Western Desert Nganampa Walytja Palyantjaku Tjutaku (WDNWPT) Project

Project Name: Western Desert Nganampa Walytja Palyantjaku Tjutaku (WDNWPT) Project
CRCAH Project No. CD062 Administering organisation CRC for Aboriginal Health Program Manager Barbara Beacham, Comprehensive Primary Healthcare, Health System and Workforce program Project Leaders Paul Riverland: WDNWPT Evaluation Officer Sarah Brown: WDNWPT Manager Team members Paul Riverland: WDNWPT Evaluation Officer Sarah Brown: WDNWPT Manager Contact Sarah Brown WDNWPT Aboriginal Corporation PO Box 5060 Alice Springs, Northern Territory 0871 Email: kidhney@octa4.net.au Tel: 09 8953 0002 Funding source CRC for Aboriginal Health Partners involved WDNWPT Aboriginal Corporation Department of Health and Community Services Northern Territory Menzies School of Health Research CRC for Aboriginal Health

Project Name:
Western Desert Nganampa Walytja Palyantjaku Tjutaku (WDNWPT) Project

CRCAH Project No. CD062

Administering organisation
CRC for Aboriginal Health

Program Manager
Barbara Beacham, Comprehensive Primary Healthcare, Health System and Workforce program

Project Leaders
Paul Riverland: WDNWPT Evaluation Officer
Sarah Brown: WDNWPT Manager

Team members
Paul Riverland: WDNWPT Evaluation Officer
Sarah Brown: WDNWPT Manager

Contact

Sarah Brown
WDNWPT Aboriginal Corporation
PO Box 5060
Alice Springs,
Northern Territory 0871
Email: kidhney@octa4.net.au
Tel: 09 8953 0002

Funding source

CRC for Aboriginal Health

Partners involved

WDNWPT Aboriginal Corporation
Department of Health and Community Services Northern Territory
Menzies School of Health Research
CRC for Aboriginal Health

Project summary
This project built on work undertaken by WDNWPT to address the concerns of Aboriginal People (Yanangu) from the Western Desert of Central Australia (Northern Territory and Western Australia) who have voiced concern for the past decade for the need for culturally appropriate dialysis services. Of particular concern to Yanangu were negative experiences, including poor health outcomes, associated with patient transition and ‘dislocation’ to the regional Renal Unit in Alice Springs.

The work of WDNWPT (which was undertaken over a five-year period and was fully funded by community-driven philanthropic activity) confronted issues of remote dialysis and chronic kidney disease and resulted in planning and instituting appropriate services (an innovation) to support a flexible, community-based, safe and viable alternative to existing mainstream models of centre-based institutionalised care for people with chronic kidney disease.

CRC for Aboriginal Health funding was provided to support presentation of the findings of an evaluation of this work, to ensure these findings could be presented to a broad audience of stakeholders, and in appropriate ways to members of the WDNWPT committee, patients and the WDNWPT communities.

Summary of projected outcomes

The main outcomes of the project were to produce feedback resources, including a full report and summary, which would:

describe the Yanangu process and characteristics of the WDNWPT model, including the implications for effective future Yanangu governance and the implications for mainstream program integration, including Yanangu involvement and control;
broadcast the most important qualitative and quantitative issues arising from the completed WDNWPT evaluation.

Summary of project implementation
This project paid for the evaluation officer to compile the final report of the evaluation findings, and to work collaboratively with existing partners and with the CRC for Aboriginal Health to put together a summary report document, and to have this printed. This work was also supported by significant in-kind contributions from staff at the CRC for Aboriginal Health, the Northern Territory Department of Health and Community Services, and Menzies School of Health Research.