Participants full of praise for ‘enthusiastic, charismatic, and enjoyable’ learnings   

Henry Neill is a cultural educator at James Cook University (JCU) with the GP training program, and his presentations, mixed with humour and knowledge, recently struck a chord with nearly 60 primary care professionals in Cairns, Townsville, and Mackay.

The primary care providers were invited to attend face-to-face Cultural Awareness Training as part of Northern Queensland Primary Health Network’s (NQPHN's) First Nations 12-month Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Program. The cultural awareness trainings were held at the beginning of the CQI program in preparation for the year ahead of capability and compatibility building.

NQPHN Chief Executive Officer Robin Whyte said the cultural awareness training had assisted general practices and primary care providers to meet their accreditation standard, but more importantly, provided them with the knowledge needed to help them care for their First Nations patients in a safe and respectful manner.

“Respectful and culturally appropriate care is based on cultural awareness and sensitivity, which begins with learning about other cultures and cultural beliefs,” Ms Whyte said.

“The participants discussed how a person’s culture influences their values and beliefs and recognises that we are all shaped by our cultural background, which influences how we interpret the world around us, perceive ourselves and relate to other people.

“With a better understanding of local health inequities in First Nations people, providers can better identify opportunities to provide specific health care tailored to our indigenous population.

“The cultural awareness training has formed part of NQPHN First Nations CQI program being delivered over a 12-month period to strengthen primary care by delivering holistic, comprehensive, and culturally appropriate health care across the NQPHN catchment to improve the health outcomes of our First Nations people.

“Participants walked away with a better understanding of how personal experiences impact on everyday life, the importance of historical impacts on communities and elements of effective and equitable services.”

Mr Neill joined JCU’s GP training program in 2017 to play an integral role in equipping GP registrars with the necessary engagement skills to improve health care outcomes for First Nations peoples.

He now delivers cultural awareness training to GP registrars and JCU staff, as well as NQPHN-funded programs throughout Queensland.

“JCU’s cultural awareness and immersion programs are part of our recipe for producing doctors who are sensitive to this history and the impact it has on the health outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that still continues.”

Mr Neill is a proud Indigenous Australian South Sea Islander with Torres Strait Islander heritage and family ties to many Aboriginal communities in Queensland.

He said, while such programs feature common learning objectives and evaluations, the content was tailored to reflect the culture, history, and current local issues in each region.

“A lot of people think that Aboriginal communities and Torres Strait Islander communities are generic,” he said.

“But we are not all the same. We have differing histories, cultural beliefs, and languages. And each area has a different set of local issues.

“The only way to provide good health service is via culturally appropriate engagement and you can’t engage with our community unless you are aware of our cultural norms and our history – the positive bits and certainly the different bits, which make up the fabric of the community.”

Tina Radley, the practice manager at New Horizons for Health in Port Douglas, said Henry was ‘just fantastic’.

“So personable, funny, and knowledgeable,” Ms Radley said. “I especially loved him sharing his personal experience and history with us. He made it so much more than a cultural awareness day, and it was quite touching.

“I thank him massively for being so open and honest, and sharing his experiences with us all and I would love all my staff to be able to have this kind of day to be part of.”

Joffre Veasey, a medical assistant at Mackay’s Sydney Street Medical, said the training was ‘a great experience’.

“I loved how in-depth the conversation got,” Ms Veasey said.

Fiona Hewerdine, a speech pathologist at Engendi Inc, North Mackay, said she learned a lot.

“I love the no-blame focus, kept my ears and heart open. So much knowledge,” Ms Hewerdine said.

Natalie Hardy, a nurse at Townsville’s Upper Ross Medical Centre, said she ‘very much enjoyed’ the course.

“I learned more about the subject than I was expecting. It was made more enjoyable by Henry. He is enthusiastic and charismatic. 10/10,” Ms Hardy said.

The learning outcomes include:

• identifying how personal experiences impact on everyday life
• dispelling common assumptions and negative stereotypes
• building awareness that although Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities share some similarities, they are two different cultures with their own cultural beliefs and understandings
• understanding the importance of historical impacts on communities
• building awareness of the elements of effective and equitable service
• understanding the importance of self-determination
• building awareness of community organisations that are key to local history, self-determination efforts, and strengthening services.