World Refugee Week 2025: Learn about the primary health care journey of people from refugee backgrounds
Refugee Week 2025 is observed from 15 to 21 June, with World Refugee Day on 20 June.
The Refugee Council of Australia estimates that as of 30 June 2024 there are over 120 million people worldwide (more than 1 in 73 people globally) who have been forced to flee their homes.
Refugee week is a time for us to celebrate the diverse contributions people from refugee backgrounds make in our communities, and a time to refresh our understanding of the serious challenges they still face.
Receive up-to-date advice for clinicians working with families from refugee backgrounds
Clinicians working with people from refugee background are invited to attend the free Refugee Health Journey in Primary Care online event.
Date: Wednesday 25 June 2025
Time: 6 pm to 8 pm
Location: Join online via Microsoft Teams
Agenda items:
The Refugee Health Network Queensland’s GP Fellow, Dr Rachel Claydon, and Medeco Inala’s GP, Dr Deborah Hillman-White along with guest speakers will provide an overview of the refugee health and settlement journey including recommendations and updates to:
health screening
practice tips
trauma-informed care
how to access support for patients in primary care.
Guest speakers will showcase how their services work with people from refugee backgrounds and with health care providers during a Q&A panel.
Community members will provide cultural and community perspectives on health and health care access for new arrivals.
Guest speakers include:
Dr Rachel Claydon
Dr Deborah Hillman-White
Dr Rebecca Farley (Clinical Director Mater Refugee Complex Care Clinic, Brisbane North PHN Clinical Lead Refugee Health)
representatives from the Mater Refugee Health Advisory Group
representatives from Metro South Refugee Health Service and Multicultural Australia.
We can support your practice to provide care for people of refugee backgrounds
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:
referral pathways
capturing cultural data 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:
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
Primary care clinicians can access locally relevant information to make the right decisions, together with patients, at the point of care on Brisbane South HealthPathways:
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