Help vaccinate vulnerable people in our community

It’s #wesaythanks time! SEMPHN would like to give a massive shout out to the following practices who recently sprang to action following our call out to assist with COVID vaccine administration outreach to a range of vulnerable groups – including RACF and disability accommodation staff and residents.

Thank you to:

• The Cove Medical Centre
• Eramosa Family Medical Centre
• Ripponlea Medical
• Atticus Health – Hastings
• Ti-Tree Family Doctors.

Between them, they vaccinated more than 140 residents and staff – some of which whom may have otherwise ‘fallen through the gaps’ or had to wait much longer to be vaccinated. Thank you!

Now that you can claim new item number 90005 for a flag-fall visit to administer COVID vaccinations offsite, in addition to your usual COVID-19 Suitability Assessment item numbers, it’s a great time for your general practice to get involved and help your community.

For more information and to express your interest, please email covidvaccine@semphn.org.au.

It's NAIDOC Week! (4–11 July)

NAIDOC originally stood for ‘National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee’. This committee was once responsible for organising national activities during NAIDOC Week and its acronym has since become the name of the week itself. 

NAIDOC Week celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Read more about NAIDOC Week's theme: Heal Country!

Book directly! Psychiatrist Secondary Consultations for GPs  

From 1 July 2021, GPs in the Alfred Health catchment can book a free 30-minute video or phone appointment time for an Alfred Health Psychiatrist Secondary Consultation.

There are three referral options:

• phone (03) 9076 9888 from 9-5pm.
• email Navigationsintake@alfred.org.au
• fax (03) 9076 9855.

Please note: calls received by SEMPHNs Access & Referral for this service will now be transferred to Alfred Health directly to ensure a smooth transition.

Resource: GP recommendations key to improving breast screening rates

BreastScreen Victoria has released a new digital version of their GP Recommendation Pad which provides information to help patients book a breast screen appointment.

Research shows that a GP recommendation is important to ensure strong participation in the BreastScreen Victoria program. A screen with BreastScreen Victoria only takes 10 minutes, it’s with a woman and it’s free.

BreastScreen Victoria does not require a GP referral as it is a population-based screening program designed for asymptomatic women and trans and gender diverse people aged 50-74 years. People with symptoms of breast cancer should be referred for diagnostic breast imaging.

Download your free copy of the GP Recommendation Pad here and save to your desktop.

If you are interested in ways to increase screening participation at your clinic, Breastscreen Victoria can support you to do this. 

For any queries, please contact BreastScreen Victoria’s Community Engagement team at communityengagement@breastscreen.org.au.

Remember, SEMPHN has developed several pathways, including local breast cancer pathways.

SafeTALK: Training in suicide alertness (14 July)

LivingWorks is providing an educational workshop to help participants to:

• recognise a person with thoughts of suicide
• connect to resources that can help them in choosing to live.

Lunch and light refreshments provided. 

When: Wednesday, 14 July 2021, 9 am - 12.30 pm
Where: Peninsula City Church, 252 Frankston-Flinders Rd, Frankston
Who: People who have connections with Frankston or Mornington Peninsula
Cost: Free
Register here. 

GP education: Management of People with Borderline Personality Disorder

This online session is aimed at helping general practitioners who treat and manage people with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) using psychological treatment principles, pharmacotherapy and hospitalisation.

The session will also provide an opportunity for discussing complex BPD patients with other co-existing psychiatric disorders.

Dr Gillian Singleton (a GP) and Dr Sathya Rao  (Psychiatrist) will be presenting and can answer your questions about the latest in BPD management techniques.

When: Monday, 9 August, 6.30 pm
Where: Online
Cost: $60 
Register here.

E-cigarettes and vaping products soon require a prescription

From 1 October 2021 a prescription will be required for Australians to legally access nicotine e-cigarettes and nicotine vaping products for any purpose, including importing from overseas online retailers.

This regulatory change provides an opportunity for GPs to have conversations with patients about smoking cessation.

RACGP guidelines state that nicotine vaping products are not recommended as first-line treatments for smoking cessation but are a reasonable intervention for those who have unsuccessfully attempted to stop smoking with approved pharmacotherapies and are still motivated to quit.

If a patient and their prescriber agree that an ‘unapproved’ nicotine vaping product is the most clinically appropriate approach for smoking cessation, then it can be legally accessed with a valid prescription in three ways. 

An infographic illustrating these three pathways is available for download or print.