South Eastern Sydney Local Health District (SESLHD)

DiverseWerks - Community Needs Analysis

Needs and assets assessment of new & emerging communities

Issue: To undertake a Needs and Assets Assessment of new and emerging communities in the South-Eastern Sydney catchment area.

Solution:

• Understand which new and emerging communities in the South-Eastern Sydney catchment appear to be most vulnerable in terms of accessing culturally appropriate health services;
• Examine the health needs among new and emerging communities in the South-Eastern Sydney catchment;
• Examine the cultural, social and health literacy issues that may intersect with the experience of accessing health care for new and emerging communities;
• Examine the lived experience of individuals within new and emerging communities in the South-Eastern Sydney catchment across the health care continuum; and
• Identify the success factors of any previous projects led by, and for new and emerging communities in the South-Eastern Sydney catchment and illustrate these to inform good practice.

DiverseWerks undertook a multifaceted approach to this project, including conducting a preliminary data analysis; service provider consultations; community consultations; and a secondary investigation of other relevant data sources to inform the key recommendations for SESLHD.

Results: The approach identified a number of key issues and health needs within the three prioritised new and emerging communities (Nepalese, Bengali, and Chinese grandparents). Based on these findings, ten short and nine long term recommendations were made to improve the health experiences and health outcomes for new and emerging communities in the SESLHD. Specific funding allocations and tailored programs have been developed because of this project.