New multicultural health resources

Understanding patients’ cultural background can help general practices and other healthcare providers better support their patients’ health and wellbeing.

Primary Health Tasmania has developed a range of resources to help practices ensure their services are as accessible and inclusive as possible.

They include:

• Culture Counts fact sheet – guiding practices on how to respectfully gather information about their patients’ culture.
• Culture Counts poster – a resource for practices to use in public areas, explaining to patients what information might be requested and why.
• ‘Multicultural health ready’ checklist – a quick-reference guide to help general practices meet the RACGP’s Standards for general practices in relation to use of interpreter services and culturally appropriate care.
• Guide to working with interpreters – with information including why it’s important to consider engaging an interpreter, how to engage with the national Translating and Interpreting Service, and tips for working with interpreters.
• Culture Counts case studies – Southside Family Medical and Mowbray Medical share the changes they have made to better support their patients from different cultural backgrounds.

Click here to access the resources, and click here for more information about our work in multicultural health.

We thank Brisbane South PHN, North Western Melbourne PHN, and the Refugee Health Network Queensland for allowing us to adapt their resources for local use.