First Nations Patient Support Unit Lead

Austin Health; City of Melbourne; On-site; AUD 140,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary packaging and benefits

Wellness initiatives

Onsite childcare

Mentoring and career development

Job summary

Austin Health is seeking the First Nations Patient Support Unit Lead to drive culturally safe planned care pathways for First Nations patients. You will lead design and implementation across Austin Health to improve access to specialist clinics and planned surgery.

You will collaborate with clinical teams, engage with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations, patients and families, and provide leadership and cultural advice to inform service design.

Qualifications

• Identification as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person.
• Experience leading First Nations health programs, projects or service improvement initiatives.
• Strong understanding of barriers faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people when accessing healthcare.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and implementation of culturally safe planned care pathways for First Nations patients.
• Collaborate with clinical teams to improve access, attendance and treatment completion across specialist clinics and planned surgery services.
• Engage with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations, patients and families to inform service design and improvement.
• Provide First Nations leadership and cultural advice across Patient Support Unit reform initiatives.
• Monitor and report on patient pathway outcomes, supporting continuous improvement and equity in access to care.

Job description

Austin Health is the major provider of tertiary health services, health professional education and research across three campuses in the north-east of Melbourne and statewide. We have a highly engaged, diverse and collaborative workforce that is unified by our goal to help people live healthy and fulfilled lives.

About First Nations Health Unit

The First Nations Health Unit provides leadership in cultural safety, health equity and service improvement across Austin Health. Working in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, the Unit leads initiatives that improve access, experiences and outcomes for First Nations patients and families. The Patient Support Unit is a Department of Health funded initiative focused on planned surgery reform, improving patient access and reducing barriers to care.

About the role

The First Nations Patient Support Unit Lead will provide leadership for First Nations planned care initiatives, supporting the design and implementation of culturally safe specialist clinic and surgical pathways. Working across Austin Health, this role will improve access to planned care and support better health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients and families.

A regular day will see you:

• Lead the development and implementation of culturally safe planned care pathways for First Nations patients.
• Work collaboratively with clinical teams to improve access, attendance and treatment completion across specialist clinics and planned surgery services.
• Engage with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations, patients and families to inform service design and improvement.
• Provide First Nations leadership and cultural advice across Patient Support Unit reform initiatives.
• Monitor and report on patient pathway outcomes, supporting continuous improvement and equity in access to care.

About you

As the First Nations Patient Support Unit Lead, you will be someone who has excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with a strong commitment to improving health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. You'll bring leadership experience, cultural knowledge and a passion for driving meaningful healthcare reform.

To be successful in this role, you'll bring with you:

• Identification as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person.
• Experience leading First Nations health programs, projects or service improvement initiatives.
• Strong understanding of the barriers experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people when accessing healthcare.
• Demonstrated ability to build effective partnerships with community, consumers and healthcare stakeholders.
• Experience in co-design, service redesign or project management within a health or community setting.
• This is an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Identified Position. Austin Health is committed to increasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representation across our workforce. Under Section 12 of the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic), being an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person is a genuine occupational requirement for this role, and only applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples will be considered.

Working at Austin Health means enjoying a strong sense of purpose, engaging in meaningful work every day. Our people also receive a variety of rewarding benefits, including:

• Greater take-home pay through generous salary packaging, for living expenses, meals, and holiday accommodation.
• A suite of wellness initiatives designed to support you, including discounted fitness memberships and special offers on health insurance, and a comprehensive wellbeing program.
• Onsite childcare at Austin Hospital, easy access via public transport and car parking options.
• Mentoring and career development opportunities.

Work with us!

We are committed to cultural safety and health equity for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander People. We celebrate, value, and include people of all backgrounds, genders, identities, cultures, bodies, and abilities. We welcome and support applications from talented people identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, people with disability, neurodiverse people, LGBTQIA+ and people of all ages and cultures.

All appointments are made subject to a satisfactory National Police Check and if required, a Working With Children Check. Austin Health is a child safe organisation, committed to upholding the rights, safety, and wellbeing of children and young people in line with Child Safe Standards.If you require any reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process, you are welcome to reach out to the hiring manager:Sarah Joyce, Director - First Nations Health on ***********@austin.org.au