Carbon monoxide and gas heater safety update

Carbon monoxide is an odourless, colourless gas that may cause a range of symptoms including headache, nausea and vomiting, flushing, muscle pain, weakness, shortness of breath, dizziness, coordination difficulties, confusion, or chest pain if inhaled.

Symptoms of poisoning are non-specific and can be mistaken for a flu-like illness or even food poisoning. Very high levels of carbon monoxide can cause loss of consciousness, seizures and death.

Medical professionals are therefore requested to exercise a high level of suspicion if compatible symptoms are related to the use of gas heaters and to follow the recommendations in this Advisory.

Read the guide: Could it be carbon monoxide poisoning? to assist in the diagnosis and management of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Read the full advisory. 

Changes announced: Closing the Gap Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme Co-payment Program

Reforms to the Closing the Gap Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme Co-payment Program (the Program) were announced on 12 June 2020, as part of the Seventh Community Pharmacy Agreement.

Some of the changes being implemented from 1 July 2021 are:

• Any PBS prescriber can register eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for the Program if they are not already registered.
• PBS prescribers will no longer be legally required to write or electronically print ‘CTG’ on eligible PBS prescriptions for registered Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. However, annotation of a PBS script will help Community Pharmacies and Section 94 Approved Private Hospital pharmacists know that the patient is registered for the Program when dispensing the medicines.
• General Schedule PBS prescriptions issued by PBS prescribers within public hospitals will now be eligible for the Program, provided they are dispensed by a community pharmacy or Section 94 Approved Private Hospital pharmacy.

The new arrangements will be reflected on the Department’s webpage from 1 July 2021 onwards.

Do you know a storyteller?

SEMPHN personas combine personal stories and real-life experiences with data from our Needs Assessments to illustrate challenges some of our community members face when trying to access health services in south eastern Melbourne. 

The stories often identify barriers people have experienced to find suitable and relevant health services, and their personal outlook on what does and doesn’t work in the health system. 

We are currently looking for storytellers who meet the following criteria:

• Father
• Living or working in Bayside LGA
• Keen to share stories about:
  • Their health
  • Experiences with how their alcohol consumption affected their life

I’m a health professional – how can I share this opportunity with my clients?

1. Share a link to this flyer or this web page
2. To express their interest, clients can get in touch with Jasmine directly by emailing jasmine.vandenhoek@semphn.org.au 

Coming up this week: Quality Improvement and paediatric asthma

Quality Improvement

Practice managers are invited to join this upcoming webinar about quality improvement (QI). Dr Paresh Dawda and Angelene True, we will be looking at the next steps of QI, translating theory into practice.

When: Wednesday, 16 June, 12.30 pm
Where: Online, Zoom
Cost: free
Register here.

Little Lungs: paediatric asthma update

This webinar is brought to you by SEMPHN and the National Asthma Council Australia.

The Australian Asthma Handbook details the latest guidelines for paediatric asthma from 0-12 months, 1-5 years, 6-11 years old. 

This webinar is for both practice nurses and general practitioners.

When: 17 June, 7 pm - 8 pm
Where: Online, Zoom
Accreditation: RACGP & ACRRM points will be available.
Register here.

Social Isolation and Social Prescribing Webinar

On 11 August, health professionals are invited to an webinar about Social Isolation and Social Prescribing.

This event is co-hosted by ADMA, Bolton Clarke Research Institute, Melbourne Academic Centre for Health, Melbourne School of Population & Global Health (MSPGH), Monash Partners, and the Western Alliance. 

Topics:

• Arts-Based Knowledge Translation Lab
• Black Dog’s Social Prescribing Program
• Co Designing a Social Prescription Service
• 500 Assets and a Case Load of Participants in the Frankston Mornington Peninsula Social Prescribing Program
• What does a regional council library service have to do with hospital to home transition services and social prescribing?        

When: Wednesday, 11 August 2021, 12 pm–1 pm  
Register here.

Helping women with perinatal depression and anxiety

The Perinatal Depression e-Consortium, led by the Parent-Infant Research Institute (PIRI), is pleased to provide a range of tools and resources to support general practice to better help women with perinatal depression and anxiety.

The MumSpace initiative offers MumMoodBooster and Mum2BMoodBooster: free, effective evidence-based online treatment programs for mild to moderately severe antenatal and postnatal depression and anxiety. 

The clinician portal allows GPs to directly refer patients to MumMoodBooster and track their progress. GPs have rapid, secure log-in access to comprehensive screening assessments and progressive summary reports. This has been co-developed with GPs.