Table 3.

Dimensions of access framework (as per the Levesque framework,¹¹ with illustrative quotes

Dimensions of access11	Example quotes
‘Approachability’ and ‘ability to perceive’	The IHPO and OW have been very active in community engagement and letting community know about the initiatives available at health services. They have done this by attending lots of community events and Aboriginal organisations. (Group discussion, regional site) [OW name] also does one-on-one ‘yarn’ with patients when waiting at Doctor's or in the car or in any other appointments about their health issues and gives them some options to think about their change. The direct assistance to patients attending appointment helps in maintaining regular attendance at the health services (IHPO, urban site)
‘Acceptability’ and ‘ability to seek’	IHPO and OW have assisted with cultural awareness. Staff now ask all clients if they are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and not questioning Aboriginality or ‘looking at the colour…sometimes they may be white’ (Practice nurse, urban site) ‘The OW knows the Aboriginal people and ways of networking with the community, they can go into their house and get around them in certain ways…their communications are good they know how to communicate with the Aboriginal community and with Aboriginal people (Practice nurse, general practice, regional site)
‘Availability and accommodation’ and ‘ability to reach’	The community often have no fixed address, no phone or changing numbers or no credit card, so the outreach worker [will] go and find that person and get them (General Practitioner, remote site) [The OW] will even bring the patients down for us. If there is a new person in the area that wants to see a doctor they will bring them down to the surgery…If I say I have got a patient I have been trying to get a hold of and can't get them [the OW] will even try for me too and with their contacts they know a lot of the family groups and they [are able to] help out (Practice nurse, urban site)
‘Affordability’ and ‘ability to pay’	There has been increased attendance at [name of health service] as patients coming back for medications as they know they can afford them (General Practitioner, regional site) Too expensive to see a doctor [specialist], costs about $90, that's a lot of money, a lot of doctors want the money up front and some do bulk bill, some don't. Some say they are booked out and don't take on any more patients around town (Community focus group, regional site)
‘Appropriateness’ and ‘ability to engage’	We have patients with a lot of chronic diseases who live a bit far away. [Name of OW] has been fantastic to coordinate all appointments and actually transporting patients to make sure the appointments are attended (General Practitioner, regional site) We have linked community members with services and facilitated client access, patient registration for PIP Indigenous Health Incentive and provided client follow-up services. We have helped develop relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients and staff within various mainstream general practices. This has resulted in staff and clients being more comfortable talking to each other which then results in clients attending the services more often and more regularly (Outreach Worker, urban site)

IHPO, Indigenous Health Project Officer; OW, Outreach Worker; PIP, Practice Incentives Program.