Principle 3: NSW Health and the Aboriginal Community Controlled Sector have strong partnership mechanisms to provide integrated and coordinated care and services to Aboriginal people in NSW

What is the aim of this principle?

This principle aims to:

embed strong partnership and accountability mechanisms between NSW Health and ACCOs,
ensure that NSW Health decision making processes and governance structures embed the role of ACCOs,
ensure that partnerships aren’t solely reliant on individual people and relationships, through
embedding mechanisms that enable sustainable and long-term partnerships,
ensure that NSW Health systems, structures and procedures recognise and partner with ACCOs at each level of governance to provide integrated and coordinated care and services to Aboriginal people in NSW.

“ We have a good partnership agreement in place with our LHD. It is based on everyone understanding their roles and responsibilities so that Aboriginal people can access culturally safe care.”
ACCHO CEO,
Community Controlled Consultation

Why is this important?

Genuine partnerships between NSW Health and ACCOs are critical to provide integrated and coordinated care to Aboriginal people in NSW.

This principle is underpinned by the recognition that:

ACCOs are critical partners to NSW Health to improve Aboriginal health outcomes and recognises the holistic nature of Aboriginal health. This includes non-health-based organisations that contribute to Aboriginal people’s wellbeing, for example Stolen Generations Organisations (SGOs),
ACCHOs are experts in Aboriginal health and wellbeing, are an act of self-determination, provide Aboriginal led models of holistic care and are a vital part of the health system, partnerships with different ACCOs will look different depending on the organisation’s role in providing healthcare. For example, a partnership between an ACCHO and NSW Health will be very different to a partnership between an SGO and NSW Health.

“ LHDs need to recognise ACCHOs as experts and qualified people, and respect them for their knowledge in Aboriginal Health”
ACCHO CEO,
Community Controlled Consultation

Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations are defined in the National Agreement on Closing the Gap as an organisation that delivers services, including land and resource management, that builds the strength and empowerment of Aboriginal communities and people and is:

incorporated under relevant legislation and not-for-profit
controlled and operated by Aboriginal people
connected to the community, or communities, in which they deliver the services
governed by a majority Aboriginal governing body.

An Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (ACCHOs) is a primary health care service initiated and operated by the local Aboriginal community to deliver holistic, comprehensive, and culturally appropriate health care to the community which controls it, through a locally elected Board of Management.

ACCOs have reported that they are not treated as equals by Government during decision making processes in the design and delivery of government policies and services, as reported in the 2024 Productivity Commission Review of CTG.

For this principle to be effectively implemented, it is critical that:

NSW Health transforms its policy making and commissioning approaches to make the most of ACCHOs’ expertise and connections to Community and enable ACCHOs to design and deliver services that best suit their Communities, e.g. partnering with ACCHOs on decisions on how to direct funding for local need,
Priority Reform 2 ‘Strengthening the Community Controlled Sector’ from CTG is implemented, to ensure that ACCOs are appropriately resourced to partner with NSW Health,
NSW Health recognises that ACCHOs can choose whether they would like to enter into a formalised partnership agreement with NSW Health as an independent organisation, however NSW Health should have appropriate processes in place for ACCHOs to enter into partnerships,
NSW Health recognises the diversity of ACCOs across NSW and that a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to partnership won’t work, particularly for NSW Health Statewide Services. NSW Health needs to co-create what a partnership looks like with each ACCHO and ACCO, that would like to establish a formal or informal partnership with NSW Health.

“ Our partnership [with our local ACCHO] works because we have a Memorandum of Understanding in place that has executive support and that is very operational and practical.”
Aboriginal Health Director, NSW Health consultation

What does success look like for the NSW Health system?

NSW Health systems, processes and governance structures embed the role of ACCOs to enable shared decision making and strong partnership mechanisms to provide integrated and coordinated care and services to Aboriginal people in NSW. NSW Health has flexible and agile partnership mechanisms to partner with ACCOs to respond to and address emerging needs and challenges for Aboriginal people accessing health services.