Tender closes this Thursday: Deliver physical group therapy in RACFs

SEMPHN is pleased to invite eligible organisations to tender to deliver group physical therapy sessions in Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs) across South Eastern Melbourne.

About the service

Delivering an allied health group therapy program is a temporary measure aimed at improving the physical functioning of aged care residents who are at risk of deconditioning (a decrease in muscle following a period of inactivity) due to COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020.

Services are to be provided to 20 participating RACFs in the SEMPHN catchment. A list of these RACFs is provided in the tender specifications on SEMPHN's eProcure. Applicants can tender for more than one facility.

Applying for this tender 

• All questions must be submitted via SEMPHN's eProcure.
• All tenders must be submitted via SEMPHN's eProcure.

Key dates

23 April 2021: Tender opens
27 April 2021: Optional industry briefing (register for this tender on eProcure to access the recording).
3 May 2021: Questions close in eProcure
6 May 2021 (3 pm): Tender closes
No later than 25 May 2021: Outcome advised
1 June 2021: Contract commencement date
31 December 2021: Contract end date

SEMPHN launches The Way Back

Telehealth services extended until
31 December

The Federal Government announced that GPs can provide Medicare subsidised telehealth consults until at least 31 December 2021.

The Government is working with peak bodies to design a model for permanent post-pandemic telehealth services.

To support GPs in the provision of telehealth services, the Department of Health has also extended free access to Healthdirect’s Video Call platform until 31 December 2021.  

Video consults don't replace face-to-face consults, but they do offer some significant advantages over telephone consults including: 

• Visual cues and information for diagnosis - no need for the patient to transfer images by non-secure email
• Easier to gauge the patient's understanding
• Easier to manage any misunderstandings
• Easier to conduct general assessments during routine calls

Although video consults may not be necessary for all telehealth consults, having Video Call set up in your practice may offer you a better option for the more complex consults.

Any general practices that have not already registered for Video Call should contact our Digital Health team at digitalhealth@semphn.org.au or 03 8514 4460 and we can set this up for you, as well as provide you and your team with the necessary training.

GPs, Practice Managers & Nurses, join this webinar about vaccine hesitancy

RACGP has opened the upcoming Department of Health and RACGP Victoria webinar to all practice managers and practice nurses.

The webinar will feature Maggie Danchin from Murdoch’s Children Research Institute and she will be addressing all things vaccine hesitancy.

Registration is essential.

In the field for the RACGP ID number, practice managers and practice nurses can enter the following dedicated code: 0000.

When: Wednesday, 5 May, 6 pm - 7pm
Where: Online, Zoom
Cost: Free
Register here. 

Webinar: STIs Essentials for Primary Care in South East Melbourne

This informative and interactive session will provide you with the understanding and tools required to confidently manage common STI screening and care, making sexual health a routine, everyday part of your primary health care practice. 

Learning Objectives:

• Improve understanding of sexual health care for young people, pregnant women and other key populations
• How to approach taking a sexual history
• Describe the clinical presentation of chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis
• Correctly perform comprehensive sexual health screening, including testing for the most common STIs - chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis
• Manage treatment, contact tracing and if necessary, referrals using the Health Pathways tool.

When: Thursday, 6 May 2021, 6.30 pm—8.30 pm
Where: Online
Cost: Free
Accreditation: This event is accredited for RACGP and ACRRM points. All participants will receive a certificate of attendance.
Register here.

Talking about suicide in general practice and pharmacies

SEMPHN in conjunction with the Black Dog Institute is offering free training for suicide prevention in general practice and pharmacies.

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.

Each of these training workshops is accredited.

Click on the links below for more information and to register.

For pharmacies:

• 12 May: Suicide Prevention training for pharmacies (in Casey). Limited places. Register here.

For general practice:

• 26 May: Talking about suicide in general practice (Frankston & Mornington Peninsula) Register here.
• 1 June: Talking about suicide in general practice (Dandenong, Casey, and Cardinia) Register here.

Practice managers, register for Part 2 of Quality Improvement webinars

After a very informative Part 1 covering the basics of Quality Improvement (QI) in general practice, 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.