Professional development opportunities and events read more

How has codeine rescheduling affected you and your general practice?
Please take two minutes to share your thoughts read more

On-call support and secondary consult for at-risk patients with Borderline Personality Disorder
Practice managers, please share this with your GPs read more

Transvaginal mesh complications
GPs, do you know what to look for, and what to do? read more

Practice Software Training: Best Practice and Medical Director 
Learn how to get the most out of your software read more

This month's Practice Networks all about mental health
GPs, practice managers and nurses, come to our first Practice Networks for 2018 read more

Scholarships available: Cert IV in Mental Health Peer Work
Applications are open until 23 February read more

GPs, training to manage opioid dependence is available
Codeine rescheduling means it's a good time to learn about MATOD read more

Working with People from Refugee Backgrounds: workshop for front-of-house health staff
Come to a free one-day workshop by Foundation House read more

Kidney Health Week timely for raising patient awareness
Help your patients learn about risk factors read more
 

As you know, codeine was rescheduled to being prescription-only from 1 February.

Over the next few months, we'd like to give you the opportunity to feedback about the rescheduling, identify support you might need and to be a voice for your patients.

Please take two minutes here to tell us how codeine rescheduling has affected you and your general practice to date.

Responses are open until 27 February.

We'll be asking for your comments regularly to help us pick-up on any issues, and to tailor any extra support you might need. For example, information about potential referral pathways for patients who present with codeine dependence and or pain management issues.

Your responses will also contribute feedback to the Government about any implementation issues with the new policy.

Thank you for your time!

Return to top

Do you have patients with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) who present with suicidal risk in the Dandenong and Frankston Mornington Peninsula region?

SEMPHN is offering an opportunity for General Practitioners to get extra support to manage the care of these patients.

The 12-month initiative will provide intensive support from psychiatry and allied health with:

• on-call support, including after-hours for patients who present to you in crisis
• secondary consultations to address complex presentations and issues of suicidal risk
• support with clarification of diagnosis
• increasing your capacity and confidence with risk assessments and putting crisis management plans in place
• identifying and accessing services through the development of clinical and community referral pathways.

CPD points will apply.

The initiative will be led by Psychiatrist and Associate Prof Sathya Rao, Executive Clinical Director of Spectrum (Personality Disorder Service for Victoria) and Adjunct Associate Clinical Professor at Monash University.

Express your interest by emailing Alison Asche at suicideprevention@semphn.org.au – please include your full name, practice/facility name, email and phone number.

Expressions of interest close 5pm 23 March.

To learn more, come along to one of these information session for GPs:

• Register for the Dandenong information session 28 February here.
• Register for the Frankston Mornington Peninsula information session 14 March here.

Cost: Free. A buffet dinner will be provided.

Practice Managers, please print this flyer and distribute to your GPs.

Return to top

Transvaginal mesh is a specific surgical mesh that has been used to manage stress urinary incontinence problems for women.

In November last year, the TGA announced that mesh devices are no longer to be used in Australia for the treatment of most pelvic organ prolapse.

While this treatment is successful for some women, others have complications very soon after their operation or years later.

GPs, please read this factsheet about symptoms, signs and what to do about transvaginal mesh complications.

Return to top

Are you a GP, Practice Principal or Manager who's responsible for reporting and quality improvement initiatives? Don't miss our Practice Software Training!

The sessions (one for Best Practice, and one for Medical Director) are for advanced users who want to be able to use the software to its fullest. Information on software reporting will be covered, along with how it can be used to support quality improvement.

The sessions will be presented by Katrina Otto, Principal and Owner of Train IT Medical. Katrina is one of Australia’s leading practice management consultants and regularly works with practices to improve process, data quality and effective use of technology.

Getting the most from your practice software: for users of Medical Director
When: 7 March, 4.30pm-9pm
Where: Atura Dandenong
Register here.


Getting the most from your practice software: for users of Best Practice
When: 8 March, 4.30pm-9pm
Where: The Dandenong Club
Register here.

Cost: Free. A buffet dinner will be provided at each session.

Return to top

GPs, practice managers and practice nurses, we’re kicking off this year's Practice Networks talking about SEMPHN's new Mental Health Intake Service.

St Kilda: 15 February - St Kilda Town Hall, 6-7.30pm
Dandenong: 21 February - Greater Dandenong City Council, 6pm-7.30pm
Frankston: 22 February - Cube 37, Frankston 6pm-7.30pm

If you want to know more about local mental health service options for your patients, don’t miss it!

You will:

• Hear key statistics about mental health in Port Phillip, Dandenong and Frankston LGAs
• Get a basic run-down of the Stepped Care Model for mental health
• Learn about eligibility and referral processes for the new SEMPHN mental health services
• Meet local mental health providers and explore relevant cases, covering mild-moderate and severe/complex mental illness

Cost: Free. Sandwiches and coffee provided.

See this flyer to register.

