State’s first Aboriginal Health Practitioners join Rockingham General Hospital
![Aboriginal Health Practitioners Emily and Danielle standing together outside with the emergency department sign in the background.](/~/media/HSPs/SMHS/Hospitals/RkPG/Images/News/2024/RkPG-2024-AHPs.png)
The first Aboriginal Health Practitioners (AHP) to join WA Health have been appointed at South Metropolitan Health Service's Rockingham General Hospital (RGH).
The two AHPs support Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people who present to the RGH emergency department with acute and urgent illness and injury.
The AHP role is an important addition to highly skilled multi-disciplinary teams that provide quality clinical care to patients across Western Australia. AHPs can provide clinical and primary healthcare, as well as case management and care planning.
The appointments are the start of the roll-out of AHPs across WA Health and mark further progress on a Sustainable Health Review recommendation.
The State Government committed $3.6 million to establish the role in WA Health, with the investment supported by a State-wide consultation process led by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer.
AHPs are now nationally accredited and registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.