Professional development opportunities and events read more

Help for people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background - Integrated Team Care (ITC)
Connect your patients with health care co-ordination read more

Advice on hepatitis B vaccines during supply shortages
Read this advice from the Department of Health read more

Three days left to have a say in Real Time Prescription Monitoring
It's coming to your practice in 2018, so here's your chance to make sure the training will work for you read more

GP educaiton event: Diagnosis and management of IBS
Come to this full-day course on 16 September read more

Catch-up immunisation advice for GPs in Greater Dandenong
There's a new phone line and email read more

SEMPHN Board applications close in two weeks
Apply now read more

Medication Assisted Treatment of Opioid Dependence (MATOD) training
There's a one-day workshop coming up in Nunawading read more

Heart Foundation unpacks the salt
An awareness campaign is running until June 2018 read more

Mental Health Professionals' Network
Strengthen your professional relationships in your local area read more

Integrated Team Care is an approach for providing coordinated, multidisciplinary care for people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds who have long term health conditions. The program is funded under the Indigenous Australians’ Health Programme and commissioned by SEMPHN.

Care co-ordinators can help:

• organise health care
• manage medical appointments
• get clients to medical appointments
• clients understand their health, medications and care plan
• make sure that GPs, Nurses and other health care services know what each other are doing
• link to other community services.

Aboriginal outreach workers can help people:

• get to appointments with GPs, nurses and other health care providers e.g. for diagnostic tests
• find health information and resources
• access social and emotional wellbeing services
• work with care co-ordination services
• navigate and understand the health system
• pick up medications from the pharmacy.

How to refer:

To refer your patient, call and ask for Aboriginal care co-ordination:

• Bunurong Health Service (part of DDACL): 9794 5933
• Star Health: 9066 1567 or 0419 229 157
• Peninsula Health: Intake Access 1300 665 781

SEMPHN will be hosting events later this year to promote the service to local communities.

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There's a current shortage of the adult formulation of hepatitis B vaccines in Australia. The shortage has impacted on private market supply.

Supply for the public National Immunisation Program (NIP) has not been affected at this time, so the adult formulation of hepatitis B vaccines as part of the NIP expansion measure should continue as scheduled for all eligible individuals.

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has developed clinical advice for vaccination providers on the use of hepatitis B vaccines during the current shortage. This advice is available on the Immunise Australia website.

If you have any questions, contact the ATAGI Secretariat via email at ATAGI.Secretariat@health.gov.au.

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Real Time Prescription Monitoring (RTPM) is on its way, and your input into training is needed. Your practice’s insights are important!

The Victorian Government has committed to RTPM in Victoria. RTPM will roll out via a software system to more than 1,900 medical clinics, 1,300 pharmacies and 200 hospitals

RTPM is a clinical decision support system that will allow prescribers and community pharmacists to access an up-to-the-minute medication supply history of certain high risk medicines for their patient at the point of consultation.  This will enable health practitioners to intervene earlier for people at risk of harm and respond appropriately to patient needs.

Primary health networks, health providers and partners will deliver training to primary care prescribers and community pharmacists. 

How can you have your say in the training development?

Please complete this 20 minute survey by 5pm, 6 September, to ensure that appropriate training for RTPM can be designed and delivered.

For more information about the survey, email RTPMtraining@westvicphn.com.au or phone (03) 5222 0806.

Information on the RTPM project is available on the Department of Health and Human Services website or phone (03) 9096 5633.

Thank you for your support!

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Interested in common (but challenging) gut disorders?

Come to a full-day course on 16 September, developed by the Alfred Health Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders Service and supported by SEMPHN and Monash Health.

The educational program is aimed at GPs and designed to be engaging, informative and interactive.

Topics include:

• challenges in managing IBS
• best practice for patient work-ups and specialist referrals 
• approaches to choosing the right therapeutic strategy for each patient
• working even better with multi-disciplinary teams.

When: 16 September 2017, 9am – 5pm
Where: AMREP lecture theatre, Alfred Hospital, Prahran
Cost: $150 includes a pre and post activity, course booklet, interactive lecture, morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea.

This course is accredited with the RACGP for 40 Category 1 points.

For more information contact Rebecca Burgell rebecca.burgell@monash.edu or register here.

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GPs in the City of Greater Dandenong (CGD) region can access a new service by phone or email to:

• speak with a nurse immuniser for advice on catch up immunisations for overdue infants and children under five years of age
• receive immunisation catch-up plans
• allow clients to be referred into the CGD  immunisation service for the catch-up.

Before you call, ensure all details including address, DOB, Medicare Number and any relevant immunisation history are on hand.

