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This study, the first of its kind to apply a continuous quality improvement approach to address AOD issues in an Aboriginal community-controlled primary health setting, aims to improve existing approaches to AOD use care in South West Aboriginal Medical Services (SWAMS), a WA Aboriginal community-controlled primary health care (PHC) service.

The multi-methods study’s objectives are to:

• Co-design a culturally-safe, community-informed approach to integrate AOD model of care best practice in an Aboriginal community-controlled primary care setting.
• Determine whether sustained improvements in best practice AOD care can be achieved by implementing two iterative cycles of continuous quality improvement.
• Evaluate the acceptability of the improvement program for SWAMS in the delivery and quality of AOD care.

It will commence with a series of yarning circles – a culturally safe Aboriginal research method for exploratory qualitative data collection – and include yarning sessions and focus group discussions with primary health care staff and the local Aboriginal community to map existing approaches to AOD service provision, collaboratively imagine an ideal future approach and identify steps for achieving that future for AOD care at SWAMS. This co-design process will incorporate local knowledge and best practice approaches drawn from Aboriginal experts and the AOD evidence base.