Liddle, Zania

Fitts, Michelle S

Bourke, Lisa

Murakami-Gold, Lorna

Campbell, Narelle

Russell, Deborah J

Mathew, Supriya

Bonson, Jason

Mulholland, Edward

Humphreys, John S

Zhao, Yuejen

Boffa, John

Ramjan, Mark

Tangey, Annie

Schultz, Rosalie

Wakerman, John

2024-04-14

In recent years, there has been an increasing trend of short-term staffing in remote health services, including Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs). This paper explores the perceptions of clinic users' experiences at their local clinic and how short-term staffing impacts the quality of service, acceptability, cultural safety, and continuity of care in ACCHSs in remote communities. Using purposeful and convenience sampling, community users (aged 18+) of the eleven partnering ACCHSs were invited to provide feedback about their experiences through an interview or focus group. Between February 2020 and October 2021, 331 participants from the Northern Territory and Western Australia were recruited to participate in the study. Audio recordings were transcribed verbatim, and written notes and transcriptions were analysed deductively. Overall, community users felt that their ACCHS provided comprehensive healthcare that was responsive to their health needs and was delivered by well-trained staff. In general, community users expressed concern over the high turnover of staff. Recognising the challenges of attracting and retaining staff in remote Australia, community users were accepting of rotation and job-sharing arrangements, whereby staff return periodically to the same community, as this facilitated trusting relationships. Increased support for local employment pathways, the use of interpreters to enhance communication with healthcare services, and services for men delivered by men were priorities for clinic users.

Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Alice Springs, NT 0870, Australia.

Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Alice Springs, NT 0870, Australia.

Department of Rural Health, The University of Melbourne, Shepparton, VIC 3630, Australia.

Poche SA and NT, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Alice Springs, NT 0870, Australia.

College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Darwin, NT 0800, Australia.

Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Alice Springs, NT 0870, Australia.

Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Alice Springs, NT 0870, Australia.

Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Alice Springs, NT 0870, Australia.

Miwatj Health Aboriginal Corporation, Nhulunbuy, NT 0880, Australia.

School of Rural Health, Monash University, Bendigo, VIC 3550, Australia.

Northern Territory Department of Health, Northern Territory Government, Darwin, NT 0800, Australia.

Central Australian Aboriginal Congress, Alice Springs, NT 0870, Australia.

Top End Health Service, Northern Territory Government, Casuarina, NT 0810, Australia.

Ngaanyatjarra Health Service, Alice Springs, NT 0870, Australia.

Ngaanyatjarra Health Service, Alice Springs, NT 0870, Australia.

Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Alice Springs, NT 0870, Australia.

Int J Environ Res Public Health . 2024 Apr 15;21(4):482. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21040482.

1660-4601

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38673393/?otool=iaurydwlib

https://hdl.handle.net/10137/13308

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

Australia

primary health

remote

workforce

Humans

Male

Female

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

Adult

Qualitative Research

Middle Aged

Health Services, Indigenous

Western Australia

Northern Territory

Community Health Services

Young Adult

Rural Health Services

Aged

Attitudes to Short-Term Staffing and Workforce Priorities of Community Users of Remote Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Services: A Qualitative Study.

Journal Article

Publication