A new guide for doctors offices around Australia reinforces the case that culturally safe and clinically sound health care is a must in order to achieve the best health and wellbeing outcomes for Indigenous people.

Leading into Reconciliation Week, the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Health Practitioners in Primary Health Care – Guide for General Practice was launched.

Developed by the National Association of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners (NAATSIHWP), the workforce's national peak body, and endorsed by the Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP), the guide will help 'plug a gap' for Indigenous patients attending medical appointments away from Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations.

"Our workforce, they provide a level of care that no other mainstream health professional can provide. So they are very unique in this space," NAATSIHWP chief executive Karl Briscoe told National Indigenous Times.

"We know that having an Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander health worker or practitioner on staff, it's more likely our mob will access that service, because we know that through the lived experience of our mob that they understand more innately what their health needs are."

The guide states Indigenous workers ensuring culturally-safe care for patients sustainably, as well as "cost-effective" is "yet to be realised" in general practice.

"We know that only fifty per cent of our mob attend ACCHOs. With that, a lot of our mob do attend GP services," Mr Briscoe said.

"In terms of providing culturally safe care within those services, this guide actually plugs that gap, because it assists GPs in understanding the roles (of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers and practitioners).

Indigenous health workers and practitioners also serve as "cultural navigators" in the buildings, supporting delivery of best possible culturally safe care, Mr Briscoe said.

RACGP president Dr Michael Wright added: "These are workers who provide clinical skills, invaluable cultural knowledge and patient care with a focus on culturally safe practice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. They play a vital role every day ensuring Australia's healthcare system meets the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people".

The guide is also an "educational tool", Mr Briscoe stated, coming about from a "needs base" after the most recent five-year review of training two years ago.

He added: "We heard GPS say, hey, look, I have clients here, Aboriginal clients. I want to employ an Aboriginal Health Worker" with requests to better understand the scope of role and administrative elements.

"The guide helps support general practices in employing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers, health practitioners into their services and into their clinics," he said.

"It provides a guide as to what their roles are and how they can support culturally safe care within their work environment."

The guide itself outlines it, in addition; 'demonstrates how the profession can be integrated into models of care by supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Checks, GP Management Plans, Team Care Arrangements and the provision of follow-up care' and 'clarifies the wide range of the Medicare Benefits Scheme (MBS) Item Numbers applicable to the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Worker and Health Practitioner professions'.

Since 2022, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency's (Ahpra) National Registration and Accreditation Scheme has required all healthworkers registered in Australia to take steps on understanding and preventing racism, also through delivering culturally-safe care, in efforts towards eliminating racism broadly.

The guide also benefits here, Mr Briscoe said.

"New GPs coming into a clinic, they're able to pick up this guide and really understand what role our professions play within their services, but also how their cultural knowledge that they bring to the service will also assist them in providing a level of culturally safe care to their clients," he said.

According to the National Aboriginal Community Conrolled Health Organisation, there are 146 ACCHOs across Australia engaging with 410,000 people over 550 sites for 3.1 million delivered episodes of care yearly.

The intention isn't to compete with ACCHOs, Mr Briscoe said, but to help "plug a gap" where they aren't available across the country, including in remote areas.

The guide was launched at the Practice Owners Conference in Naarm ahead of Reconciliation Week.