Application
This unit describes the knowledge and skills required by a new worker in primary health care to provide basic support to assist Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients and community to gain access to available health services. The unit involves the communication of basic health information about health services. It does not involve the worker performing a health check or specific details of health issues.
This unit applies to all staff providing support to the delivery of primary health care. All work tasks are to be performed under supervision.
The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State/Territory legislation, Australian/New Zealand standards and industry codes of practice.
Elements and Performance Criteria
ELEMENT | PERFORMANCE CRITERIA |
Elements define the essential outcomes. | Performance criteria specify the level of performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. |
1. Support clients to communicate with service providers | 1.1 Explain services offered by specific health service providers to clients and/or significant others 1.2 Support clients to use their preferred language when communicating with service providers 1.3 Use appropriate visual aids and other resources to support client’s understanding 1.4 Show respectful and culturally appropriate behaviour and communication to the client and/or significant others |
2. Assist service providers to understand client and community needs | 2.1 Communicate client needs and concerns to service providers to support access to services 2.2 Communicate local community values, beliefs and gender roles to service providers as required 2.3 Explain the role of traditional healers in the community to service providers as required |
3. Give practical support to clients when accessing health services | 3.1 Book client appointments as required 3.2 Inform client and/or significant other person of appointments 3.3 Organise and/or provide transport to enable clients and significant other person/s to travel to and from health service provider 3.4 Contact clients as required to ensure appointments are kept 3.5 Follow-up with client and/or significant other person after appointments as required |
Evidence of Performance
The candidate must show evidence of the ability to complete tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage tasks and manage contingencies in the context of the job role.
There must be evidence that the candidate has:
under supervision, supported at least three individual Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients to access health services by:
- encouraging each client to use their preferred language, visual aids and other resources to support understanding
- explaining and clarifying basic health information and services to the client
- ensuring the client has understood the services available
- ensuring service providers understand client and community health needs, values and beliefs
- arranging the time, attendance and follow up for the client to attend health services and appointments, including organising travel arrangements.
Evidence of Knowledge
The candidate must be able to demonstrate essential knowledge required to effectively do the task outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage the task and manage contingencies in the context of the identified work role.
This includes knowledge of:
language or languages, as spoken within the community and the workplace (verbal skills essential, written not essential)
interpreter and/or translation services available to assist clients and the service provider
terminology relevant to specific aspects of care provided and the workplace
the culture of the client, caregiver and health service provider
the communication style of the client, caregiver or health service provider
organisation policies, guidelines and procedures, including reporting procedures appropriate to the role.
Assessment Conditions
Skills must be demonstrated working:
in a health service or centre
under supervision, as part of a primary health care team
with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients and communities.
In addition, simulations and scenarios must be used where the full range of contexts and situations cannot be provided in the workplace or may occur only rarely. These are situations relating to emergency or unplanned procedures where assessment in these circumstances would be unsafe or is impractical.
Simulated assessment environments must simulate the real-life working environment where these skills and knowledge would be performed, with all the relevant equipment and resources of that working environment.
Assessors must satisfy the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015/AQTF mandatory competency requirements for assessors.
Assessment must be undertaken by a workplace assessor who has expertise in this unit of competency and who is:
an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Worker
or:
accompanied by an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person who is a recognised member of the community with experience in primary health care.
Foundation Skills
The Foundation Skills describe those required skills (language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills) that are essential to performance. | |
Numeracy | in order to interpret and communicate temporal data, including minutes, hours, days and weeks in order to schedule client appointments |
Writing | in order to record client details when making bookings |
Other foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit.