Why defining cultural safety is important for healthcare

Understanding cultural safety is important in healthcare. This understanding helps ensure health professionals have the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to be able to work effectively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

To help build understanding, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), the National Boards, and Accreditation Authorities in the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (the Scheme), including the Australian Dental Council (ADC), have partnered with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health leaders and the National Health Leadership Forum to develop an agreed definition of cultural safety.

The development of an agreed, shared definition can be used as a foundation for embedding cultural safety across all functions of the Scheme.

To understand why defining cultural safety is important for healthcare, Narelle Mills, Chief Executive Officer at the ADC spoke with Professor Roianne West, Dean, First Peoples Health Unit, Griffith University, and member of the accreditation standards review working party.

Find out her thoughts on defining cultural safety in the video below.

Cultural safety and Aboriginal, Torres Strait, Māori and Pacific Peoples health outcomes is one of the key focus areas of the ADC during the review of the ADC/Dental Council (New Zealand) (DC(NZ)) accreditation standards for dental practitioner programs (the Standards). Proposed updates to the Standards are aimed at ensuring education and training programs produce graduates with the ability to provide culturally safe care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

The ADC is committed to keeping you updated on its work throughout the accreditation standards review. Announcements will be made on the ADC website as information becomes available.

Consultation on the proposed updates to the Standards is due to take place in early 2020. You can learn more about the review here.