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Track
3-1a
Management
Health Services Development in a Region of Demographic
Change: Issues for Managers
The Northern Sydney Area Health Service is responsible for
community and hospital-based health care for a population of over 700,000
people. While one in six of this population is from a non-English speaking
background, ten years ago there was almost no infrastructure, apart from
an interpreter service, to respond to the needs of this sector of the
community.
This presentation discusses strategies adopted to confront providers
and managers with a new vision for the culturally diverse reality of their
client population. These include the strategic use of census data and
research opportunities, development of interagency action groups, and
reforms to the role of ethnic health workers towards that of change consultants
to mainstream health agencies.
Structural issues include effective policy implementation; identifying
performance indicators and competency standards; developing cost-benefit
measures in the provision of care (e.g. interpreters); community participation
in service development; service promotion and integration with health
service and other interagency networks. Workplace culture must accommodate
a range of communication styles and of approaches to care. Human resource
issues include identification of the cultural and linguistic diversity
existing in the organization; recruitment of employees from a range of
cultural backgrounds; the participation of employees in appropriate service
development; and training programs which develop skills for managing diversity.
Services need support to attain flexible and appropriate practice.
The Multicultural Health Service of Northern Sydney Area Health Service
has developed a strategic plan built around an outcomes hierarchy, which
ties cultural diversity strategies logically to health outcomes. The Multicultural
Health Unit works with ethnic communities and health agencies to improve
their ability to be responsive to and reflective of the culturally diverse
community that it serves.
David Small
Area Coordinator, Multicultural Health Services
Northern Sydney Area Health Service
Level 3, Vindin House
Royal North Shore Hospital
Pacific Hwy.
St. Leonards NSW 2065
Tel: 612 9926 6724
Fax: 612 9926 6710
dsmall@doh.health.nsw.gov.au
David Small, MHP
Area Coordinator, Multicultural Health Services, Northern Sydney Health
David Small B.Sc. (Psychol.), M. Health Planning
For the past ten years David Small has been the Area Coordinator for Multicultural
Health Services in Northern Sydney Health, which provides public health
services to a population of over 700,000, one in six of whom were born
in a non-English speaking country. He is responsible for overall organizational
cross-cultural policy and service planning as well as managing a team
of Multicultural Health staff, including the Health Care Interpreter Service.
David has over two decades’ experience in both Multicultural
Health and Health Promotion, as well as having employment experience in
the fields of drug abuse prevention and work with youth. He has been on
the Board of the NSW Community Health Association and has been a principal
investigator in a number of research projects in areas such as palliative
care and a review of the NSW Bilingual Counselor program. David has worked
in the UK and Portugal as well as his native Australia. NEXT >
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