Ms Chelsea Hillenaar1
1Canberra Health Services, Canberra, Australia
Biography:
Chelsea is a Health Promotion Officer and an Accredited Practicing Dietitian working with the Community Care Program at Canberra Health Services. Chelsea has worked in acute, community, health promotion, governance and quality improvement settings. Her passion remains in making preventative healthcare accessible and equitable for everyone which prompted her endeavours on this current project.
Abstract:
Background:
The inequity experienced by LGBTIQA+, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander consumers in accessing healthcare is well-documented. Despite national and local strategic plans to improve access for these groups, there was no specific action plans guiding diversity improvement at an organisational level. To improve accessibility, quality of care and empower consumers, the Community Care Program (CCP) allied health team developed program-level inclusion action plans.
Method:
After assessing the inclusivity of CCP services against best practice guidelines, lived experience and collaborating with stakeholders in 2022, two inclusion action plans were developed: one for LGBTIQA+ communities and one for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The plans are living documents which are regularly updated to monitor and continue improvement.
Results:
Strong stakeholder relationships have enabled actions to be implemented, including staff training, community health centre environmental improvements, attendance at community events and increased engagement with communities. Recognition of this work is evidenced by the team being awarded the ACT Allied Health Professional of the Year 2024 and invitations to be part of organisation-level quality improvement advisory working groups.
Discussion:
There have been many personal and professional learnings during this work which are important to share and inspire other allied health professionals to not underestimate the power of leading from the ground-up to shape healthcare services. You do not need to have lived experience or be a senior decision maker to improve equity in healthcare if you foster relationships, listen to and embed lived experience, and are brave enough to make mistakes.