Ngak Min Health is building care around the whole person
A young person can have regular contact with health services and still need a stronger, more connected system of care.
Sam* is a Djarragun College student who has been in regular contact with health and wellbeing services for several years while managing complex developmental, behavioural and chronic health needs.
Their support has included care for Foetal Alcohol Syndrome, ADHD, Rheumatic Fever, anaemia and recurrent scabies, as well as significant developmental vulnerability. They have also needed support for their emotional wellbeing, hearing and participation at school.
Before Sam began receiving coordinated care through Ngak Min Health, they had frequent contact with health services, but much of that care was delivered through individual consultations, occasional reviews and periods of discontinuous follow-up. Their health, developmental and wellbeing needs were not always managed as part of a single, connected system of care.
Ngak Min Health changed that approach.
By bringing together Sam’s care, Ngak Min Health achieved greater continuity and coordination. Health checks and the management of their long-term conditions improved, with Ngak Min Health’s Aboriginal Health Workers and Nurse Practitioners helping to maintain regular follow-up and build an ongoing relationship with Sam and their family.
Paediatric, hearing, developmental and behavioural services were more closely linked to support for Sam’s social and emotional wellbeing and to the continued treatment of Rheumatic Fever. There was also greater coordination among their health care, school and family support.
For Sam, this meant their needs were increasingly considered as a whole rather than as a series of separate health concerns.
This approach is central to Ngak Min Health’s integrated family hub model. It recognises that a young person’s health, education, development and wellbeing are closely connected, and that the services supporting young people and families need to work together.
Ngak Min Health combines prevention and early intervention with developmental support, involvement of Aboriginal Health Workers, chronic condition management, multidisciplinary coordination and culturally safe follow-up.
Sam’s experience shows why this matters. Frequent contact with health services alone does not guarantee continuity of care. For a young person with complex needs, the difference lies in having people who know them, understand their circumstances, and actively coordinate the support around them.
Through Ngak Min Health, Sam has a more connected system of care, with stronger links between their health needs, family, and school. Their care is ongoing, but the shift from fragmented contact to coordinated, continuous support provides a stronger foundation for their health, wellbeing and participation in education and community life.
For Djarragun College students like Sam, the relationship Ngak Min Health builds with young people and their families is central to this approach. Accessible, culturally safe care and consistent follow-up can help build the trust needed to identify concerns earlier, maintain treatment and keep families connected to the services their young people need.
*Name changed for privacy
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