DHF Annual Report 2009 - NT Health Digital Library - Northern ...
DHF Annual Report 2009 - NT Health Digital Library - Northern ... DHF Annual Report 2009 - NT Health Digital Library - Northern ...
Promoting and Protecting Health andWellbeing and Preventing InjuryThe key to improving population health and wellbeing lies in a stronger focus on promoting good health, encouragingthe adoption of healthy behaviours, controlling the spread of disease and preventing harm and injury.and illness prevention should be a more prominent part of Australia’s health system. Whilst the current healthsystem is geared towards detecting, diagnosing and treating health problems, a more proactive approach is tofocus on health promotion, health protection and prevention across the life span.This includes taking action on the social determinants of health to promote equitable health outcomes acrossAustralia, particularly in relation to Aboriginal people especially those living in remote communities. It involveseliminating or reducing common risk factors,such as tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physicalinactivity and the harmful use of alcohol. It alsoinvolves developing effective responses topublic health emergencies and natural disasters,controlling important emerging health threats,and addressing the health related aspects ofclimate change.We delivered in 2009-10Public Health Coordinators are now inplace across Health Service Delivery Areasworking with staff to implement communitybasedstrategies to address chronic disease.Key focus areasFocusing on health promotion and minimisingunhealthy behaviours and their impacts.Improving health awareness to reduce costpressures on the health system that are derived frompreventable chronic diseases.Assist in ‘closing the gap’ in health outcomes and lifeexpectancy between Aboriginal and non Aboriginalpopulations in the Territory.Building staff capacity and expertise in health promotion is critical to success. A total of 139 Departmentalstaff attended health promotion quality training using the Quality Improvement Planning System ProgramIV in Population Health was granted under the Commonwealth Productivity Places Program. Twenty-ninepeople attended Health Impact Assessment training in Alice Springs and Darwin.Launched the Northern Territory Chronic Conditions Prevention and Management Strategy 2010-2020 inNovember 2009. The strategy was developed in collaboration with non-government, private and Aboriginalhealth sectors and serves as a framework to guide the prevention and management of chronic conditionsfor all sectors across the Territory. It is intended for use by a broad range of stakeholders - overnment, nongovernmentand private health sectors, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services, research andeducation organisations and consumers.Implemented activities highlighted in the Cardiac Services Review including Nutritionists working withOutback Stores, Arnhem Land Progress Association (ALPA) and individual store managers to implementnutrition policies. Training packages titled ‘Eat Better, Move More’ were also developed for communitybased staff.Implemented the Department’s Smoke Free policies in all community health facilities. This has included freeaccess to Nicotine Replacement Therapy and counselling for staff. Tobacco control activities commenced inthe majority of East Arnhem communities, including roll out of health promotion resources in local languages,brief interventions offered to health centre clients, QUIT smoking programs and community education.To prevent outbreaks of disease the Department integrated and enhanced existing surveillance systems24Department Health and Families
to detect, monitor, report and evaluate public health threats.Continued to work with the Road Safety Coordination Group to provide health related road crash data andcontribute to policy development. Developments include routine reporting of emergency department andhospitalisation injury data with a particular focus on falls, road trauma, water related injury and alcoholrelated injury.Worked with the Department of Justice and Northern Territory Police on alcohol policy and legislation toreduce alcohol related injury. An economic analysis of alcohol related harms was released in July 2010.Implemented the 2009-10 actions in the NT Suicide Prevention Action Plan 2009-11 (launched in Aliceactions and initiatives aimed at reducing suicide and fostering individual and community resilience andnew initiatives include a range of suicide intervention training options that target both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations and also young people over the age of 15.Other initiatives include the provision of training workshops to address non-fatal self-harming behaviouramong young people and the facilitation of annual forums focusing on mental health and suicide prevention.Developed a Departmental Climate Change Policy and Action Plan which includes seven action areascovering abatement of the Department’s greenhouse gas emissions and adaptation to the health impactsof climate change.In 2009-10, the Department provided$9 million for greenhouse abatementtechnology upgrades in Royal Darwin andAlice Springs Hospitals to reduce overallcarbon emissions. The Department workedwith the Department of Construction andInfrastructure to ensure that the design of thenew Emergency Department at Alice SpringsHospital will demonstrate best practice inThe Department participated in the NorthernTerritory Government’s Climate ChangeSteering Committee and contributed to theDepartment of Lands and Planning’s sustainability strategic planning process.Additional InitiativesA further eye blitz was held in Alice Springs in early2009-10 with ongoing work to sustain ophthalmicprocedures throughout the year. Further negotiationsare being conducted between the Departmentof Health and Families and Fred Hollows for theconstruction of an Eye Clinic as part of the out-patientsarea of Alice Springs Hospital.Where we are going in 2010-11Launch a Chronic Conditions, Prevention and Management strategy Implementation Plan at the ChronicDisease Network Conference in September 2010.Implement a Mental Health Service 24 hour triage liaison and response service.Undertake a Mental Health Consumer and Carer Participation Review.Establish the Men’s Health Strategy unit.Establish a ‘healthy workforce’ policy (active at work). Progress the development of an Aboriginal Child Health Strategy through the Aboriginal Child HealthAdvisory Group. Develop an NT Early Childhood Development Plan in partnership with the Department of Education andTraining, Police, Fire and Emergency Services, Department of Housing, Local Government and RegionalServices, Children and Families through the Early Childhood Steering Committee. Implement the Whole of Government Disability Strategy.Department Health and Families 25
- Page 2: Visit the department’s website at
- Page 8 and 9: Chief Executive ForewordChief Execu
- Page 10 and 11: 10Department Health and Families
- Page 12 and 13: Dr Barbara PatersonCorporate Plan P
- Page 14 and 15: Peter BeirneCorporate Plan Priority
- Page 16: In comparing data between 1994-98 a
- Page 19 and 20: Aboriginal Health and FamiliesProf.
