Connecting with Rural and Remote OTs in the NT

Miriam Hobson, OTA Manager SA/NT

It is well known that associations like OTA benefit members through increased access to professional knowledge. Less documented are the fulfilling benefits of direct engagement such as networking, volunteering, advocacy, and collaboration. This cluster of OTA services was the focus of my recent road trip across the Northern Territory.

Towards the end of 2020, it was possible to travel without restrictions between South Australia and the Northern Territory. Taking advantage of the opportunity, I travelled from Adelaide to Darwin, and then to Alice Springs. It was a not-to-bemissed chance to connect face to face with OTA members and stakeholders, and to consolidate bonds significant to driving membership engagement (Gruen, 2000). As it is important to OTA to recognise and support its active membership base, a busy schedule of discussions and activities was planned across the week.

In the middle of 2020, the Northern Territory Divisional Council, along with members from Darwin and Alice Springs, drove a pre-election advocacy campaign with each of the key political parties. The campaign highlighted solutions to regional workforce shortages, and scope of practice capabilities. My trip to Darwin allowed me to follow up these communications in person, and discuss in-depth with ministers and shadow ministers the capabilities of the local membership.

A senior advisor to NT Health Minister Natasha Fyles invited a member and myself to Parliament House, overlooking the

Miriam Hobson traveling 2020 style through the Northern Territory

foreshore in Darwin, to provide insights on general and expert knowledge of occupational therapists helping clients with mental health needs. The handful of mental health specialist occupational therapists in NT is pivotal in its work across hospital, community, and specialist services. This area is expected to grow across NT, with Commonwealth funding being directed into co-response services to shore up consistency of care.

Much of the NT membership and stakeholder conversations covered the relatively new roll-out of the NDIS framework and its impact. Across meetings with NDIS territory manager Susan Burns at her office near tourist attraction Crocosaurus Cove, OTA members at the Trailer Boat Clubover jugs of iced tea and platters, and a range of service leaders, the key theme was underutilised allocated NDIS funding. The reasons for this happening in NT may be familiar to occupational therapists across the country— thin markets, waiting lists, assessment requirements, costs to small practices in delivering these services, supervision needs, and recruitment, recruitment, recruitment.

Having support of the NDIS in Darwin allows OTA members to be part of joint advocacy attempts to draw attention to crossovers between NDIS and My Aged Care; to be introduced to local leaders and policy influencers involved in recruitment decisions; and to share information on the

Local stars of the Children’s Development Team in Alice Springs including OTs, physios and speech pathologists

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value of the profession. Each discussion was positive, constructive, and reflected how highly the local membership was regarded.

Landing in Alice Springs (Mparntwe) is always a wonder to the eyes, and this trip was no exception. The difference this time was the hundreds of long-range aeroplanes grounded by COVID-19 travel restrictions. With border restrictions in place, most occupational therapists had been working for some months with remote communities—travelling long distances to connect with Aboriginal health organisations and the rising number of private practices. Collaboration is par for the course in these areas, with access to clients and equipment heavily dependent on strong working relationships to counter extensive travel and time costs.

By the time I met occupational therapists at the hospital, the children’s community services team, and attended an aged and disability care forum, there was just enough time left to head out to the golf course and enjoy some pizza with a group of members. Being the end of a busy year, there was much discussion about moving forward with NDIS community integration, the need for occupational therapy understanding of foetal alcohol syndrome, and recruitment management. The call for occupational therapists to work in central Australia is open, with a strong workforce on the ground eager to welcome newcomers. The World Federation 2020 themes of supporting communities to ensure they are resilient was clearly a core element of practice for these members.

For the year ahead, NT will continue working towards further services to address housing needs, suicide prevention, dental health care, and disability services expansion— to name just a few opportunities on the horizon.

The ongoing showcasing of NT occupational therapy services in national and international forums is a sure bet with the cohort of

Connecting with Rural and Remote OTs in the NT

Continued from previous page

OTA members networking whilst enjoying pizza at the Alice Springs Golf Club Susan Burns speaking at the Crest Aged and Disability Services forum in Alice Springs

OTA members in Darwin link up with Alice Springs members over Zoom to hear about the roll out of the NDIS across the NT

practitioners currently at the helm and on the ground. The steady mix of home-grown occupational therapists—the next generation of which will no longer need to travel interstate to study, as the Charles Darwin University program ramps up—and those welcomed from across Australia will no doubt face adjustments without skipping a beat.

I, for one, cannot wait to return to NT to help support their great work as part of OTA’s commitment to representing the community’s interests every step of the way.

References Gruen, T. W. (2000). Membership Customers and Relationship Marketing, in Parvatiyar, A., & Sheth, J. N. (Eds), Handbook of Relationship Marketing (pp. 355–380). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Grunig, L. A., Grunig, J. E., & Dozier, D. M. (Eds) (2002). Effective Public Relations and Effective Organizations: A Study of Communication Management in Three Countries, Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc.

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