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Health Access Outreach services increase access to medical, allied health and nursing services for people living in under-resourced communities. Through culturally responsive, multidisciplinary health services, the programs support the Priority Reforms under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap to improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.
Through Outreach programs, health professionals are provided with the opportunity to experience working in rural or Indigenous communities, and students and Registrars are supported to participate in Outreach clinics and gain exposure to rural and Indigenous health.
Outreach works to increase access to health services for communities in need by:
- delivering clinics that reduce barriers, including:
- distance and disruption from travel to major centres
- cost and economic hurdles
- cultural safety barriers
- strengthening local service capacity through upskilling
- enhancing service coordination through forming partnerships and developing solutions.
RDN Health acts as the Australian Government's fundholder for health Outreach and associated service programs in New South Wales (NSW) and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).
RDN Health works in partnership with local organisations to plan and implement the local delivery of Health Access Outreach services across NSW and ACT. RDN Health’s local partners include Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs), Local Health Districts, not-for-profit organisations, hospitals and Primary Health Networks. More than 65% of services are accessed by Aboriginal patients.
Health Access Outreach programs remove some of the most common barriers experienced by many patients through:
the provision of services in regional and remote locations and via telehealth to minimise the time, travel cost and disruption often faced by patients to access the nearest alternative service that may be hundreds of kilometres away- prioritising support for services that are bulk-billed or free of charge to remove the economic hurdles that rural and Aboriginal patients often experience
- delivering culturally safe services to reduce cultural barriers that may be otherwise experienced by Aboriginal patients. When possible, Health Access Outreach services are hosted by ACCHSs and visiting health professionals are supported to undertake cultural safety and local community orientation training
- supporting clinical up-skilling sessions that are provided by visiting health professionals to strengthen the capacity of local health services and professionals to manage ongoing patient care
- developing partnerships with regional, state and national stakeholders to enhance the coordination of health services, identify priority needs and implement solutions that may include service changes or policy recommendations.
Health Access Outreach programs also provide urban and regionally-based health professionals with the opportunity to experience working in a rural or Aboriginal community, which has been proven to positively influence health professionals to permanently relocate to rural locations. Outreach also supports students and Registrars to participate in Outreach clinics to gain exposure to rural and Aboriginal health.
RDN Health administers Outreach programs in NSW and the ACT. These programs are designed to increase access to medical, allied health and nursing services for people living in under-resourced communities, including remote, rural, regional and metropolitan areas, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Funded by the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing:
- Coordination of Indigenous Eye Health (CIEH)
- Eye and Ear Surgical Support (EESS)
- First Nations Health Outreach Services (FNHOS)
- Rural Health Outreach Fund (RHOF)
- Visiting Optometrists Scheme (VOS)
Funded through other pathways:
- Central West NSW Mental Health and Wellbeing Program (CW), with NSW Ministry of Health
- Western NSW Eye Health Partnership (WNSWEHP), with The Fred Hollows Foundation.
Note: On 1 July 2026, the Medical Outreach Indigenous Chronic Disease Program (MOICDP) and the Healthy Ears - Better Hearing, Better Listening (HEBHBL) Program were combined to form a single First Nations Chronic Disease Outreach Program, with RDN Health as administrator in NSW and ACT.
Click through to view a list of current Outreach services administered by RDN Health across NSW and the ACT.
Access information and resources for Outreach professionals, including templates, guides and reports.
Stakeholder organisations and health professionals who hold funds on behalf of RDN Health for government funded Outreach assistance programs can login below to access information regarding Outreach health services, including data entry for reporting services.
Interested registered health professionals are invited to view RDN Health’s vacancies list below and lodge an Expression of Interest.
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