Increase in gastroenteritis
outbreaks in childcare

Parents and carers are urged to keep young children at home if they are sick amid a rapid rise in outbreaks of viral gastroenteritis in Victorian childcare centres.

Viral gastroenteritis is highly infectious. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, abdominal pain, headache and muscle aches, with more severe outcomes in the elderly and very young. Symptoms can take up to three days to develop and usually last between one or two days, sometimes longer.

Washing hands with soap and water is one of the most effective ways of preventing the spread of infection. Alcohol-based hand sanitisers are not effective against many common viruses that cause gastroenteritis.

Anyone recovering from gastroenteritis should avoid visiting hospitals, childcare centres and aged care facilities to avoid spreading the infection to those most vulnerable. Any person living in a household with someone who has gastroenteritis should refrain from visiting these high-risk facilities until at least 48 hours after the last person in the household has recovered.

Read the full health advisory.

COVID-19 pages for health professionals

SEMPHN has a number of COVID-19 information pages for health professionals on our website.

Follow the links to access SEMPHN's pages on:

• COVID-19 information for health professionals
• COVID-19 Vaccine
• 'COVID fatigue' and infection control practices

• General Practice planning for potential outbreaks

• COVID-19 Information for community

Interested in the AOD treatment tender? Register for the info session

SEMPHN is seeking an organisation to deliver ResetLife: Intensive Outpatient Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Treatment in the City of Casey.

Using the Matrix Model, ResetLife is a highly structured, integrated and evidence-based approach to AOD treatment.

Individual therapy sessions are combined with specific structured group sessions including:

• early recovery skills groups
• relapse prevention groups
• family education groups
• continuing care social support groups.

During the ResetLife program, clients access 16 weeks of intensive structured treatment, followed by 36 weeks of continuing care in the year-long program.

To apply for this tender, applicants must attend the information session on 16 March. 

Register here for the information session.
Read more about this tender. 

Flexible support for people with mild to moderate mental illness

Connect Health is currently taking referrals for the Accessible Psychological Interventions (API) service in Bayside. 

API services include a range of short term psychological interventions. These are available in individual and family formats and are matched to people’s needs.

Interventions include:

• cognitive-behavioural therapy
• skills training
• psycho-education
• relaxation strategies
• other evidence-based interventions.

API services can be delivered by clinical psychologists, psychologists, mental health social workers, occupational therapists and mental health nurses.

Refer via SEMPHN Access & Referral (8.30 am-4.30 pm weekdays):

• Ph: 1800 862 363
• Fax: 1300 354 053

Referral forms (including medical software templates) are available on the SEMPHN Access & Referral page. Other referral forms are accepted if they contain the required information.

Consent is needed for clients to receive services.

HeadtoHelp: Share the Bear with your patients!

Do your patients need help approaching their mental health care? HeadtoHelp supports Victorians find access to mental health treatment suited to their needs. 

Who is HeadtoHelp for?

The HeadtoHelp service is open to Victorians of any age who may be experiencing distress or mental ill health. This includes people who have never accessed mental health services before and their family and friends. It also is for family and friends of those in aged care.

Who can refer to HeadtoHelp services?

Anyone can refer to HeadtoHelp. Support/services are accessible to everyone, at no cost. A Medicare card, ID or Mental Health Care Plan is not required. The team at HeadtoHelp intake are clinicians who use the Initial Assessment Referral Decision Support Tool (IAR-DST) to make an assessment and refer people to the appropriate type of service, with their consent.

Anyone can call HeadtoHelp central intake on ph: 1800 595 212, Monday to Friday, 8.30am-5pm. HeadtoHelp services do not provide after-hours or emergency mental health advice or support.  In case of emergency, call 000.

Share the Bear! 

A friendly and relatable bear was designed to promote the HeadtoHelp service. The bear's worries, stresses and loneliness are relatable feelings for many Victorians since the pandemic started. 

