CESPHN is committed to improving health and wellbeing outcomes and experiences for multicultural communities across the CESPHN region.
The population in the Central and Eastern Sydney PHN is characterised by cultural diversity. The multicultural population in out region is large and growing – 40.7% of the population was born overseas, 46.8% speak a language other than English at home and 6.3% do not speak English well or at all.
Cultural background data is not consistently captured in health care. However, it is well established that culture and language impact health and wellbeing through their profound influence on individuals’ healthcare-seeking behaviours, notion of health and the healthcare system.
Cultural norms, ideas, values, and practices shape perceptions and experiences of health and illness. People from multicultural backgrounds, particularly non-English speaking backgrounds, often face additional barriers to accessing and navigating the Australian health care system, including:
▪️ language barriers, for example, accessing appropriate interpreting services
▪️ health literacy challenges
▪️ cultural safety and appropriateness of available health services
▪️ stigma and discrimination
▪️ socioeconomic and systemic factors.
Primary Health Networks (PHNs) are well placed to increase access and improve the effectiveness of health services and quality of health care for people from multicultural backgrounds.
The terms ‘multicultural’ and ‘culturally and linguistically diverse’ (CALD) are used interchangeably in our work and refer to populations not from the Anglo-Celtic majority of the Australian population or Australian First Nations peoples. The term ‘multicultural’ is generally the preferred term by communities and will be used when discussing communities and needs. ‘CALD’ will be used when discussing data and data collection.
We recognise that there is great diversity among people from multicultural backgrounds in Australia, including diverse cultures, faiths, languages, migration journeys and experiences.
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