Literature Review: Enhancing Allied health service to rural and remote Indigenous communities

WA Country Health Services (WACHS) is endeavouring to develop a service delivery model to provide allied health and rehabilitation services to Aboriginal people in remote communities. A Community Based Rehabilitation model, with an emphasis on Community Based Workers, has been proposed as a viable framework.

There are significant barriers to the effective provision of allied health and rehabilitation services to rural and remote Aboriginal communities which fall into five key categories, including: Workforce issues; Sub-optimal allied health therapy model of service delivery; Cross Cultural issues; Local knowledge of service; and Access to service.