Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Liaison Service
Metro North Health provides an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Liaison Service within each hospital across the Metro North catchment area.
The staff at each location are on hand to assist with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients and families, providing the following support:
- Bedside visits to support patients during their hospital stay, and act as a liaison between patients, their families and hospital staff regarding treatment and care.
- Assist patients and their families to access hospital and community support services.
- Transportation support for eligible patients.
- Coordination of care from hospital to home including rural, remote and regional patients.
- Facilitate and participate in medical meetings/discussions with patient and families.
- Assist with language barriers.
- Assist with inter-hospital transfers.
Easily identifiable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander public phones are located at the main entrance of The Royal Brisbane and Women’s, Caboolture and Redcliffe Hospitals. These phones have direct dialling to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Liaison Service office.
Contacts
Ngarrama Maternal Health
Ngarrama is a free antenatal and birthing service for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families who choose to birth at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Caboolture and Redcliffe Hospitals.
Any woman who is of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent or whose baby identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander can use this service. Families will receive support with:
- Early pregnancy care to support a strong start to life.
- Culturally and clinically safe care during pregnancy and up to 6 weeks after birth.
- Patient involvement in decision making.
- Access to an Advanced Indigenous Health Worker, Obstetricians and other specialists if required.
- Pregnancy check-ups offered at your birthing hospital, community clinic or in home as needed.
- Check-ups, breastfeeding support and guidance offered for up to 6 weeks post-partum.
- Support with navigating the hospital system and staff.
- Housing referrals and support.
- Smoking cessation education and assistance.
For more information and contacts
Community and Oral Health Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Team
The Indigenous Community Liaison Workers within the Community and Oral Health (COH) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Team provide culturally appropriate support, advocacy and advice to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander referred to COH across the Metro North catchment – from the Brisbane River to Kilcoy – on health-related matters by providing:
- Advocacy for consumers and families.
- Co-ordination of care.
- Home visits.
- Health promotion with a specific focus on chronic disease and risk factors.
- Transport to health appointments for eligible clients.
- Referral to appropriate GP, Allied Health and Specialist medical services and supporting services.
For more information visit the website.
Indigenous Mental Health
The Indigenous Mental Health Workers provide culturally appropriate Mental Health support, advice, guidance and advocacy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander consumers and treating teams within Metro North Health hospital and health services. Health Workers provide a range of support services depending upon the work setting and individual scope of practice. These may include:
- Cultural assessment and screening of social and emotional wellbeing.
- Health education for risk factors (tobacco, alcohol, healthy eating, physical activity).
- Facilitate care plan and/or treatment plan activities in partnership with clinicians.
- Encourage and support patients in self-care and self-management.
- Support patients and families in hospital settings, helping them have their voices heard and working together to find positive outcomes through clear, respectful communication.
- Providing advice, support and training on culturally appropriate practices to other health professionals, policy makers, researchers and educators.
- Provide ongoing consultation and liaison with the relevant clinician to ensure that cultural support and guidance is available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander consumers.
Indigenous Mental Health Intervention Program
Indigenous Mental Health Intervention Program (IMHIP) is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander led social and emotional wellbeing service for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in custody.
IMHIP provides a culturally safe recovery model to engage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with complex needs, who are in custody, to reintegrate into the community and facilitate contact with appropriate mental health services.
An offer of service may be provided by either the IMHIP worker or clinician and is a voluntary service.
The IMHIP service will:
- Ensure appropriate cultural consideration shapes assessment, treatment and care.
- Recognise trauma, grief and loss (including inter-generational trauma) in the care needs.
- Recognise family and kinship bonds and responsibility.
- Recognise individual and cultural strengths, creativity and endurance.
The role IMHIP service can provide:
- Early identification of mental health and/or social and emotional wellbeing needs.
- Mental health and/or social and emotional wellbeing assessment support.
- Support for return to community (transition and post-release support).
- Linkages and referrals to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health organisations and community organisations for ongoing support.
Contact
Phone: (07) 3234 0800
Nujum Jawa Crisis Stabilisation Unit
The Nujum Jawa Crisis Stabilisation Unit (CSU) (pronounced: Ujum Jarwa) located at The Prince Charles Hospital provides a dedicated therapeutic space for individuals experiencing a mental health crisis.
The unit offer services 24 hours a day, seven days a week to people aged 16 years or older, and access to a specialist mental health team working across different areas, inclusive of lived experience workers, as an alternative to the Emergency Department.
How to access this service
Admission to this service is through referral only. Our referring partners include:
- Queensland Ambulance Service
- Queensland Police Service
- The Prince Charles Hospital Emergency Department
- Metro North Mental Health
- MHCall service – 1300 642 255
Contact
Location: Ground Floor, Building 47
The Prince Charles Hospital
Chermside
Phone: (07) 3139 4334
Fax: (07) 3130 4334
Opening house: 08:00am to 8:00pm (phone unit for access after-hours)
Need help outside hours?
Call 1300 MHCALL (1300 642 255).
In the case of an emergency call 000.
For more information visit the website.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurse Navigators
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurse Navigators operate beyond the traditional silos of care and work with other healthcare providers to address the needs of the patient/consumer while recognising that flexibility is required to meet individual/community needs.
- Use a multi-disciplinary approach to monitor complex care patients, identify actions required to manage their health care and direct patients to the right service, at the right time and in the right place.
- Provide a central point of communication and engagement to ensure optimal care and coordination of services along each patient’s entire health care journey.
- Educate and help patients to better understand their health conditions, enabling them to self-manage, participate in decisions about their health care and improve their own health outcomes.
Contacts
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurse Navigators are located at: