World Refugee Week 2024: Caring for people of refugee background
This World Refugee Week we acknowledge the strength and courage of people who have fled their homes to escape conflict and persecution, and the primary healthcare workers who support them.
Working with people of refugee background is a profoundly rewarding experience. Brisbane South PHN has nationally recognised expertise in supporting practices across our region to provide care for people of refugee background.
The Brisbane South PHN region has some of the highest refugee resettlement rates in Queensland. While people from refugee backgrounds share common health concerns with the general population, many face additional, complex health challenges from having survived conflict, persecution and displacement from their loved ones and communities.
Our Multicultural Health team is ready to support primary care providers with resources and training around:
- working with interpreters
- referral pathways
- immunisations and more.
Meet our GP Clinical Lead, Dr Margaret Kay
One of our team members is Dr Margaret Kay, a local GP and our Multicultural Health Clinical Lead. A champion of multicultural health, Dr Kay has been working in general practice for over 30 years and has extensive experience in working with culturally and linguistically diverse people, including people of refugee backgrounds.
Dr Kay can provide peer to peer support to practices around providing culturally responsive care and becoming ‘refugee health ready’.
Watch the video to learn more about Dr Margaret Kay:
Join our free workshop: Working Across Cultures in Primary Healthcare
Join our face-to-face dinner workshop on Monday 15 July 2024. Register online.
Learning outcomes:
- Understand the dynamics of culture and cultural difference within the consultation.
- Reflect on how health care can be effectively delivered to patients when there is cultural and/or linguistic difference.
- Evaluate methods for ensuring patient safety within a consultation process when the patient is of a multicultural background.
- Develop communication strategies for the practice that enable effective engagement with patients of multicultural backgrounds.
- Develop a practice protocol for effective use of qualified interpreters.
Contact the Multicultural Health team
Working in refugee health is a great way to exercise the breadth of your skills. As newly arrived people settle locally, can you and your practice provide the clinical care they need?
For in-practice training or for more information, contact our team so we can support your care.
Phone 3864 7580 or email multicultural@bsphn.org.au.
More information for GPs
- Find local resources listed on our Multicultural Health pages: www.bsphn.org.au/community-health/commissioning/multicultural-health
- Visit the Refugee Health Network Queensland website for a comprehensive range of information and resources about refugee health, including translated resources.
- Read our article: Supporting accessible primary health care for refugees