Diversity & Inclusion

At Northeast Health Wangaratta, we aim to improve the experience of all diversity groups within our community, including staff, consumers, volunteers, students, and visitors. The areas of diversity we work in are:

Patient and families support:

  • Patient journey support during preadmission, admission and discharge (e.g. attend appointments for support, develop a birth plan, visit for an in-patient stay, support follow-up appointments)
  • Supporting individual needs for in-patient services (eg. Sensory needs, cultural needs etc)
  • Provide education to the medical/treating team on your individual needs
  • Connection to other services

Workforce supports:

  • Workplace modifications
  • Employee support for matters related to diversity
  • Manager/supervisor support for supporting a diverse workforce
  • Training opportunities
  • Celebration events
  • Policy and guidelines development and review
  • Strategic planning to improve access and inclusion of diverse population groups

To connect with Diversity and Inclusion at NHW please email diversity@nhw.org.au

Gender Equality

Gender Equality is the equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities of women, men and trans and gender-diverse people. Equality does not mean that women, men and trans and gender-diverse people will become the same but that their rights, responsibilities and opportunities will not depend on their gender.

Northeast Health Wangaratta (NHW) is a defined entity under the Gender Equality Act 2020 (the Act). This means we have legislated requirements to progress Gender Equality in our organisation.

The requirements under the Gender Equality Act 2020 for defined entities are:

Promote Gender Equality
NHW must take proactive action in promoting Gender Equality. You may see statements, campaigns or events that have the sole focus of promoting Gender Equality.

Conduct Gender Impact Assessments
Gender Impact Assessments look at all new or reviewed policies, programs and projects that have a direct and significant impact on the public, to ensure that any actions we take, do not contribute to gender inequality.

Undertake a Workplace Gender Audit
The Workplace Gender Audit takes a deep dive into the workforce data to review:

  • Gender of the workforce;
  • The type, frequency and pay of individual roles;
  • The use of parental leave;
  • The use of family violence leave;
  • Intersection of gender with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status, age, disability, cultural identity, religion, sexual orientation; and
  • Many others.

Create a Gender Equality Action Plan
A Gender Equality Action Plan (GEAP) should showcase the commitment of an organization to improving gender equality through understanding current trends and experiences within the organization and then use the principles of gender equality to make attempt at genuine progress towards gender equality.

Download NHW’s Gender Equality Action Plan 2022-26.pdf

Report on Progress
Every two years we submit a progress plan to the Commission for Gender Equality.

Cultural & Linguistic Diversity

Northeast Health Wangaratta is committed to providing a high-quality service to all community members. Some of the things we can do if you are culturally and/or linguistically diverse are:

Provide interpreters
Please let our team know what language and dialect are required. We will do our best to organise a qualified interpreter. Please note that there is no cost to consumers for interpreters.

Food
If you have cultural needs for food, please let our team know. We can provide vegetarian and halal meals.

End of life care
Our team will work with families to ensure, where possible, cultural protocols are adhered to. Please let our team know if there is anything specific in your culture related to end-of-life care.

Connection to religious groups
We have a large network of religious leaders know are able to visit patients at NHW. If you would like a visit from a specific religion please let our team know or reach out to our Pastoral and Spiritual Care Team.

Health Translations
If you are looking for translated information about health and wellbeing, please visit Health Translations website at www.healthtranslations.vic.gov.au