Health warning on mosquitoes and Ross River virus in south west Victoria

Residents and visitors of the Surf Coast, Geelong and Bellarine Peninsula areas of Victoria are being warned to protect themselves against mosquito-borne diseases such as Ross River virus and Barmah Forest virus.

Ross River virus has been detected in mosquitoes in Anglesea. These viruses can cause symptoms including joint pain and stiffness, headache, fever, rash and fatigue.

The best protection from these diseases is to avoid mosquito bites - protective measures include regularly using mosquito repellent containing picaridin or DEET on all exposed skin, wearing long, loose fitting clothing when outside, and ensuring accommodation, including tents, are properly fitted with mosquito nettings or screens.

Doctors should consider the possibility of mosquito-borne disease in patients presenting with a compatible illness, especially after travel to rural or regional Victoria.

A blood test early in the illness can indicate potential acute infection and should be repeated two weeks later for confirmation.

A range of information relating to protecting against mosquito bites is available on the Beat the Bite campaign page on the Better Health Channel.

Read the full advisory: Health warning on mosquitoes and Ross River virus in south west Victoria

Next steps: COVID-19 vaccination rollout

Accredited General Practices are invited to express their interest in participating in Phase 1b of the Australian Government’s COVID-19 Vaccine Roll-out from March 2021.

The response form opened at 9am AEDT, Saturday 23 January 2021, and will CLOSE at 11:59pm AWST Monday 1 February 2021.

All responses to the EOI must be submitted via an online EOI response form. A separate EOI must be submitted for each general practice location.

This documentation provides guidance on the roll-out to assist you to make your decision and includes a copy of the Expression Of Interest (EOI) questions for you to plan your responses.

• The form can only be completed in one sitting (i.e. it cannot be saved and completed at a later date). 
• Only accredited general practices are currently eligible to submit and EOI response.
• General practices who do not participate in this phase may still be involved in later phases of the vaccine roll-out. All general practices who meet requirements will have the opportunity to participate in the vaccine roll-out as more vaccines become available.
• Commonwealth funded General Practitioner led Respiratory Clinics and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services do not need to apply through this EOI and will be approached to participate through separate processes.

Important notes and next steps:

• SEMPHN encourages eligible practices to apply. Please note that completing the EOI does not bind you to this opportunity. If you are accepted, you can decide then.
• As per the supporting documentation, potential applicants can seek clarification on this EOI by sending an email to primarycareCOVIDvaccine@health.gov.au until Wednesday 27 January. The documentation states that questions and responses will be shared with all potential applicants if relevant/appropriate.
• SEMPHN will also host a Q&A session for General Practices 12noon-1pm on Wednesday 27 January. Please dial in via Zoom Meeting. Meeting ID: 884 9804 7356. No password required.  
• SEMPHN will also still be hosting a webinar about the COVID Vaccine Rollout Strategy on Friday 5 February. Register here.

As always, further information on the roll-out will be provided as soon as it is available. Please ensure you subscribe to our COVID-19 updates as this is SEMPHN’s key communication channel for updates in this space.

Update on Australia’s COVID-19 vaccines

The Australian Government has a strategy to deliver COVID-19 vaccines to everyone living in Australia as soon as they are available.

A staged rollout of the vaccine is expected to commence in February 2021.

Healthcare professionals have an important role in discussing and delivering vaccination against COVID-19 with their patients.

The Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is likely to be available from early mid-February this year. Doses of this vaccine will be available through 30 to 50 hubs at specific hospital sites across urban and rural Australia.

Approval of the University of Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is anticipated for the coming months.

Both vaccines will progressively be distributed through an expanded number of sites, including general practice clinics, existing Commonwealth GP respiratory clinics, state-run vaccination clinics and pharmacies.

The vaccine rollout roadmap has determined the phases of vaccination for priority groups. Healthcare workers are priority groups in Phase 1a and Phase 1b. 

Learn more at the Department of Health’s COVID-19 vaccines website and subscribe to the COVID-19 Vaccines Update.

GPs and health professionals, come to our webinar about the COVID Vaccine Rollout Strategy

The rollout of COVID vaccines is a significant national and state priority and one that will involve a partnership across the primary health sector. 

Come along to our COVID vaccine seminar to hear more about the rollout strategy, the Expression of Interest (EOI) process for general practices, the role of GPs and hospitals, vaccine distribution and payments. 

As always, we will provide as much information as possible and there will also be an opportunity to ask questions.

When: Friday 5 February 2021 at 12 pm. 
Register here.

Please also keep an eye on our Coronavirus website page, in addition to signing up to our Coronavirus newsletter for Health Professionals.

Last chance: Limited places for FREE immunisation education

SEMPHN's Practice Nurse grant will cover the cost of the Nurse Immunisation course for 400 eligible nurses ($1000 per applicant) in the SEMPHN catchment, to support immunisations for influenza, other child and adult vaccinations, as well as preparing for potential administration of the COVID-19 vaccinations.

