Transdisciplinary co-design of innovative, client-centred models for Indigenous mental health services in South East Queensland

Unjust Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (respectfully ‘Indigenous’) mental health inequities exist in Australia. Closing the ‘Indigenous mental health gap’ is an urgent national priority. For the first time in Australia with two of the country’s largest urban health services, the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH) and the Metro North Hospital and Health Service (MNHHS), the project will deliver an innovative, transdisciplinary study that  shifts the focus away from measuring mental health gaps, towards the co-design of feasible, whole-of-health-system approaches to eliminate inequities in service access and provision, and outcomes for Indigenous people in South East Queensland (SEQ).

The overall aim Is to Identify Innovative, culturally safe models of care that Improve Indigenous peoples’ timely access to mental health services across the health care system in SEQ including ACCHSs and mainstream primary, secondary and tertiary mental health services. We will draw on a socio-ecological model that enables analysis of the interpersonal, institutional, community and system-based factors that influence people’s health seeking practices and use a transdisciplinary research approach.

MRFF 2021 Indigenous Health Research

$999,912.00

Sept 2023 – Sept 2025

Chief Investigator

• Prof Roxanne Bainbridge, Poche Centre for Indigenous Health UQ r.bainbridge@uq.edu.au
  
  

Investigators

Investigators from IUIH:

• Mr. Kaava Watson aava.watson@iuih.org.au

• Dr Randall.Frazer@iuih.org.au

• Dr Shuichi.Suetani@iuih.org.au

Investigators from QLD Centre for Mental Health Research

• Prof Harvey Whiteford h.whiteford@sph.uq.edu.au

• Prof Harvey Whiteford QH harvey.whiteford@health.qld.gov.au

• Associate Prof Alize Ferrari a.ferrari@uq.edu.au

• Associate Prof Sandra Diminic s.diminic@uq.edu.au

Investigators from Poche Centre:

• Prof James Ward james.ward@uq.edu.au

• Dr Shea Spierings s.spierings@uq.edu.au

Investigator from UQ School of Psychology

• Dr Hayley Williams hayley.williams@uq.edu.au

Investigator from UQ School of Environment:

• Prof Yan Liu yan.liu@uq.edu.au

Institute for Urban Indigenous Health

Metro North Health

Zhang, Lihong, Hou, Xiang-Yu, and Liu, Yan (2024). Measuring mental health service accessibility for Indigenous populations: a systematic review. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-023-01899-6

Professor Roxanne Bainbridge r.bainbridge@uq.edu.au