Opportunity to deliver holistic alcohol and other drug service 

SEMPHN is pleased to invite eligible organisations to tender to deliver alcohol and other drug and wellbeing services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across the lifespan.

Prospective service providers will be invited to present a service model that meets the needs of local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. 

Eligibility

All Responses must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Be an Indigenous corporation registered under the Corporations Act 2001 (Corporations Act); Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs)
• Be an ACCHO who currently delivers on-site services within the SEMPHN catchment (see the Department of Health’s website for catchment boundaries)
• For additional eligibility criteria, read the tender specifications provided through SEMPHN's eProcure. 

Applying for this tender

• Questions for this tender have now closed. To read answers, register via eProcure.
• Tender closes 17 February (3 pm).
• All tenders must be submitted via SEMPHN's eProcure.

Read more on the SEMPHN website, or access the full specifications on SEMPHN's eProcure. 

Simpler access to free psychiatrist secondary consults for GPs in Alfred Health catchment

Alfred Health and SEMPHN have made it easier for GPs to access secondary consultations with an experienced psychiatrist to support the mental health of your patients aged over 25.

By prior appointment, you can access a free, 45 minute consultation by video or phone to discuss your patient’s mental health treatment, for example:

• reviewing your patient’s management plan
• medication management advice
• referral and linkage information/recommendations.

This is a non-urgent service, and clinical responsibility for the patient remains with the treating GP.

You now only need the following information to book a consultation:

1. Confirmation of patient consent for the consultation to occur
2. Patient details/demographics
3. Diagnosis.

To refer or for more information, call SEMPHN’s Access & Referral Ph: 1800 862 363, 8.30am-4.30pm weekdays (no faxes).

GPs, here’s something to complement the mental health care you provide

You may have heard about HeadtoHelp, but are you aware of the value-add to your usual patient care?

HeadtoHelp is a $27 million Australian Government-funded mental health service delivered by Victorian PHNs.

Here are five benefits of HeadtoHelp for you and your patients:

1.  A helpful navigator: HeadtoHelp can help you and your patients find the right mental health service for their needs.

2.  Complement, not replace, your work with patients: HeadtoHelp will work with you and your patient, with everything from care planning, linking with existing services, referring to more intensive care or social supports if needed, all while keeping your patient connected to you - their usual general practice and GP.

3.  A mental health treatment provider: HeadtoHelp provides onsite and telehealth services from a multidisciplinary team including psychologists, mental health nurses, social workers and AOD workers.

4.  No long wait lists: HeadtoHelp responds quickly, with no or short wait for your patients to receive care.

5.  Accessible: Services are free of charge; Medicare card and ID are not required.

There are 15 HeadtoHelp mental health hubs in Victoria; three in south east Melbourne: Frankston, Officer and Berwick. Hubs are located at existing primary care settings, where people usually access general health care.

Call HeadtoHelp to find out more Ph: 1800 595 212 Mon-Fri 8.30am-5pm.

Learn more on our webpage or check out our GP FAQ for detailed information.

GPs: Do you want to see improved referral processes and secondary consults?

A few GPs with a keen interest in how outpatients can better work for GPs and their patients are needed to provide input and help the three SEMPHN region local hospital networks.

Alfred, Monash and Peninsula Health are working together to improve care across the continuum, led by their CEOs and SEMPHN’s CEO.  

We are looking for GPs who can take part in one of three different discussions. These meetings will be virtual and held within the next couple of months. You will be remunerated for your time.

The three discussion group topics are:

1. Improving the specialist clinics referral process for GPs
2. Implementing secondary consults for GPs.
3. Addressing high rates of referrals not meeting the Statewide specialist clinic referral criteria.

If you are interested in taking part, please email providersupport@semphn.org.au by COB Monday 22 February.

Electronic ordering of pathology

Electronic ordering of pathology requests, also referred to as eOrders, is the automated electronic transfer of the pathology request data to the pathology provider, without any additional steps for the ordering clinician or practice.

