Our Services

Information for GPs ​

Appointment Reminder Translation Tool

​Created by the South Western Sydney Local Health District, the appointment reminder translation tool allows you to translate appointment details into your clients language​

Health assessment​​

Fact sheet: Health Assessment for refugees and other humanitarian entrants into Australia​

​Medicare Billing

Factsheet: Medicare Benefits Schedule​​

Mental health referral

For mental health concerns, consider 'NSW Service for the Treatment and rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma survivors (STARTTS)

Other Resources

​Hunter New England Health Pathways

HealthPathways empowers clinicians with locally agreed information to make the right decisions, together with patients, at the point of care - https://hne.healthpathways.org.au/index.htm

NSW Refugee Health Plan (2011-16)

The statewide plan for improving the health and well-being of refugees and people with refugee-like experiences who have settled in New South Wales - https://www1.health.nsw.gov.au/pds/ActivePDSDocuments/PD2011_014.pdf

Australian Refugee Health Practice Guide​

​​​The Australian Refugee Health Practice Guide can be used by doctors, nurses and other primary care providers to inform on-arrival and ongoing health care for people from refugee backgrounds, including people seeking asylum - http://refugeehealthguide.org.au/​

Refugee Health Network ​

Recommendations for comprehensive post-arrival health assessments for people from refugee-like backgrounds - https://www.asid.net.au/documents/item/1225

Multicultural NSW​

Multicultural NSW promotes community harmony and social cohesion in one of the most culturally diverse states in the world​ - https://multicultural.nsw.gov.au/

Hunter New England region

• Ethnic Communities Council of Newcastle and the Hunter Region
• Northern Settlement Services
• Multicultural Health newsletter

NSW

• Centre for Culture and Health, University of NSW 
• Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association (MDAA) of NSW
• NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service
• NSW Refugee Health Service
• Transcultural Mental Health Centre (TMHC)

Australia

• AUSIT – Australian Institute for Interpreters and Translators In
• Centre for Culture, Ethnicity and Health
• Department of Health & Ageing
• Diversity Health Institute Clearing House
• Multicultural Mental Health Australia (MMHA)
• National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI)
• National Ethnic Disability Alliance
• National Health and Medical Research Council
• QLD Health

International

• American Cancer Society
• Health Information Translations (US)

Multicultural information and resources

Please click on the links below to access resources of your choice.

• Working with Sudanese Women and Babies ​
  HNE Health MHS & Parenting Education Unit, December 2004
• Perceptions of Ageing Well in Asian Older Adults in the Hunter region 
  HNE Health MHS, presented at the Psychogeriatric Nursing Association Conference, Canberra September 2008
• African Refugee Women's Health Project
  HNE Health MHS, December 2009
• Cultural Aspects of Birthing 
  HNE Health MHS, presented at the Mothers at the Margins Conference, Brisbane, April 2011
• Quality and Safety of Care for Clients from Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds
  HNE Health MHS, poster presentation at the BMJ International Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare, Paris, April 2012
• Competencies in Multicultural Healthcare​
  A training DVD consisting of 4 modules on developing cultural competence for health professionals working in the all areas of healthcare, particularly in obstetrics, aged care and mental health.  To obtain a copy of this training DVD please contact the Multicultural Health Service on 4924 6285

Health Care Interpreter Service

The Health Care Interpreter Service provides professional interpreters to facilitate communication between health professionals and clients who are deaf or who have limited English.  Communication with these groups of clients through a professional interpreter ensures that:

• ​Accurate information is transmitted
• Informed consent is obtained
• Exchanged information is being kept confidential
• Client privacy is protected

The service is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The service includes:

• Onsite interpreting for individual consultations, group and family settings
• Telephone interpreting for quick assessments, follow up phone calls and surveys
• Videoconference interpreting when visual connections will benefit
• Translations of short documents directly related to patient care

These services are available for patients in hospital wards, outpatient clinics and for community settings. ​

Hunter New England Health provides this service to all patients and their carers and family, free of charge, for facilities in Hunter New England, Western, Far Western, Mid North Coast, Central Coast and Northern NSW Local Health Districts, as well as to Justice Health & Forensic Mental Health Network and the Bureau of Health Information.

Contact

Manager - Trish Owen, patricia.owen@health.nsw.gov.au​

LanguageMatters is the newsletter of the Multicultural and Refugee Health Service.

October 2022 - Celebrity Interpreters and Language Awareness,  Bilingual Clinician story, The Sanskrit Story, End of Life training

September 2022 - Multicultural Health Week, Shingi Chando, BreastScreen, Pakistani Truck Art

August 2022 - Coercive Control Resources, Chinese Names, English language oddities, Armidale Care Navigation, Medical Student Reflection

July 2022 -  Census 2021, Medical Student Reflections, HNE Med Supplies to Ukraine, What's in a Name, CALD Communities & Health Research

June 2022 -  Deaf Awareness, Cancer Screening, Welcome HCIS Manager Trish Owen, Multicultural Service Expo 2022

March 2022 - The Premiers Awards, Ezidi voices, CALD Assist, D&A issues of Refugee Youth, retiring HCIS Manager Therese Morris

December 2021 -  Christmas update from Elizabeth Grist, BreastScreen, Forensic Medicine, Booking Office update

November 2021 - COVID19 update, Medical Student Reflections, HNE Oral Health, CALD Assist, Jiting Pan

July 2021 - NAIDOC Week Special Edition, Mother Tongue, Indigenous Sign Language, Uluru Statement from the Heart

June 2021 - Refugee Week, Multicultural COVID19 Research, Tibetan Patient Experience, Titus Alias, Farewell to Bing and Bessie

May 2021 - Clinical Supervision, Persian, Afghan Patient Experience

April 2021 - Ramadan, Interpreter Research, Thai Patient Experience, Diversity in Clinical Trials

March 2021 - Chinese, CALD Assist, Cantonese Patient Experience, Vince Wang

February 2021 - Refugee Health, Swahili, Joy Harrison, Happy Year of the Ox

December 2020 - CALD Assist, Linguistics Arabic and English, Alison Tonga

November 2020 - COVID19 Research, ED Interpreter Use, Nafi Ghafournia

October 2020 - Patient Care Board Interpreter Label, Italian, Oncology, Draga Majurovski

September 2020 - Multicultural Health Week, Auslan, Deaf Patient Experience, Maggie (Jinmei) Sun