- Page 21: Corporate Plan 2009 - 2012Vision, M
- Page 27 and 28: PRIORITY ACTION AREA 2Healthy Child
- Page 29 and 30: to parents at key ages i.e. exclusi
- Page 31 and 32: PRIORITY ACTION AREA 3Targeting Smo
- Page 33 and 34: the health effects of smoking from
- Page 35 and 36: PRIORITY ACTION AREA 4Connecting Ca
- Page 37 and 38: The Chief Minister’s Youth Round
- Page 39 and 40: Created four additional positions i
- Page 41 and 42: PRIORITY ACTION AREA 5Safety, Quali
- Page 43 and 44: essential to make sure that, wherev
- Page 45 and 46: PRIORITY ACTION AREA 6Attract, Deve
- Page 47 and 48: Established an Indigenous Nursing a
- Page 49 and 50: Implement the Professional Practice
- Page 51 and 52: The Integrated Maternity Services C
- Page 53 and 54: Radiation Oncology Services
- Page 55 and 56: Service Map DetailsDepartment Healt
- Page 57 and 58: NT HEALTH FACILITIESDEPARTMENT OF H
- Page 59 and 60: Through the East Arnhem Regionalisa
- Page 61 and 62: very effective with the Alice Sprin
- Page 63 and 64: Across the TerritoryDigital Regions
- Page 65 and 66: Our PeopleDepartment Health and Fam
- Page 67 and 68: Snapshot of our peopleFigure 1 show
- Page 69 and 70: National Indigenous Cadetship Progr
- Page 71 and 72: Supporting our PeopleHuman Resource
Promoting and Protecting <strong>Health</strong> andWellbeing and Preventing InjuryThe key to improving population health and wellbeing lies in a stronger focus on promoting good health, encouragingthe adoption of healthy behaviours, controlling the spread of disease and preventing harm and injury.and illness prevention should be a more prominent part of Australia’s health system. Whilst the current healthsystem is geared towards detecting, diagnosing and treating health problems, a more proactive approach is tofocus on health promotion, health protection and prevention across the life span.This includes taking action on the social determinants of health to promote equitable health outcomes acrossAustralia, particularly in relation to Aboriginal people especially those living in remote communities. It involveseliminating or reducing common risk factors,such as tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physicalinactivity and the harmful use of alcohol. It alsoinvolves developing effective responses topublic health emergencies and natural disasters,controlling important emerging health threats,and addressing the health related aspects ofclimate change.We delivered in <strong>2009</strong>-10Public <strong>Health</strong> Coordinators are now inplace across <strong>Health</strong> Service Delivery Areasworking with staff to implement communitybasedstrategies to address chronic disease.Key focus areasFocusing on health promotion and minimisingunhealthy behaviours and their impacts.Improving health awareness to reduce costpressures on the health system that are derived frompreventable chronic diseases.Assist in ‘closing the gap’ in health outcomes and lifeexpectancy between Aboriginal and non Aboriginalpopulations in the Territory.Building staff capacity and expertise in health promotion is critical to success. A total of 139 Departmentalstaff attended health promotion quality training using the Quality Improvement Planning System ProgramIV in Population <strong>Health</strong> was granted under the Commonwealth Productivity Places Program. Twenty-ninepeople attended <strong>Health</strong> Impact Assessment training in Alice Springs and Darwin.Launched the <strong>Northern</strong> Territory Chronic Conditions Prevention and Management Strategy 2010-2020 inNovember <strong>2009</strong>. The strategy was developed in collaboration with non-government, private and Aboriginalhealth sectors and serves as a framework to guide the prevention and management of chronic conditionsfor all sectors across the Territory. It is intended for use by a broad range of stakeholders - overnment, nongovernmentand private health sectors, Aboriginal Community Controlled <strong>Health</strong> Services, research andeducation organisations and consumers.Implemented activities highlighted in the Cardiac Services Review including Nutritionists working withOutback Stores, Arnhem Land Progress Association (ALPA) and individual store managers to implementnutrition policies. Training packages titled ‘Eat Better, Move More’ were also developed for communitybased staff.Implemented the Department’s Smoke Free policies in all community health facilities. This has included freeaccess to Nicotine Replacement Therapy and counselling for staff. Tobacco control activities commenced inthe majority of East Arnhem communities, including roll out of health promotion resources in local languages,brief interventions offered to health centre clients, QUIT smoking programs and community education.To prevent outbreaks of disease the Department integrated and enhanced existing surveillance systems24Department <strong>Health</strong> and Families