with a disability, their families, and carers. Initially, the project will work with stakeholders and consumers to clearly understand the needs and challenges consumers have experienced when accessing primary health care services, the challenges practitioners and primary care services have in meeting the needs of patients with a disability and the challenges disability services have in assisting participants to access primary health care services. We are keen to engage with individuals/groups with living experience of disability, primary care practitioners and disability service providers to map patient journeys and co-design activities that will meet the aims to improve access and inclusion to quality primary health care for people with a disability.
Please contact us in the form below.
The working group has designed a 'Managing your GP appointments' booklet to improve health literacy for people living with disability in accessing and managing GP appointments.
Download the Managing your GP appointments booklet.
If you would like hard copies of the booklet please contact us in the box below.
Here's a handy list for of referral contacts GPs can use when referring patients with disability to advocacy or disability peak bodies in the NT.
