THRIVE program supports sports clubs to talk about wellbeing

Last week, Parliamentary Secretary for Mental Health Steve Dimopoulos officially launched the THRIVE program at the St Kilda Football Club in Moorabbin.  

SEMPHN has commissioned the St Kilda Football Club to lead a partnership with Langwarrin Positive Education Network, Frankston City Council, Peninsula Health and the Frankston Mornington-Peninsula Primary Care Partnership to expand the THRIVE program into community sport and recreation clubs across the Frankston and Mornington Peninsula area.

The THRIVE program will provide club committees, staff and management with support, access to mental health training opportunities, resources to support the management of mental health difficulties and suicidality and run special events and tools to promote the THRIVE actions.

The THRIVE program is a place-based approach as part of the Suicide Prevention Placed-Based Trials supporting people to develop positive mental health and wellbeing as an approach to suicide prevention.

Read more about the THRIVE program launch here. 

Managing mental health challenges during a standard consultation

Feedback from GPs indicates that it's getting harder to manage patients with mental health challenges without specialist knowledge. It's even harder when the patient can’t wait for an appointment let alone pay the specialist fees. 

To support patients who need timely advice, SEMPHN, Monash Health and Alfred Health have partnered to provide psychiatrist secondary consults at no cost to the GP or patient.

GPs in the Monash Health and Alfred Health catchments can speak directly with a psychiatrist about medication, treatment options and management challenges. 

How to access psychiatrist secondary consults

Call SEMPHN’s Access and Referral on 1800 862 363 (8.30 am–4.30 pm weekdays) to book a time with an expert psychiatrist secondary consultation by phone or video.

"I’ve been waiting for something like this for years. Knowing I can speak directly to a psychiatrist who fully understands the specialised medications is just brilliant!“

- Dr. Assuntha Victor, GP and Owner, Shalom Healthcare, Cranbourne

New Victorian information sharing obligations for general practices

GPs and practice nurses are now included in Victoria’s legislated Family Violence and Child Information Sharing Schemes.

GPs and practice nurses have expanded information-sharing obligations if they think a patient is experiencing or perpetrating family violence, or are worried about a child’s safety.

Please read and share with your clinical team the department’s FAQ document (developed with the RACGP) on the RACGP’s website.

There is also a handy infographic.

Introducing WorkSafe Victoria’s Clinical Hotline Pilot

WorkSafe Victoria (WSV) is completing a Clinical Redesign Program. This program aims to improve injured worker outcomes.

As part of this program, WSV is launching a new hotline for treating health practitioners to have direct access to its panel of workers compensation clinical experts.

These clinical experts (‘Hotline Clinicians’) include experienced WorkSafe Victoria clinicians from a variety of health disciplines.

The Clinical Hotline pilot is staffed by WSV GPs, occupational and sports physicians.

The Clinical Hotline can be reached by phone:
03 4243 6950

• 9 am–5 pm
• Monday–Thursday

General Practitioners are welcome to call outside of these hours and leave a message for a Hotline Clinician to return their call the following business day.

Chronic Pain Statewide Referral Criteria now available

From 1 May 2021, referrals into chronic pain clinics in public hospitals are being assessed against statewide referral criteria as part of the Health Independence Program.

Referrals that do not meet the criteria may be declined. Statewide Referral Criteria Clinical and Referral pathways, including Chronic Pain, are found on the SEMPHN website here.

The Department of Health website contains the full Statewide Referral Criteria for Specialist Clinics.

Webinar: Talking About Suicide in General Practice (1 June)

The Talking About Suicide in General Practice workshop aims to increase health professionals' skill and confidence in recognising presentations where suicide risk is high.

Speakers: Dr Guy Gordon and Dr Sarah Weaver.

Learning Outcomes

• Undertake a suicide risk assessment effectively.
• Develop a collaborative safety plan.
• Provide effective management following a suicide attempt.

Further details:
For further information please contact Melissa Sibraa at melissa.sibraa@blackdog.org.au or Hui Yang at hui.yang@semphn.org.au.

When: Tuesday, 1 June 2021, 6.00-9.00pm
Where: Online Webinar
Accreditation: 6 CPD Activity Points.
Cost: Free
Register: here

Note: This Webinar is only for those who have connections (work, live and/or study) in the Dandenong, Casey and Cardinia regions.

Webinar: Hepatitis essentials & inclusive practice (2 June)

This informative and interactive training will aim to
improve confidence to effectively screen, treat and
manage patients with hepatitis B and C, in a cross-cultural healthcare setting. An epidemiology update will also be included in this session.

This session is aimed to assist general practitioners, nurse practitioners and other health practitioners to:

• Ensure regular screening of at-risk patients and confidently interpret hepatitis test results
• Understand and be able to explain what hepatitis B treatment and monitoring entails for both practitioners and patients
• Understand the role of other health care practitioners in hepatitis B management
• Integrate cross-cultural healthcare principles into practice
• Demonstrate an understanding of the lived experience issues faced by patients with hepatitis
• Understand up to date and local epidemiology of viral hepatitis

This session will be facilitated by Dr Lester Mascarenhas - an s100 HIV and s100 Hepatitis B prescriber from Utopia Refugee and Asylum Seeker Health and CoHealth.

When: Wednesday, 2 June, 6.30 pm–8 pm
Where: Online 
Cost: Free
Accreditation: Professional development points will be available
Register here. 

Practice managers, want to learn more about Quality Improvement? (16 June)

Recently, we hosted a webinar covering the basics of Quality Improvement (QI) in general practice. Now, we are inviting practice managers to join us on Wednesday, 16 June at 12.30 for Part 2. 

In this second session, led by Dr Paresh Dawda and Angelene True, we will be looking at the next steps of QI, translating theory into practice.

Learning outcomes for Part 2:

• Outline the Model for Improvement
• Utilise data to both identify the need for improvement and measure change and improvement/success over time
• Develop an approach to effective change management and mitigate the risk of failure

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

Did you miss Part 1 of the Quality Improvement series? 

Don’t worry, we have a recording available! Contact your provider support officer (providersupport@semphn.org.au) for the link. 

Little Lungs: paediatric asthma update (17 June)

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. 

Participants will learn how to:

• Identify the steps involved in the diagnosis of paediatric asthma - referring to the Australian Asthma Handbook
• Describe the management of asthma across the different ages in children
• Summarise the important information to be included in a Written Asthma Action Plan
• Define the steps in managing acute asthma in primary care.

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.

Webinar: Palliative Care in General Practice

PEPA is hosting an interactive, online, education session to discuss palliative care in general practice.

This session will utilise group discussion and case studies to provide a greater understanding of symptom management at the end of life. 

This workshop is for General Practitioners based in Victoria (Australia) who care for people with a life-limiting illness. Practice Nurses are welcome to attend.

Topics

• Recognising patients who need palliative care
• Communicating about end-of-life issues
• Voluntary assisted dying in Victoria
• Assessing and managing common symptoms
• Advance care planning

When: Thursday, 17 June, 6 pm—8 pm
Where: Online, WebEx
Cost: Free
Accreditation: 2 CPD points with RACGP
Register here.