‘Our Medicine’ returns with an expanded focus on culturally safe care and First Nations health leadership

NITV’s documentary series Our Medicine has returned for a second season, offering behind-the-scenes access to First Nations health workers across hospitals, ambulance services and community-led healing centres, with creators and participants saying the series aims to strengthen trust and cultural safety in Australia’s health system.

The expanded season follows frontline staff in high-pressure clinical settings as well as culturally grounded services working to meet community needs and the series includes an Aboriginal Liaison Officer at Armadale Health Service near Boorloo/Perth, where staff support Aboriginal patients navigating hospital care and the barriers that can come with it.

“As mob coming into these spaces, we feel like everything’s against us, and we need to feel safe” the liaison officer, Ms Thorne, said in the report, describing why culturally safe support roles matter for Aboriginal patients and families.

The series continues to highlight culturally informed practice as part of better outcomes, with the broadcaster describing the season as providing “unprecedented behind-the-scenes access” to frontline services while centring First Nations expertise. NITV’s Head of Indigenous Commissioning and Production, Dena Curtis, said: “Grounded in Country and culture, Season 2 highlights the skill, leadership and cultural strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander frontline health practitioners.”

SBS On Demand describes the program as “shining a light on First Nations professionals working to achieve better health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients and communities” with episodes available to stream and new instalments scheduled on Sunday nights.

The series also lands in a broader health context. Recent national reporting by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows life expectancy remains substantially lower for First Nations people than for non-Indigenous Australians, reinforcing why culturally safe care, workforce growth and community-controlled approaches remain central to closing persistent gaps.

For viewers, the new season is framed as both storytelling and public education: showcasing the day-to-day realities of care, the importance of First Nations leadership in health, and the ways cultural practice can sit alongside clinical medicine to support healing, trust and continuity of care.