Benefits of using electronic pathology requests include:

• Improved processing time and reduced transcription errors
• Improved workflow for your practice
• Improved experience for your patients. 

How do you set up electronic ordering?

You will need to contact your pathology provider to enable electronic ordering of requests (the process is fairly straightforward). In Victoria, Australian Clinical Labs and Melbourne Pathology currently offer this functionality and our Health VitalIT eOrdering article includes a list of compatible clinical software products.

Do not hesitate to contact our Digital Health team at  digitalhealth@semphn.org.au  or 03 8514 4460 if you have any questions regarding electronic ordering of pathology requests or any other digital health queries.

COVID-19 Vaccination Training now available

The Australian Government has partnered with the Australian College of Nursing to develop and deliver free and accredited training modules for individuals involved in the administration of COVID-19 vaccines.

Accredited vaccination providers will be required to undertake this training, which is available now. 

Training will also be available for non-clinical and administration staff, who will be able to access the non-clinical modules of the training such as handling, storage and administrative reporting.

Training modules COVID-19 vaccine training modules are categorised into two groups, core and additional.

• Core COVID-19 modules involve training for COVID-19 vaccination more broadly.
• Additional COVID-19 modules are specific to individual vaccine candidates.

For training modules, enrolling in the training and the source of the online modules, click here. 

For further information on free and accredited training modules, please download the COVID-19 vaccines stakeholder Kit 2

NCIRS webinars on the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine

NCIRS will host two webinars in preparation for the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in Australia. You may have seen the first webinar held on Friday 12 February 2021. If not please view NCIRS past recordings here.

The second webinar will be held on Friday, 19 February 2021 from 7pm-8pm.

This webinar will provide an update on the Oxford Vaccine Group-Astra Zeneca ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine and build on the understanding of the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in Australia.

The webinars are hosted by The National Screening Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) team in partnership with the Australian Society for Infectious Diseases Vaccination Special Interest Group.

The webinar will be recorded and will be made available on the NCIRS website.

Read the latest advice: COVID-19 and Influenza Vaccination

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has provided advice on the relative timing of administering influenza and COVID-19 vaccines in 2021.

Key messages:

• Routine scheduling and giving of an influenza vaccine with a COVID-19 vaccine on the same day is not recommended.
• The preferred minimum interval between a dose of seasonal influenza vaccine and a dose of Pfizer/BioNTech or AstraZeneca/University of Oxford is 14 days.
• There may be circumstances where co-administration or near administration (within days) of an influenza vaccine with a COVID-19 vaccine may be considered.
• There is no particular requirement regarding the order of receiving a dose of influenza vaccine and either the first or second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
• If an influenza vaccine has been inadvertently co-administered or given within a shorter interval than 14 days with a COVID-19 vaccine, revaccination with either vaccine is not considered necessary.

For further information, please download the publication here.

Update: Mandatory reporting to AIR

Mandatory reporting to the Australian Immunisation Register has been passed through the Australian Parliament.

A passage of new legislation through the Australian Parliament will require all vaccination providers to report vaccinations to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR).

Any COVID-19 vaccines once approved for use and administered in Australia will be required to be reported to the AIR.

Influenza vaccinations must be reported to the AIR from 1 March 2021 and all other NIP vaccinations must be reported from 1 July 2021.  

The Minister's press release is available on the Department of Health website.

Are you registered with AHPRA and have expertise in AOD? Become a mentor!

The RACGP Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) GP Education Program is a Commonwealth government funded program aiming to upskill GPs to better address drug and alcohol addiction in their local communities.

The program is seeking expressions of interest from AHPRA registered medical professionals with AOD expertise who would like to mentor a GP on the Program.

Mentors receive a one-off grant payment of $1,500 to provide 6-8 hours of mentor support to a local GP around alcohol and drug use in their community.

To learn more about how to become an Advanced Skills Training Mentor, visit the RACGP AOD GP Education Program Website.

Express your interest in one or more of the opportunities listed by completing this short online form, or email AOD@racgp.org.au.