Blood glucose monitoring devices in COVID-19 accommodation

The Department of Health and Human Services is supporting Safer Care Victoria and Alfred Health to identify and contact residents whose blood glucose levels were measured while in COVID-19 accommodation, between 29 March and 20 August 2020.

The review was prompted by a newly identified risk of cross-contamination through a device used to measure their blood glucose level (BGL) via a finger prick test.

The devices used are not intended for ‘shared’ use and present a potential cross-contamination infection risk (Hepatitis B and C, and HIV).

The risk of transmission of blood-borne viruses is low, however as a precaution, anyone identified at risk is being contacted and offered a free screening test for Hepatitis B and C and HIV if required.

Anyone who used their own personal device to test their blood glucose levels is not at risk.

If residents believe or are unsure if they had this test, they can call the dedicated hotline on 1800 356 061 (8am to 8pm, seven days a week). Interpreters are available on request.

Further information is available here.

Read the full health advisory from 19 October.  

Up to $250k funding per General Practice available for Care Coordination

Is your General Practice in the South Eastern Melbourne catchment thinking of implementing care coordination? Or, does your practice want to take care coordination to the next level?

SEMPHN is seeking eligible general practices to tender to provide a care coordination service for a period of 24 months while still working in the current Medicare funding structure.  

Either $125,000 or $250,000 funding packages, per general practice, are available through this open tender over a period of 24 months. 

Applying for this tender

• A recorded information session about this tender is available through SEMPHN's eProcure.
• All questions must be submitted via SEMPHN's eProcure. 
• All tenders must be submitted via SEMPHN's eProcure.
• Tender closes on 13 November at 3pm. Late submissions will not be accepted.

Read more on our website. 

To stay up to date on tender announcements, subscribe to our commissioning newsletter, SEMaphore. 

Managing illness in schools during the COVID-19 pandemic

A fact sheet on Managing illness in schools and early childhood services during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is now available to support GPs in providing advice to parents of unwell children about school attendance:

• if a child is unwell, even with the mildest symptoms, they must stay home
• if a child has any of the below symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19), however mild, they should be tested
• a child must stay at home until they are symptom free, even if their coronavirus (COVID-19) test is negative
• children do not need a medical certificate before returning to school.

This advice has been prepared by the Department of Education and Training, Safer Care Victoria and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Download the fact sheet

View the vic.gov.au website

#YourHealthMatters - Will you help share the message? 

SEMPHN recently conducted a few surveys to better understand what people in south eastern Melbourne have been thinking during the last few months of this pandemic.

Among other things, our surveys found:

• More than a third of people have avoided attending medical appointments due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• In south eastern Melbourne, more people avoided their skin cancer checks due to the COVID-19 pandemic than other Victorians.
• In the last two months, women increasingly avoided or postponed cervical cancer screening due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

These are concerning numbers. Making sure people can access the right care, in the right place, at the right time is one of the PHN’s main endeavours.

That’s why we’ve created a communications toolkit to help remind our communities that they should not put off their regular health care. But, it only works if we can share the messaging far and wide!

The toolkit includes:

• Social media posts and tiles
• Newsletter items
• A4 posters you can download, print and hang in your waiting rooms

You can access the communications toolkit here: www.semphn.org.au/YourHealthMatters or via this Dropbox link.

If you use the social media tiles, please tag @semphn on Facebook or Twitter, and use the hashtag #YourHealthMatters so we can help increase the reach of each post. 

Go into the running for a Fitbit, and help improve Cancer Care Pathways  

Do you want to help improve cancer care experiences for you and your patients?

GPs, practice nurses and practice managers are invited to complete a quick survey regarding the cancer care pathways in our region. 

Click Complete survey by 30 October.

ARTD Consultants in partnership with the University of Melbourne, School of Population and Global Health have been commissioned by the Victorian Tasmanian Primary Health Network Alliance (VTPHNA) to evaluate the implementation of the optimal care pathways (OCPs) for cancer care into primary care using the SEMPHN pathways.

The evaluation aims to understand the usage, experiences and opinions of GPs, practice managers and nurses and determine the barriers and enablers to using OCPs on SEMPHN pathways.

The survey should take 10-15 minutes and you will remain completely anonymous. The survey link includes access to a participant information sheet which provides more information about the evaluation.

As a thank you for your time, we also are inviting participants who complete the survey to enter the draw for a Fitbit 4.

Complete survey

Webinar: An update on COPD-X Guidelines and COPD quality improvement tools for primary care

This webinar is aimed at the primary care health professional workforce however specialists and secondary/tertiary care nurses and allied health staff are also welcome to attend.

The guest panel includes experts in COPD who will cover the latest evidence-based COPD-X clinical guidelines and provide practical tools and resources for COPD quality improvement activities in primary care settings.

The guest panel includes:

• Dr Kerry Hancock (Facilitator) - Chair, RACGP Respiratory Medicine Specific Interest Network. Chair, Primary Care Advisory Committee, Lung Foundation Australia.
• Professor Ian Yang - Professor of Medicine, The University of Queensland Director of Thoracic Medicine, The Prince Charles Hospital. Co-Chair, COPD-X Guidelines Committee, Lung Foundation Australia
• Dr Eli Dabscheck - Respiratory and Sleep Physician, Alfred Hospital and Monash University.
  Co-Chair, COPD-X Guidelines Committee, Lung Foundation Australia.
• Katrina Otto - Principal, Train IT Medical.

When: Wednesday, 18 November, 6.30 pm - 8.30 pm
CPD: Applied for RACGP CPD and ACCRM points including endorsement through nursing bodies.
Cost: Free
Register here. 

Will your general practice host a nursing student?

As you’re well aware, the COVID-19 pandemic is still rife in Victoria. As a result, clinical placement hours for nursing students are tight, which leaves our future nurses at risk of being unable to graduate.

APNA is inviting you and your practice to take part in APNA’s Student Nurse Placement Pilot Project and host one or many student nurses.

As an incentive, your practice will receive $300 per student you host. The student must be supervised by a registered nurse or nurse practitioner during the placement. Each placement lasts for three weeks. Placements vary in start dates however the next placement begins on 23 November.

Below are some useful resources to get your head around the project details:

• Student Nurse Placement Pilot Project Flyer
• Student Nurse Placement Pilot Project Overview
• Student Nurse Placement Pilot Project FAQ

Registration is via APNA website.

To register for this project please click here.  If you have any questions please email Julie Bartosy, Project Manager on julie.bartosy@apna.asn.au.