“Working for the refugee community has left a large impression on my heart”
19 Jun 2025
Susan Neighbour is a social worker at Launceston General Hospital (LGH).
She has worked in the Refugee Health Service in Launceston since it began nearly two decades ago.
Susan assists people from migrant and refugee backgrounds to overcome the unique challenges and complexities of their situation.
It’s a small team at the LGH, staffed by a nurse, Clinical Nurse Consultant, and a social worker. Clinics at the LGH and the Royal Hobart Hospital work with people who have been resettled as part of the Australian Government Humanitarian Settlement Program.
On any given day, her role may involve welcoming new arrivals to Launceston and the health system, attending medical appointments to assist with understanding, visiting community members in the wards, at home and at meetings, consulting with medical and allied health staff, and contributing to policy development.
A social worker in Refugee Health Services provides support with a holistic focus to help prevent the adverse health and wellbeing outcomes that are often seen in the post-migration and settlement period. This would often involve providing assistance and advocacy to help patients access needed services, giving practical and emotional support for psycho-social issues, liaising with service providers, and promoting culturally appropriate care.
This Refugee Week (16 – 22 June 2025), we remember that 1 in every 69 people worldwide is now forcibly displaced—a statistic that has nearly doubled over the past decade.
“As a social worker, operating from a human rights framework, I was aware of how little I knew about the plight of refugees worldwide,” Susan remembers about getting her calling 19 years ago. “I knew the best teachers would be the people who had experienced such tragedies.”
“It has been my honour and privilege to serve the refugee arrived community in northern Tasmania. They have taught me so much about strength, resilience and kindness.
“I have travelled to refugee camps in other countries so that I could understand firsthand the conditions that people have endured for many years. I am humbled by the opportunity to be of service.
Susan greatly appreciates the nurses she’s worked alongside, Fanou Burslem, Janelle Jozefiak and Matthew Carew, “for offering me never-ending support and for their incredible skills, advocacy, care and kindness genuinely shown to humanitarian arrivals.
“Working for the community has left a large impression on my heart.”
Matthew Carew, Clinical Nurse Consultant at the LGH, shares, “Susan has been a staple figure and an extraordinary asset to Refugee Health at the LGH. She has helped countless people from all walks of life overcome the struggles of migration and settlement and its impact on wellbeing. Her dedication and genuine compassion for our clients is well known and respected among the communities and the hospital.”
Refugee Health Services in Launceston and Hobart facilitate limited health screening for people arriving in Tasmania from a refugee background, and assist with navigating health services.
“No one wants to leave their family, community or their home,” says Janelle Jozefiak, Clinical Nurse Consultant at the RHH. “Loved ones may have been lost or left behind. Sometimes there’s a lot of trauma related to needing to leave suddenly, without any possessions, or having time to plan, or perhaps having to keep plans secret for long. Suffering doesn’t end once resettled, sometimes health can decline further, and that’s due to difficulties in understanding and navigating a new system, financial barriers, and there are also long-term impacts of trauma."
Janelle worked at the LGH before moving to Hobart, and shares that she is very grateful for the time she spent working and learning from Susan: “Susan is a highly respected leader and fierce advocate for upholding people’s rights in the health system. She is not afraid to fight for the equality and dignity of people and communities, particularly those in the most vulnerable situations. Susan is a mum to many of us at work."
Thanks to all our incredible staff in the Refugee Health Services, who go above and beyond every day in their compassionate care for our Tasmanian community.
The Department celebrates our diversity and continues to ensure our health system is as supportive and inclusive as possible. Find information on the statewide Interpreter Booking Service available to non-English speaking patients, and other culture, language and health support services here: www.health.tas.gov.au/professionals/culture-language-and-health/supports-and-services