About the course

The course is appropriate for both Registered and Enrolled Nurses. On completion of the course, nurses will receive a nationally accredited statement of attainment.

The first 200 Registered Nurses to complete the course will be eligible to complete the Immunisation Endorsement Program at no additional cost. This extra program authorises Registered Nurses practising in Victoria to administer vaccines independently of a medical officer.

• The course takes approximately 110 hours to complete, including a five-hour, face-to-face training. 
• The grant allows the practice nurse to take up to 1.5 days funded study leave, however the remaining hours to complete the course will be in their own time.
• All practice nurses who accept the grant must complete the course by 30 June 2021. 

How to apply

• Practice nurses need to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) through SEMPHN’s eProcure.
• All questions about this grant must be asked through SEMPHN's eProcure.
• Applications close Wednesday, 27 January 2021. 

Read more details on the SEMPHN website, or visit SEMPHN's eProcure. 

 Free access to psychiatrist secondary consultations 

SEMPHN has partnered with Alfred Health to provide general practitioners with free access to secondary consultations with an experienced psychiatrist.

What’s on offer?

GPs in the Alfred Health catchment can access a free, 30-minute phone consultation during business hours to discuss your patient’s mental health, for example: diagnostic issues, medication options, developing safety plans and general management. 

The service is applicable to patients over the age of 25.

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

How can I access this service?

Call SEMPHN’s Access & Referral on 1800 862 363, 8.30 am-4.30 pm weekdays. Faxed referrals will not be accepted. You will be asked to provide information which will be sent to the psychiatrist at Monash Health before the formal consultation.

Read more.

Join us for the first Practice Managers Network meeting of 2021!

Join us for an interactive Q&A session on employment Human Resources issues.

After a brief discussion about managing doctors and managing staff who are seeing doctors as patients, Sonya and Angela are happy to answer your questions. There will be space to ask your questions on areas such as preparing and reviewing staff contracts, position descriptions and performance management

Our two very experienced guest speakers are from Avant: 

• Sonya Black, Special Counsel – Employment
• Angela Mason-Lynch, Risk Advisor. 

Sonya advises medical practitioners and medical practices across Australia about a broad range of employment issues. She has over 20 years’ experience as an employment lawyer, including over 10 years advising about employment issues in the public and private health sectors. Sonya provides practical and common sense solutions to employment concerns in order to minimise disputes.

Angela has extensive experience managing practices of various disciplines and sizes and many of you may know her as a past State and National AAPM President. Angela has a history of commitment to ensuring health care is delivered safely with quality outcomes in a financially viable environment that is a desirable place in which to work.

When: Wednesday, 17 February 12.30 pm - 1.30 pm
Where: Online (Zoom)
Register here. 

Practice Nurse Network Meeting
is on hold

The practice nurse network meeting scheduled for 7-8 pm Thursday 18 February is on hold as unfortunately, our speaker is no longer available.  

We ask that you put a placeholder for this time and date and we will let you know shortly if we will be running an event at this time. 

RACGP Alcohol and Other Drugs GP Education Program 

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.

You can connect to training from anywhere in Australia. Training includes online workshops, online learning modules, webinars and a mentoring series.

Select and apply for the mode of training that best suits you. RACGP members can access the program at three separate entry points.

Each pathway is a stand-alone program. You can access all three levels of training or just the level of training that best suits you.

• Essential Skills focuses on core AOD skills, is available online to all RACGP members and takes two hours to complete. 
• Treatment Skills builds on the core AOD skills and takes a minimum of six hours to complete. You receive $1,200 upon completion of training. Applications are now open and close on the 31 July 2021.
• Advanced Skills builds AOD specific skills based on the AOD trends in your local patient community. It is a flexible learning program and takes up to 20 hours to complete. You receive $2,500 upon completion of training. Applications for the final intake open on the 18 January 2021 and close on the 15 March 2021.

The RACGP is also running an AOD Connect: Project ECHO group every Thursday evening, a weekly online forum where GPs can discuss AOD cases and seek support from their peers and AOD experts.

For more information on Program eligibility, grant payments and to register or apply, visit the RACGP AOD GP Education Program Website.

Prepare for Fellowship exams with the RACGP

Have you heard about the RACGP’s new exam preparation course to help non-VR doctors?

The Practice Experience Program Exam Preparation (PEPExP) term is an optional course that can be undertaken concurrently with your last PEP educational term. It is only available to PEP participants and aims to enhance your skills for the AKT and KFP RACGP Fellowship exams.

The PEPExP is delivered online by experienced RACGP medical educators and examiners using authentic exam material from the RACGP exam question bank. The PEPExP term will focus on developing your clinical reasoning skills, which are key to successfully completing the Fellowship exams.

Applications for the 2021.3 PEP intake are now open. Find out more at www.racgp.org.au/pep