Professional development opportunities and events read more

Chief Health Officer Advisory - Measles
There has been a confirmed case of Measles read more

'Building Capacity for General Practice' - grants coming soon
Grant opportunities with a total funding pool of around $2.5 million will be released in the coming weeks read more

A Hep B test could save your life: doctor urges Vietnamese Australians to get tested
Cancer Council Victoria has launched a new campaign read more

Which patients are eligible for refugee and asylum seeker services?
SEMPHN has a simple resource to help out read more

Two new AIHW reports
Two reports, including hosptial care for patients aged 85 years and over, have been released read more

Zen and the art of managing multimorbidity - ACRRM webinar 
Get top tips to manage complex patients in general practice read more

Resources for diabetes and emotional health
There's a new handbook and toolkit read more

The Chief Health Officer Advisory issued the following on 14 March to general practitioners and hospital emergency departments.

Measles
 
Key messages

• There is a confirmed case of measles in a person who was infectious while at a number of places across Melbourne including Werribee, Hoppers Crossing, Geelong and Melbourne CBD between Friday 3 March and Friday 10 March.
• The person has travelled internationally during the time the infection was probably acquired.
• Be alert for measles in patients presenting with a fever at rash onset, particularly if they attended the above places.
• Isolate suspected cases to minimise the risk of transmission within your department/practice.
• Notify the Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Section at the Department of Health and Human Services on 1300 651 160 of suspected cases immediately.
• Take blood for measles serology in all suspected cases.
• Discuss whether to take nose and throat swabs for PCR with the Department if your suspicion for measles is high. Approval is required prior to PCR testing at the reference laboratory. PCR testing for measles does not attract a Medicare rebate.

Read the full advisory.

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In the coming weeks, SEMPHN will release a tender for grants with a total funding pool of around $2.5 million, for a large number of General Practices within the SEMPHN region.

The grants will build capacity of systems and processes to support General Practice for areas such as care coordination and digital health.

Sign up for information updates via SEMPHN’s commissioning newsletter.

An information evening about the tender will be held on 30 March. Register here. 

Register your interest for these grants on SEMPHN's Tenderlink page.

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Cancer Council Victoria has launched a new campaign to encourage Vietnamese Australians to get tested for hepatitis B.

Doctor Hoang Tran said that everyone born in Vietnam and their family should be tested for hepatitis B.

“One in 11 Vietnamese Australians are living with the hepatitis B virus, but the real tragedy is that many do not know it,” he said.

“Up to one in four people with untreated hepatitis B may develop liver damage and/or liver cancer.”

Hepatitis B testing, vaccination, treatment and monitoring is available.

Doctor Tran urges Vietnamese Australians to talk to their doctor and get tested.

For more information about hepatitis B and liver cancer:

• access information in Vietnamese or English
• view Cancer Council Victoria’s resources for health professionals.

To speak to someone in Vietnamese, call 13 14 50 and ask for Cancer Council Victoria.

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We're sorry that the link in this item last week didn't work! The link to the resource is now working.

It’s hard for GPs to keep up with rules and guidelines about which patients are eligible for refugee and asylum seeker services, or how to refer them.

A simple resource is now available to help out. The visa types and their matching healthcare eligibilities are clearly laid out, so you can quickly find the most appropriate service to refer to.

It also contains key information about refugee and asylum seeker health and a list of providers in our catchment who support patients.

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The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has released two new reports.

The reports supplement the AIHW's annual Australia's hospitals at a glance and Australian hospital statistics series of reports by presenting summary information on specific hospital-related topics on an occasional basis.

Hospital care for patients aged 85 years and over 2014-15 expands the 85 years and over age-group into four 5 year age-groups up to ages 100+ and reports on aspects of admitted patient care provided to these very old patients.

Deaths in Australian hospitals 2014-15 examines admitted patient care provided to those patients whose place of death was in an Australian hospital during 2014-15, noting just under half (76,856) of all deaths in Australia (153,580 in 2014) occurred in a hospital as admitted patients.

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Managing complexity in general practice is tricky.

The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) is holding a webinar: Zen and the art of managing multimorbidity: Top tips that make it easier to deliver high quality care. Rural GPs and general practice nurses will share tips that they have learnt, and the resources that they have discovered over many years.

21 March 8pm - 9pm Register now.

All members of your practice team are welcome to participate.

If you're interested in free access to the online education module that supports this webinar series, register here or contact the eHealth team via eHealth@acrrm.org.au.

Two previous webinars are also available here.

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The National Diabetes Services Scheme has developed a free handbook and toolkit.

The practical, evidence-based resource supports health professionals to identify, address, and communicate about emotional problems during consultations.

Chapters include diabetes-specific topics (facing life with diabetes, diabetes distress, fear of hypoglycaemia, psychological barriers to insulin use) and general topics (depression, anxiety disorders, eating problems), in addition to communication skills, referral pathways, and peer support.

The resources gives health professionals strategies and tools to better recognise emotional problems and to work with people with diabetes to reduce psychological burden.

Eight free factsheets for people with diabetes have also been developed and can be accessed here.

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

23 Mar	Cabrini GP Lecture 5, Collaborative Care in Obstetrics GPs Cabrini Malvern Details and registration
28 Mar	Opioid Pharmacotherapy Small Group Learning - Southern GPs SEMPHN Dandenong Details and registration
28 Mar	Pancreatic cancer - navigating the journey GPs, Practice Nurse,Community Webinair: Your computer or mobile device Details and registration
29 Mar	Dandenong Practice Networks Practice Nurse, Owner/Principal, Practice Manager Dandenong  Details and registration
3 Apr	LGBTI Aged Care Training Allied Health Professional, Manager, Practice Nurse, Mental Health Nurse, Pharmacist South Melbourne Details and registration
5 Apr	Naloxone Training for Pharmacists Pharmacists Mornington Details and registration
6 Apr	Suicide Prevention Workshop Allied Health Professional, Practice Nurse, Mental health, Nurse, Psychologist South Melbourne Details and registration
6 Apr	Opioid Pharmacotherapy Small Group Learning - Bayside GPs St Kilda Details and registration
20 Apr	Frankston Practice Networks Practice Nurse, Owner/Principal, Practice Manager 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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