CareSearch will celebrate its 10th anniversary on 3 August 2018 to highlight the importance of evidence-informed palliative care. As the demand for palliative care in Australia increases, so too does the need to ensure that patients, their carers and families, health practitioner and aged care providers have easy access to …
Influence the future of lung conditions in Australia
Lung Foundation Australia are developing the first National Strategic Action Plan for Lung Conditions through funding from the Australian Government Department of Health. This action plan will be developed in consultation with an Advisory Group and is due for submission in early December. It will influence future decision making and …
Are you confident in providing end of life care for older Australians?
How do you know if your older patient is nearing death? How can you better manage their symptoms and help them die well? End of Life Directions for Aged Care (ELDAC) is a free, government-funded resource designed to connect you with evidence-based tools and resources in palliative care and advance …
New sessions to support families affected by alcohol and drugs
Gympie families can access new support sessions to help them through the issues caused by the problematic misuse of alcohol and drugs, such as methamphetamine. Over the past 20 years Family Drug Support (FDS) has provided support to thousands family members across Australia. When someone in the family has problematic …
Supporting carers to manage breakthrough symptoms safely
caring@home aims to improve the quality of palliative care service delivery across Australia by developing resources that support people to be cared for, and to die at home, if that is their choice. caring@home is a national project, led by the Brisbane South Palliative Care Collaborative, and funded by the …
Project breaks down barriers to reach isolated carers
The Caring for Carers of People with Dementia Project links isolated carers of older people with dementia to other carers living in regional and rural Australia. The free chat-based group program allows carers to chat with other carers in similar circumstances. Carers join a weekly group video conference meeting from …
Public Health Advisory to GPs in Wide Bay Food recall – potential Listeria contamination
There is a current trade recall of frozen vegetables due to concerns about possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. The recall is a precautionary measure following an investigation in Europe of an outbreak of a specific strain of L. monocytogenes with 47 cases across 5 EU countries. The outbreak, dating back …
Keep an eye out for the latest Medicare scam
According to an alert from the Australian Government’s Stay Smart Online Service, online scammers have set up a clone of the myGov website to trick you into sharing your login and bank account details. The scam starts with a phishing email that looks like it is from Medicare, asking you …
Better mental health outcomes for children
The National Workforce Centre for Child Mental Health recognise that the best way to support child mental health is through early intervention and prevention. There is a need to build the capacity of our workforce so that we can support parents to improve the mental health outcomes of infants and …
You can now get all cervical screening records in one place
The National Cancer Screening Register will be able to provide healthcare providers with the patients’ full cervical screening history regardless of the state or territory where test was performed. Previously, healthcare providers have been contacting state and territory registers for cervical screening histories pre 1 December 2017, and the NCSR …
Public health alert – Measles in Sunshine Coast area
Sunshine Coast Public Health Unit has been notified of a confirmed case of measles in a Sunshine Coast resident. The infection was acquired overseas. There is a low risk of further cases of measles. When a patient with measles attends a medical facility, other patients, visitors and staff are at …
Smoking cessation on the road to saving 10000 lives
Research shows the most effective way to quit smoking is to use nicotine replacement therapy or quit smoking medication in combination with support from a GP or health professional. Quitline is offering smokers in Central Queensland a tailored, quit smoking program with 12 weeks of free nicotine replacement therapy mailed …
A new MBS rebate structure is coming with the financial year
The Australian Government is introducing new Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) item fee arrangements for non-vocationally recognised general practitioners (non-VR GPs). The new arrangements will affect claims for services provided by these doctors from 1 July 2018. The changes will ensure that MBS fees payable reflect recognised levels of expertise, reward …
New hepatitis C treatments achieving incredible results
When the new treatments for chronic hepatitis C were released in 2016 they were touted as a game-changer. Many of us watched with cautious optimism. Would the Department of Health’s expensive gamble to eradicate hepatitis C pay off? The fact is, the new Direct Acting Antivirals (DAAs) are achieving incredible …
Ten things you may not know about ENT
Sunshine Coast ENT Surgeon David McIntosh looks at the different things you may not know about ENT surgery. We use robots for surgery. Those ever popular bits of technology are being used by head and neck cancer ENT surgeons. The most relevant type of throat cancer for this technology is …
Item numbers, billing and digital health covered in new webinars
Our PHN have been pleased to commission new webinars for practices in our region, addressing issues like item numbers, MBS billing and maximising revenue. The first two webinars by Katrina Otto from Train IT Medical look at general reports reports to analyse practice billing and to identify ways to minimise …
Latest poll on childhood bullying shows parents need support
Australian parents need more help to address and prevent childhood bullying as research shows one in five report one or more of their children was bullied in the last school term. Almost every parent (89%) of a child who was bullied said the experience had affected the whole family. One …
Have the CHAT with your patients
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) exacerbations are the second leading cause of preventable hospitalisations in Australia. Research shows that your patients with COPD are more likely to have an exacerbation (flare-up of symptoms) during the winter months. ‘Have the CHAT’ is Lung Foundation Australia’s COPD exacerbation campaign for primary care …
NAIDOC events coming to Gympie
As NAIDOC week draws near there are a range of celebrations planned for people in the Gympie community. Under the theme – Because of Her, We Can! – NAIDOC Week 2018 will be held nationally from Sunday 8 July and continue through to Sunday 15 July. The theme celebrates the …
Can your experience improve outcomes in delivering paediatric services?
Children’s Health Queensland is currently developing its health services plan, the Children’s Health and Wellbeing Services Plan 2018-2028 (CHWSP). The CHWSP will identify the key health service directions and strategies for the efficient and effective alignment of Children’s Health Queensland’s services to the needs of our community over the next …