Return to top

VICSERV, through support from the Department of Health and Human Services, is offering scholarships to people who are currently in peer work roles.

It's normally $3000 but VICSERV is offering fees of $437.50 + $200 for materials to successful applicants who apply by 23 February.

The Certificate IV Mental Health Peer Work is a nationally recognised qualification. It provides peer workers with fundamental skills and frameworks that are needed to work well in professional practice.

For more information and to download a registration form click here.

For more information, contact Lorelle Zemunik via email peerwork@vicserv.org.au or call (03) 9519 7000.

Return to top

With codeine now rescheduled to 'prescription only', it's an important time for GPs to understand opioid dependence.

Codeine dependence is treated in the same way as any type of opioid dependence - with Medication Assisted Treatment for Opioid Dependence (MATOD), also commonly known as Opioid Replacement Therapy (ORT) or Pharmacotherapy.

RACGP provides Medication Assisted Treatment for Opioid Dependence (MATOD) training for GPs, which consists of two parts:

Module 1 – Safer Opioid Prescribing
A two hour online training presented by specialist MATOD GPs, accredited for four Category 2 RACGP QI&CPD points for the 2017-2019 triennium. Click here for learning objectives and registration.

Module 2
A full day interactive workshop presented by specialist MATOD GPs, accredited for 40 Category 1 RACGP QI&CPD points for the 2017-2019 triennium.  Click here to register for the first  2018 workshop on 18 February.

Learning outcomes:

• Outline the potential benefits and risks associated with opioid prescribing
• Recognise, prevent and respond to problematic pharmaceutical opioid use
• Identify the legal issues regarding the prescribing of buprenorphine and methadone
• Implement safe and effective opioid and or methadone prescribing as part of a broader pain management plan
• Safely and effectively prescribe buprenorphine and or methadone for opioid dependence.

Please note, any GP can prescribe buprenorphine/naloxone for up to five patients without doing the above training. 

For more information click here or contact A4PN@semphn.org.au.

Return to top

Would you like to know more about people from refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds?

Foundation House is offering a one day workshop for front-of-house health staff.

Content will include:

• aspects of refugee journeys and settlement issues for people from refugee and asylum seeking backgrounds
• eligibility and access to health services in Victoria for people from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds
• communication skills, language services and health literacy.

When: 1 March, 9.30am - 4.30pm
Where: Foundation House, 4 Gardiner Street, Brunswick
Cost: Free. Morning Tea, Lunch and Afternoon Tea included.

The workshop is suitable for all staff who work in front line reception in public and private health services including dental, optometry and allied health services.

Registration is essential here.

Return to top

Did you know that one in three people Australians are at increased risk of kidney disease, and 90% of kidney function can be lost without experiencing any symptoms?

Kidney Health Week 5-11 March is an ideal time to raise awareness of kidney disease and encourage your patients to learn about risk factors and take control of their kidney health.

Your practice can help raise awareness by setting up an information display, pinning up a poster, or spreading the word on social media!

Order your resource pack here.

For more information call 1800 454 363 or email events@kidney.org.au.

Free Kidney Health CPD for practice nurses

The University of Newcastle is looking for general practice nurses to participate in a randomised controlled trial that evaluates e-learning to improve Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) screening.

The project, which is endorsed by Kidney Health Australia, considers evidenced-based screening practices and 'real world' solutions to initiating CKD screening in general practice.

The CPD will take between one to two hours, and a CPD certificate is awarded on completion.

For more information visit here or email help@ckd-detect.com.

Return to top

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

14 Feb		Medical Treatment Planning and Decisions Act 2016 Allied Health Professional, GPs Carlton Details and registration
15 Feb		St Kilda Practice Networks Practice Nurse, Practice Managers St Kilda Details and registration
15 Feb		Our Voice: Empowering lived experience to save lives Anyone with a lived experience of suicide who lives, works or studies in the Frankston/Mornington Peninsula region. Mornington Details and registration
15 Feb		The power of primary care in prostate cancer GP, Practice Nurse North Melbourne Details and registration
18 Feb		Medication Assisted Treatment for Opioid Dependence (MATOD) - Module 2 GPs East Melbourne Details and registration
20 Feb		Exercise is Medicine Workshop GPs, Allied Health Professionals, Nurses Dandenong Details and registration
20 Feb		SANE Suicide Prevention Workshop Mental Health Workers Pakenham Details and registration
21 Feb		Dandenong Practice Networks Practice Nurse, Practice Managers Dandenong Details and registration
22 Feb		Frankston Practice Networks Practice Nurse, Practice Managers Frankston Details and registration
23 Feb		The Magic of Collaboration: A workshop for Practice Managers and Nurses Practice Managers, Nurses Melbourne Details and registration
25 Feb		Hepatitis B s100 Prescriber Course GPs Dandenong Details and registration
28 Feb		Information session: Assisting GP's to support patients with Borderline Personality Disorder who present with chronic risk in primary care GPs SEMPHN Dandenong Details and registration

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

Return to Top