How do the available services in a rural or regional town support the health and well-being of the community?
Introduction:
Australian society is diverse in many aspects. Our population is located in many different settings, from metropolitan cities, large towns, to smaller rural towns and isolated localities and properties. Australians come from many different cultural backgrounds, educational opportunities, work situations and life experience. Each of these combined with factors such as a person’s gender, age, economic situation and family supports will impact on a person’s health status and health care needs. Availability and access to resources and services directly influences the health care that you provide as a nurse.
A key skill for effective nursing practice is identifying the resources accessible to a person, their capacity to access resources and services and to consider how these factors impact on the person’s engagement with health care services.
Assessment Task:
Report: How do the available services in a rural or regional town support the health and well-being of the community?
Select one of the following towns in New South Wales
- Hillston
• Tullamore
• Griffith
Prepare a report that discusses:
- The town and its location;
• Health care, education, employment and social services available to the people who live there;
• The distances that may be required in travel to access additional services, such as specialists and allied health professionals.
You may choose to illustrate this component of your report with a simple map of the town that shows:
o its location to regional centres
o the key services available to the community
Include in your report a discussion of:
- Factors particular to this town that might impact upon the health and well-being of the community
• How factors such as low income, cultural background, chronic health problems (i.e. social determinants of health) would impact a person in this town when accessing health care services.
Conclude your report by identifying:
- The services available within the town to assist those who may be disadvantaged in meeting their health needs;
• How these services align with the Principles of Primary Health Care.
NB: This assessment will provide the background for Assessment Task 2.
As a starting point for undertaking this assessment activity review the following chapters:
- McMurray, A., & Clendon, J. (2015). Community Health and Wellness. Primary health care in practice. Chatswood: Elsevier Australia – Chapter 1 (pp. 4-23).
• Deravin-Malone, L., & Anderson, J. (2016). Chronic Care Nursing: A Framework for Practice. Melbourne: Cambridge University Press – Chapter 5 (pp. 65-75).
On-line sites that will be helpful when exploring the town you have chosen for your report include:
- Australian Bureau of Statistics http://www.abs.gov.au/
• My Hospital Website http://www.myhospitals.gov.au
• My Healthy Communities website http://www.myhealthycommunities.gov.au/
• NSW Department of Education http://www.dec.nsw.gov.au/
• Local council websites
You may also need to explore nearby towns/cities that may provide services not available in the town you have chosen.
Rationale
This assessment task requires consideration of the availability of services that support health within a specific community, in order to discuss health, Primary Health Care (PHC) and the Social Determinants of Health (SDoH).
This assessment item relates to the following learning outcomes:
1. Be able to explain differing concepts of health for individuals, families and communities, including Indigenous Australian communities and Linguistically Diverse communities
2. Be able to examine the philosophy and principles of primary health care in relation to social determinants of health, and their relevance to Indigenous Australian communities and vulnerable Australian population groups.
3. Be able to describe the Australian Health Care System and identify opportunities within it for the application of primary health care strategies
Answer preview: How do the available services in a rural or regional town support the health and well-being of the community?
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