Aboriginal cultural safety
Aboriginal people continue to show strength, resilience and remain deeply connected to culture, despite the lasting impacts of colonisation.
These impacts have created unfair gaps in health and social outcomes, which still need to be addressed.
As regulators, we have a unique role to play in system change so that Aboriginal patients, practitioners, and communities can engage with health services in ways that meet their needs.
We acknowledge that Aboriginal people experience barriers accessing culturally safe healthcare and this can result in sub-standard care.
We also acknowledge that racism, at individual and institutional levels, continues to drive poorer health outcomes for Aboriginal people, families, and communities compared to non-Aboriginal people.
Our Aboriginal Cultural Safety Strategy
In 2023, we released the Joint NSW Health Professional Councils and Health Professional Councils Authority Aboriginal Cultural Safety Strategy.
This Strategy reflects our commitment to a culturally safe and respectful health system that values Aboriginal people and cultures and supports better health outcomes.
Through the Strategy, we support the goal that Aboriginal communities feel safe, respected and supported when accessing care. Culturally safe, inclusive health services help build trust. They ensure everyone receives the care they need to live a healthy life.
The Strategy identifies the 3 paths we will take to achieving this goal.
- Strengthening Aboriginal cultural safety within the NSW regulatory system.
- Increasing the participation of Aboriginal people on councils, in the HPCA workforce, and in the NSW regulatory system.
- Collaborating with our stakeholders to promote best practice in Aboriginal cultural safety, led by the expertise and experience of Aboriginal people.
Aboriginal members of the HPCA Aboriginal Cultural Safety Working Group generously shared their expertise, lived experience and knowledge to inform this Strategy. An advisory group of Aboriginal community leaders is guiding the Strategy’s implementation.
Defining Aboriginal cultural safety
Cultural safety is a subjective term. It can have a different, personal meaning to Aboriginal people. Our Strategy uses the definition below as a guiding principle.
Cultural safety is determined by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals, families and communities. Culturally safe practice is the ongoing critical reflection of health practitioner knowledge, skills, attitudes, practising behaviours and power differentials in delivering safe, accessible and responsive healthcare free of racism.
Definition developed by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency and National Boards.
To learn more about the Aboriginal Cultural Safety Strategy and its advisory group, please contact HPCA-ACSS@health.nsw.gov.au
A word on language
Within NSW Health, the term ‘Aboriginal’ is generally used in preference to ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander’, in recognition that Aboriginal people are the original inhabitants of NSW.