In Western Sydney, culturally responsive and accessible health care is essential to improved health outcomes for people from refugee backgrounds.
Evidence shows that people from refugee and humanitarian backgrounds often experience poorer health outcomes – shaped by trauma, disrupted care, barriers to access and other social determinants such as housing, employment, language and access to services.¹
This Refugee Week, we highlight the critical role health professionals play in providing frontline care as well as supporting local referrals to specialist organisations.
As home to some of the most culturally diverse communities in the country, Western Sydney is a key settlement area for refugees.
In parts of the region, up to 60% of residents are born overseas with Western and South Western Sydney together receive the highest number of refugees in NSW.
These figures highlight the growing need for health professionals to confidently deliver culturally responsive, trauma-informed care to meet the needs of diverse communities.
Resources for Health Professionals
- HealthPathways: Western Sydney HealthPathways provides up-to-date, clinically accurate information to help health professionals assess, manage and refer their patients. Visit the Refugee Health pathway. You will need to register for your own HealthPathways account to unlock a more personalised, convenient, and streamlined experience
- Practice Poster: To encourage people from refugee backgrounds to identify themselves, WentWest has developed a poster in different languages that will help the patients feel more comfortable to share their experiences and what kind of services they might need. Click here to print the poster
Key Services for Refugees
Mental health and trauma support:
- Primary Mental Health Care program – offers up to 12 sessions annually, find out more here
- STARTTS – provides specialised support for survivors of torture and trauma, visit the website to learn more
- Transcultural Mental Health Centre (TMHC) – Supports CALD communities and health professionals across NSW to improve mental health and access to care, complementing public mental health services. Read more about the service, here
Specialist refugee services:
- NSW Refugee Health Service – Provides specialised care including early health assessments, GP clinic services for asylum seekers, early childhood and disability assessments. Also offers advice to providers and links health services with refugee support agencies. Discover eligibility and service details here
- Settlement Services International (SSI) – Delivers settlement and case management services to help newly arrived refugees build independence and integrate into the community. Learn more about what’s available through this service
Family, settlement and community support:
- SydWest Multicultural Services – Supports diverse communities across Western Sydney with services including settlement, aged care, disability support, housing, and programs for youth, women and families. Learn more about available services and how to access support in your local area
- Community Migrant Resource Centre (CMRC) –Builds community capacity by working with multicultural communities to address local needs, in partnership with other agencies, delivering both immediate and long-term support. Find out how to access this support
Download service factsheet here.
Training and Support for Health Professionals in Western Sydney
WentWest Refugee Health Facilitator, Firat Abali, is available to:
- Support GPs to address the challenges faced in the provision of patient care services for refugees
- Facilitate training and provide educational resources that contribute to eliminating those challenges
- Collaborate, network and partner with key community organisations, government agencies and local councils to address health care gaps for refugees and asylum seekers
For more information, please contact Firat at firat.abali@wentwest.com.au
¹ University of Technology Sydney, Refugees in Australia are miles behind in health and wellbeing (2024), https://www.uts.edu.au/news/2024/08/refugees-australia-are-miles-behind-health-and-wellbeing (accessed 15 June 2026).