Cultural Safety Unit in the spotlight

This year has seen the formal establishment of the Queensland Ambulance Service’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Safety Unit, a major milestone in QAS’s steps to improve its cultural capability to ensure it delivers excellent health care to all Queenslanders.

QAS’s commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples forms part of our Strategy 2022-2027 and recognises the need for equal access to our health system and the need for us to provide a culturally safe and responsive service for all Queenslanders.

This unit is responsible for growing greater cultural awareness, competency, and safety within the Additionally, the CSU manages the QAS Indigenous Scholarship Program, the Indigenous Paramedic Program and the Indigenous Liaison Network.

The Unit sits within the Office of the Commissioner and comprises of Executive Manager Trish Murray, two Senior Advisors, Angela Perry and Mindy Thomas and three Cult ural Safety Support Officers who are based out in the regions.

Trish said through her upbringing she formed a strong connection to Aboriginal and Torres Strait communities, particularly across the Gulf, Cape, and Thursday Island.

“My Father instilled upon me a deep respect for these cultures and their communities, he taught me to listen to their wisdom, honour their customs and connection to this country,” Trish said.

“This sentiment stays with me today.”

Trish has had a varied career, overcoming health challenges and then the adventures of being an interstate truck driver before becoming a paramedic with the QAS in 2008, where she has served at many stations across Queensland before moving to Kedron in 2019 to take on a more focused role of supporting the QAS to develop its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Safety agenda.

Trish said she sees the QAS’s commitment to building long-term and sustainable approaches to being a culturally safe organisation and supporting initiatives for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples within the health industry.

Trish said since the new unit’s inception the team’s initial work has been to create stable foundations for the agenda and strong partnerships with our regions.

“Cultural safety is every one’s responsibility. Each of us can make a difference by starting positive conversations and seeing how you can get involved and engage with your local community,” she said.

Supporting Trish at Kedron Park are Senior Advisors Angela Perry and Mindy Thomas.

Through her mother’s side of the family, Angela has connection to the Yiman people of Central Queensland.

Continuing the previous hard work of Sunshine Coast Paramedic Emma Williams, Angela has been working in the office with Trish since October 2021 helping to get the unit established.

Angela joined the service in 2005 as a Patient Transport Officer and has since held roles as a paramedic and OIC, working mostly across the lands of the Jagera, Yuggera and Ugarapul People in West Moreton.

“When I joined the QAS I wanted to make a difference to people and improve their health and wellbeing,” Angela said.

“When I was on the road that difference was achieved one patient at a time.

“In my new role I am lucky enough to be a part of a team contributing to a more culturally safe workplace for all my colleagues and better service delivery to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. It is really the best of both worlds.”

Mindy Thomas has worked at QAS for 22 years, the last 14 of those in Operations Centres as a call taker, dispatcher and in various supervisory roles, most recently within the Brisbane OpCen.

Mindy is a proud Birri Gubba, Gungalu woman and the co-Chair of the QAS’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Leadership Committee.

Mindy comes from a family with a rich tradition of activism and brings her advocacy skills, on top of her organisational knowledge, to her role in the CSU.

“One thing I have learnt from my family is the value of persistence and to not only consider what’s been achieved by those before us, but how we can continue to grow and enhance that legacy.

“I feel that we all play a part in ensuring that we leave a space better than when we found it.

“By working together, we can all contribute to a culturally safe organisation, where everyone is supported to succeed on your chosen pathway.”

Based out in our regions are three Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Safety Support Officers (CSSOs)

Claine Underwood, Gemma Armit and Trent Jackson who cover North, Central and South Queensland respectively.

The CSSO are a pivotal resource in growing the cultural awareness and safety of our organisation.

The CSSOs’ roles are to promote culturally safe practices; to support their managers and supervisors build their own capacity of working in a culturally safe and responsive manner; and to provide holistic, culturally appropriate advice and consultation.

Their roles are also designed to support our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff’s welfare, engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and identify our service delivery gaps, and overall, to support the CSU, policy reform and strategic initiative development.

Claine Underwood is the CSSO for North Queensland, covering the Torres and Cape York, Cairns and Hinterland and the North West districts, and has been working with the QAS since January 1996.

He is a proud Ydinji (Cairns region) man and Yarrabah local and paramedic, and has been a long-time cultural safety advocate, particularly promoting employment pathways for people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

“I am very proud of being involved in the IPP having had two cadets at Yarrabah in the early days and to see how far the program has come is very pleasing,” Claine said.

“As a CSSO I can continue to support all cadets and help them achieve what they want to achieve in the QAS.

“I am also looking forward to working with all QAS staff to work towards cultural safety within the QAS.”

Proud Bwgcolman (Palm Island) and Kuku Yalanji (Mossman to Cooktown) woman Gemma Armit is QAS’s Central CSSO, covering Townville, Mackay, Central Queensland and Central West districts and has been working with QAS since 2008.

Gemma has always worked in the region and has always been proud of her Aboriginality and her people, especially working on Palm Island.

“After having a child, I feel like I’m now ready in my career to foster change as I now feel I have the age and experience and perhaps a trusted face to now represent our people, culture and our own Indigenous officers and to work to rebuild trust in our health system,” Gemma said.

Trent Jackson is a proud Muruwari and Yuwaalaraay man who grew up just north of Brisbane and has been working with QAS since 2012, working out of Ipswich.

Trent is CSSO for Queensland’s South, including the Wide Bay, Sunshine Coast, Metro North, Metro South, Gold Coast, West Moreton, Darling Downs and South West districts, where around 38 per cent of the state’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population live.

Trent said for many years he didn’t speak out about his cultural background simply because he didn’t feel confident drawing any extra attention to himself.

“I am really excited to head out and start to form better relationships with our Indigenous communities, improve the experiences for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Staff and patients, as well as meet with all the Regions Leadership teams to see how we can work together to improve Cultural Safety within the QAS,” Trent said.

Supporting these roles throughout the state is a strong QAS Indigenous Network currently comprising 51 Indigenous Liaison Officers (ILOs) and 68 Cultural Capability Champions (CCCs) whose ranks will continue to grow over time.

The Network was formed as an initiative out of the QAS Cultural Capability Action Plan (CCAP) 2019-2022 to improve the organisation’s workforce cultural safety to improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities’ health outcomes.

ILOs are QAS employees of Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander descent who are passionate and committed to guiding positive cultural change in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s health care delivery – they work across all areas of the organisation.

In short, they’re QAS’s primary contacts for cultural capability and cultural safety in their Districts.

They also support the CCAP’s initiatives at a local and state level and report back to the broader Network and QAS managers on areas either demonstrating excellence or needing improvement.

The CCCs are QAS employees who don’t identify as being of Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander descent who are equally passionate and committed to guiding positive cultural change in the healthcare delivery for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Like ILOs the CCCs are also a key point of contact for cultural capability initiative support, advocating for initiatives at a local level in their workplace.

They also support ILOs and QAS employees in communicating effectively and sensitively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders, communities, and our patients.

Network members advocate, support and promote local and state cultural capability initiatives across QAS, provide advice and feedback to the QAS leaders and Network members around strategies to improve cultural capability and safety.

In September, Health Minister Yvette D’Ath announced the QAS’s Cultural Safety Unit in Cairns, at the same time, using the opportunity to inspect vehicles freshly decorated with designs based on our very own “Caring for mob together” artwork.

These wraps will be used on cars heading out into communities and will play their part in breaking down barriers, to improve health equity and foster better engagement across all Queensland communities.

During the Minister’s announcement, QAS Deputy Commissioner Kari Arbouin presented the Minister with her own Caring for mob together artwork.