On average, Australians living in rural and remote areas have shorter lives, higher levels of disease and injury, and poorer access to and use of health services, when compared with people living in metropolitan areas. RFDS delivers both 24/7 emergency aeromedical retrieval as well as essential remote healthcare services to people living, working and travelling in rural and remote South Australia. This evaluation reviewed primary health care service delivery model from its base at Port Augusta and consulted with communities and partners on current and emerging unmet need.
An important element of our approach was closing the consultation loop for the communities we meet. For each, we prepared a poster to document what we heard and how informed service planning.
The evaluation found that the RFDS is highly valued by the communities it serves. They trust RFDS CO and consider the quality of services to be exceptional. The RFDS workforce were proud to wear the uniform and generally consider the clinical governance, leadership and the model of care to be appropriate. In addition, there were opportunities to strengthen the external operational relationships of RFDS strengthening service coordination and planning to deliver stronger outcomes.
We acknowledge and pay our respects to the Traditional Custodians of the Country on which we live, work and play and honour their connection to Country and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders, past, present and emerging.
