Australian Unity Wundirra Project

A Care Together Project

Designing an integrated model of care to advance the health outcomes of First Nation Elders in rural and remote communities.

Location

Coonabarabran, Northwest NSW

What is the market failure being addressed?

There remain intractable challenges in aged and health care service delivery within remote areas of New South Wales and the nation. First Nation Elders face additional barriers when accessing health services including, the availability of culturally safe and responsive health services, distance between services and limited transport options, contribution towards services and lengthy waiting times. These have culminated in a significant shortage of clinicians and care workers available to deliver culturally appropriate care to First Nation Elders.

What is the project seeking to achieve?

The project aims to trial different approaches to improving integrated home-based healthcare (aged care, indigenous care, allied health and primary health) in remote and rural communities. It will be sensitive to the importance of connection to land, culture, spirituality and ancestry for First Nations peoples. Co-design with community, local health and Australian Unity is at the heart of the project. The project will fully examine a range of approaches in order to recommend and then pilot a culturally appropriate solution that is sustainable and scalable in thin markets. Determining the best suited model for care delivery will result in improved and equitable access to culturally appropriate health care; and increase in employment rates and better career pathways; and a greater pool of healthcare skills in rural and remote areas. Upskilling of care workers to offer improved health outcomes under the supervision of clinical practitioners as well as other strategies include telehealth, remote monitoring of patients, skills sharing and delegated models of care.

Project update

After some unexpected delays in its initial stages, the Wundirra project has a refined plan and is moving forwards with a goal to be operational by July 2025. This will mark a critical milestone in the project’s progression and its ability to deliver sustainable, culturally appropriate healthcare solutions to First Nation Elders in the region.

Unlike other projects, Australian Unity is already a formed and registered mutual, which means it will not need to go through the formation and registration processes.

With the co-op’s formation, registration and legal structures already in place, the project is well-positioned to move forward into its operational phase, with efforts focused on refining governance and ensuring financial sustainability in preparation for launch in Coonabarabran.

Considerable work engaging in deep listening has been undertaken in order to build trust within the Coonabarabran community as part of fostering meaningful health and wellbeing conversations. The focus has then shifted towards enhancing health literacy among elders, starting with raising awareness about common health issues and promoting self-care practices. By boosting their confidence and knowledge, the project aims to empower elders to take an active role in their health journey and strengthen their social and cultural connections within the community. In this way, the project will ensure that the model of care that is developed is driven by the community members themselves, reflecting their specific cultural needs. It is hoped that this model of care can then be shared with other First Nations communities.

Project team

• Jenny Beath, Wiradjuri woman – General Manager Service Delivery Aboriginal Home Health
• Melissa Mills, Tubba Gah Wiradjuri woman – Regional Manager of Western
• Amanda Hunter, Manager of Indigenous of Products and Service Design