Share the bear with your patients through some of these helpful resources:

• Downloadable flyer for your patients 
• Printing posters for your waiting rooms - topics include: job worries, feeling uncertain or loneliness

Free suicide prevention training for general practice (29 April)

Is your general practice in Frankston-Mornington Peninsula, Dandenong, Casey or Cardinia?

SEMPHN is partnering with the Black Dog Institute to deliver suicide prevention training for health professionals in these parts of the catchment. 

This training is offered as part of the Place-Based Suicide Prevention Trials which is a partnership between the Victorian Department of Health and Victorian Primary Health Networks.

Talking about Suicide in General Practice

This workshop aims to increase GPs skill and confidence in:

• recognising presentations where suicide risk is high
• undertaking a detailed risk assessment
• management planning using a collaborative, team-based approach.

In addition to the training, The Black Dog Institute will make a number of resources available.

When: 29 April 2021, 6pm-9pm
Where: Online via Zoom
Cost: Free
Registration: https://www.cvent.com/d/fjq2sh
Accreditation: This course is accredited with RACGP, ACRRM and GPMHSC.

Click here for more information or view the flyer.

COVID-19 vaccines - your questions answered! (16 March)

What is mRNA? Why are there two vaccines on offer? What’s the difference? What does herd immunity mean? How long will the rollout take? Are the vaccines safe?

As Australia begins to rollout the COVID-19 vaccines, we are faced with an abundance of new information, technical terminology, and vaccine myths and misinformation.

It can quickly become confusing and overwhelming. At this Q&A event hosted by the ABC’s Michael Rowland, a panel of experts will answer your burning questions around the COVID-19 vaccines.

The panel:

• Professor Sharon Lewin AO, Director, Doherty Institute
• Associate Professor Margie Danchin, Consultant Paediatrician, Royal Children’s Hospital and Clinician Scientist at the University of Melbourne and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
• Professor Terry Nolan AO, Head of Vaccine and Immunisation Research Group, Doherty Institute
• Dr Janine Trevillyan, Lead, COVID-19 Vaccination Program, Austin Hub; Head, Clinical Virology and HIV Services, Austin Health; and Infectious Diseases Physician

When: Tuesday, 16 March, 6 pm - 7.30 pm
Where: Attend in person (Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre) or stream online
Register here.

Enrolments open for HIV s100 prescriber course (22 March)

VHHITAL has opened enrolments for an HIV s100 prescriber course for GPs and Nurse Practitioners in managing and treating HIV in the general practice setting.

Upon successful completion of this training and the associated assessment, participants can apply to the State Department of Health for authority to prescribe section 100 (s100) drugs for the management of HIV.

This free activity starts Monday, 22 March 2021.

This is an accredited activity for 40 RACGP CPD Accredited Activity points for the 2020-22 triennium; Approved for 20 PDP points by ACRRM; ACNP Endorsed.

It will be conducted online in four sessions over four weeks with elements to be completed before, between and after the sessions.

Practitioners who complete HIV and/or Hepatitis s100 training and become accredited are paired with a mentor, and also have the opportunity to become a member of the s100 HIV and Hepatitis prescriber communities of practice.

Do you see patients who are stressed, anxious or depressed as a result of their work?

Monash University invites GPs who would like to improve their care for these patients by joining in a new NHMRC-funded Partnership trial entitled "Implementing work-related Mental health guidelines in general PRactiCE (IMPRovE).

GPs who complete two surveys (one now and one in 18 months), attend an academic detailing session and attend a pre-specified webinar will receive $800 plus either 40 RACGP CPD points or 8 ACRRM points at the conclusion of the trial, and their practices will receive $500.

Over an 18 month period, GPs who are randomised to receive the intervention will receive tailored educational outreach and be offered engagement and support through an online community of practice. GPs who are randomised to the control group will be offered key components of the intervention when the trial concludes. 

The trial has commenced recruitment of interested GPs. GPs in Victoria are invited to participate.

If you would like to know more about this project, please visit: www.monash.edu/improve-trial or contact improve.trial@monash.edu or call 0428 044 655.