Phone 8571 5464 during these hours:

• Monday 10.00am – 12.00pm
• Tuesday 10.00am –12.00 pm
• Wednesday 2.00pm – 4.00pm
• Thursday 2.00pm – 4.00pm
• Friday 10.00am – 12.00pm

or email immunisation@cgd.vic.gov.au.

The SEMPHN-funded program aims to improve the quality of immunisation catch-ups and immunisation rates.

Print information for your GPs here

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The Board is constantly seeking to enhance its structure to meet the skills and experience required for the effective oversight and governance of SEMPHN’s activities. 

Applications are open for a General Practitioner non-executive director.

In line with SEMPHN’s priority areas, SEMPHN is particularly interested in applications from GPs with an interest or specialty in chronic disease, digital health, mental health, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, population health or aged care.

Applications are also open for a second non-executive director where being a general practitioner is not a requirement.  People working in primary care in the SEMPHN region who have a strong governance background are encouraged to apply for this position.

Applicants for either position should complete the application form and email this to Elizabeth Deveny at ceo@semphn.org.au by 15 September 2017. 

More information

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Opioid dependence is a growing public health concern affecting a wide variety of patients including users of illicit, prescription and over-the-counter opioids.

To prescribe pharmacotherapy the following free two-part training is required.

Module 1 (Safer Opiod Prescribing) – a two-hour online training approved for 4 Category 2 RACGP QI&CPD points for the 2017-2019 triennium.

This training is a compulsory pre-requisite to attend Module 2.

Module 2 – A one day face-to-face workshop approved for 40 Category 1 RACGP QI&CPD points for the 2017-2019 triennium.

The next Module 2 session is 9am-5pm on 22 October in Nunawading.

Access to online Module 1 and registrations for Module 2 is via the RACGP Victoria events page.

The training is free and available to members and non-members of RACGP.

For more information call Jackie Apostolopoulos on 0429 808 317 or email jacqueline.apostolopoulos@semphn.org.au.

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The Heart Foundation (Victoria) has launched an awareness campaign to help consumers ‘Unpack the Salt’ in their diets.

The campaign, a joint initiative of the Victorian Salt Reduction Partnership, was launched with the release of the first in a series of reports by the George Institute for Global Health on the salt content of popular processed foods.

Victorians currently eat almost double the WHO’s recommended maximum daily intake of 5g of salt each day, with 75 per cent of it coming from packaged foods. It was these alarming statistics that prompted VicHealth to establish the Victorian Salt Reduction Partnership.

‘Unpack the Salt’ runs until June 2018 and aims to raise awareness of health impacts of excess salt, how they are consuming it and providing simple #salternatives like cooking fresh and using herbs and spices.

A campaign site – unpackthesalt.com.au – contains useful  information such as types processed foods high in salt, how to read labels for salt content and easy low-salt recipes.

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Did you know 670 mental health practitioners from South Eastern Melbourne meet at local MHPN networks?

The Mental Health Professionals' Network supports interdisciplinary networks as a forum for psychologists, GPs, psychiatrists, social workers, mental health nurses, counsellors and any other associated mental health practitioner to meet on a regular basis in their local area.

When mental health practitioners from different disciplines network regularly, practitioner relationships strengthen and referral confidence and pathways improve.

Find practitioner networks in your area.

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Dates		Event
6 Sep		Naloxone Training for Pharmacists Pharmacists Dandenong Details and registration
6 Sep		Supporting the mental health of people living with obesity webinar Mental Health Practitioners Webinar Details and registration
10 Sep		Medication Assisted Treatment of Opioid Dependence (MATOD) training - Module 2 GPs East Melbourne Details and registration
12 Sep		2017 Melbourne Private Day Course in Infection Prevention & Control to all General Practice staff Practice Nurse, Receptionists Parkville Details and registration
12 Sep		SANE Mental Illness and Suicide Prevention Workshop Mental Health Workers Dandenong Details and registration
12 Sep		New Manager Manager, Practice Manager Webinar Details and registration
14 Sep		Putting the pieces together: Working with BPD clients in the AOD Allied Health Professionals, Case workers, Mental Health Nurses Fitzroy Details and registration
14 Sep		Cabrini GP Lecture Series - Acute medical emergencies in the GP setting GPs Malvern Details and registration
14 Sep		Understanding BPD presentations: A workshop for General Practitioners GPs Fitzroy Details and registration
16 Sep		Demystifying the diagnosis and management of irritable bowel syndrome GPs Prahran Details and registration
19 Sep		Understanding Forgotten Australians, Former Child Migrants, Stolen Generations and People Affected by Past and Forced Adoptions. Frankston Details and registration

For more information about events contact Stephenie Cook ph: (03) 8514 6609 or events@semphn.org.au

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