About the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) is a living embodiment of the aspirations of Aboriginal communities and their struggle for self-determination. NACCHO represents over 140 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) across the country on Aboriginal health and well-being issues, and is Australia’s peak Aboriginal health body. NACCHO aims to provide leadership and direction in the development of health policies affecting Aboriginal peoples, and to support ACCHSs in their delivery of comprehensive primary healthcare.
NACCHO’s work is focused on:
- promoting, developing and expanding the provision of health and wellbeing services through local ACCHSs
- liaison with organisations and governments within both the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal community on health and wellbeing policy and planning issues
- representation and advocacy relating to health service delivery, health information, research, public health, health financing and health programs
- fostering cooperative partnerships and working relationships with agencies that respect Aboriginal community control and holistic concepts of health and well-being.
NACCHO and the RACGP working together
The RACGP and NACCHO have a strong history of working in partnership and advocating for increased awareness of barriers to quality healthcare faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.
The RACGP has worked alongside NACCHO, lobbying for increased investment in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and collaborating on key resources for GPs to ensure they are equipped to provide clinically and culturally appropriate care, including the National guide to preventive healthcare for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (National Guide).
The partnership between the RACGP and NACCHO was formalised by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in November 2014. A new MoU was signed at the NACCHO conference in November 2019 – a celebration and recognition of the ongoing collaborative and respectful relationship between the two organisations who continue working together to advocate for equality in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.