Position Statements

The need for aged care services in rural and remote Australia is significant, and yet older persons
who reside in a remote or isolated area often have limited local access to specialist services,
including allied health and care options such as residential aged care support.

CRANAplus is a signatory to this Consensus Statement, which describes the meaning of the term Rural and Remote Multidisciplinary Health Team (RRMHT) and the elements that enable these teams to be sustained and function to deliver high-quality health care to rural and remote communities.

As the peak representative body for all healthcare professionals living and working in remote communities, CRANAplus understands that remote health workforce safety and security remains a significant issue.

Climate change poses a significant threat to the health of those living in rural and remote communities. CRANAplus, is deeply concerned about the substantial impact this is having, and will continue to have, on rural and remote health services.

Heath services have frequently appointed solo clinicians into locations where the day-to-day workload is low and the population of the community small, however a 24/7 on call
service is required. Single clinician posts potentially impact on the safety and quality of the care being provided to remote communities and has an unacceptably high level of risk for the clinician involved.

The essence of palliative care is to provide comfort through the prevention, early detection of pain, and other physical, social, psychological and spiritual needs. A holistic approach is required to assist the individual and their families to adapt to their changing needs, with specific emphasis on the psychosocial, spiritual aspects of dying and bereavement.

CRANAplus embraces diversity and strongly advocates for equality of all remote health professionals in the workplace, with the promotion of ‘zero tolerance’ and social inclusion being intrinsic to the workplace culture.

To enhance the expe­ri­ences of those inter­est­ed in remote and rur­al health care careers, CRANAplus will active­ly advo­cate and pro­mote the avail­abil­i­ty of remote place­ments for under­grad­u­ate and new grad­u­ates with the uni­ver­si­ties and health services.

In the lead up to the Federal Election 2019, CRANAplus joined nearly 50 organisations and health leaders as signatories to this Open Letter. As a com­bined voice we are call­ing for effec­tive action on cli­mate change for the health of the community.

The devel­op­ment of this col­lab­o­ra­tive posi­tion paper between CATSI­NaM, the Aus­tralian Col­lege of Mid­wives (ACM) and CRANAplus has under­gone exten­sive con­sul­ta­tion and has built on work under­tak­en through a pri­or­i­ty focus from the 2014 CATSI­NaM Annu­al Conference.

CRANAplus joins other health sector stakeholders in strongly endorsing the Uluru Statement from the Heart. Recognition of First Nations people in Australia’s Constitution is both morally essential and critical in improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and other outcomes.