Brisbane South PHN developed First Nations Health Focus, an online health directory, to allow health professionals to search for culturally-safe health services available within the Brisbane south region.

Since its launch in late July 2021, First Nations Health Focus has demonstrated significant uptake by health workers, with over 5,600 visits by primary health care professionals. Indicating that there has been a need for this new culturally-safe directory.

Home to the largest urban First Nations population in Australia, our region boasts a strong need to support General Practitioners (GPs) and health care professionals to improve First Nations peoples’ health and wellbeing, by providing a quick and easy guide to culturally safe services locally.

‘Connecting mob to culturally safe health services can be difficult for busy health workers that’s why we created the directory to make it much easier for our GPs and health professionals,’ said Nyaree Mewett, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Programs Manager, Brisbane South PHN.

Our recent 2019-2022 Health Needs Assessment has shone a spotlight on the specific needs of First Nations peoples in Brisbane south and the message is clear; having culturally safe and appropriate health services is a high priority. Nyaree explained further, ’While much progress has been made in improving First Nations health inequities, we still have considerable work to do, in partnership with the remarkable First Nations health and community organisations of our region.’

With a commitment to ensuring that every First Nations person in our region has easy access to holistic, culturally safe, and evidence-based health services that supports optimal health, development and wellbeing across all stages of life, Brisbane South PHN is proud to see health care workers using this resource to better support First Nations peoples.

First Nations Health Focus enables health care workers to:

• search and find relevant local health services providers to match patient’s needs
• access referral details easily
• find patient education resources specific to the needs of First Nations peoples
• find practitioner resources to enhance delivery of care.