NON-ENGLISH SPEAKING BACKGROUND

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The directions and priorities for South Western Sydney Area Health Service over the next three years (1995-1998), for improving the organisation’s responsiveness to its significant non-English speaking background population, have been formulated following the "Review of the Implementation of the 1991 Ethnic Health Services Plan" (1995). Recommendations from this Review have been incorporated into the objectives and strategies of this plan.

Directions and priorities have also been shaped by:

• State Government policy - the NSW Charter of Principles for a Culturally Diverse Society;

• Priorities identified by Ethnic Health staff;

• Feedback from mainstream Health Service staff;

• Recommendations drawn from a range of community consultation and needs assessment documents; and

• Shifting demographics and trends in health service utilisation.

While the plan is as diverse as the organisation itself, the objectives and strategies are based on a number of key themes which emerged through the review process:

• Organisational Change: Continued Organisational change within the Area Health Service that recognises and reflects the diversity of the population of South Western Sydney.

• Partnerships: Ethnic health staff are partners with mainstream staff and managers in that process of change and play a variety of roles in that context, as advocates, advisers and "cultural brokers".

• Community Development: Community development is the appropriate framework for ensuring meaningful participation by NESB communities in the Health Service and for assisting individuals and communities to identify health issues and work to promote and maintain good health.

• Responsiveness to population changes: Flexibility is required to respond to changing demographics as well as to the varying needs and expectations of a culturally diverse population.

• Action underpinned by health status data: Improved information about health status is required to more effectively target priority issues for communities and to increase the focus on positive health outcomes.

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