Why do we care about cultural diversity engagement?
At Health Consumers’ Council we believe in inclusion and the best health outcomes for all. WA continues to experience higher than national average population growth through migration and over half of West Australians have one or more parent born overseas. We speak 240 languages across a vast state. Language barriers as well as practices which are not culturally sensitive or inclusive can lead to poor uptake of services and poor health outcomes.
We recognise that the voice of people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD) backgrounds is often left unheard, for example, WA’s Patient Experience in Health Survey specifically excludes people requiring an interpreter. We also have significant concerns about the poor uptake of interpreters in health services and how this impacts on people being able to provide informed consent as patients. Research in the area is also very limited.
What do we do about it?
Health Consumers’ Council is committed to supporting services to assist with effective engagement and care provision to people from diverse cultures. We have developed a range of forums and workshops to assist both health service providers and community members. We are also establishing a panel of CaLD community members who might wish to share lived experience or community perspective in order to improve health services. Click on the links below to find out more.
Information about WA Health System
CaLD Community Workshops and Events
Health Service Provider Workshops and Events