The Collaboration was initiated by the former National Health Workforce Taskforce and assumed the task of undertaking a substantial program of national health workforce planning and research projects over three years (2009-2012).
The overarching goal of this project is to generate increased awareness within the broader community about the role of telecoms in health care, particularly as a bridge to communication for consumers from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds and the health professionals interacting with them. The project will focus on the informed and responsible use of telecoms in this context, and will encourage consumers to explore their rights and obligations.
Indigenous people in Canada, Australia and New Zealand experience a greater burden of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and mental illness than non-Indigenous people. Indigenous patients tend to receive poorer quality health care than non-Indigenous people, partly due to ‘health professional factors’, such as clinical decision making, communication and engagement with patients and families.
Our current knowledge base appears insufficient to ascertain Victoria’s state-wide and regional capacity to respond to the mental health consequences of major natural disasters. While considerable advances have been made in relation to recent disaster responses, existing knowledge gaps and workforce shortages still risk undermining the resilience and efficiency of the Victorian response system, thus potentially delaying the delivery of vital mental health support services and leading to reactive approaches at building community and service provider capacity.
