COVID-19 update

Read about:

• COVID-19 cases in the region,
• Flu vaccinations
• Vaccine withdrawals
• Free fit testing for GPs and Practice Nurses
• Upcoming webinars 
• Excess COVID vaccines
• CESPHN Vax at Home Service
• and more ...

Immunisation update

Read about:

• Booster doses not recommended for people aged 12-15 years
• COVID-19 Program site or vaccine withdrawals
• COVID-19 incentive and MBS item extension
• Novavax safety data
• Use of sedation for COVID-19 vaccination
• In-language videos about COVID-19 vaccination
• and more ...

e-Referral coming to RPAH Women’s and Babies services

From Wednesday 27 April GPs will be able to use HealthLink SmartForms from their practice software or the HealthLink portal to launch e-Referrals to the following services:

• RPAH fertility
• RPAH gynaecology
• RPAH maternity

For GPs without Best Practice, Genie or Medical Director practice systems, referrals can be lodged using the HealthLink portal, or - during the transition period - via fax using the new fax coversheet which enables digitisation of your faxed referral.

To support the new process a new fax number will be introduced for gynaecology referrals – (02) 9515-0998 (effective 27 April 2022). Existing fax numbers for RPAH maternity and fertility services will remain unchanged.

SafeScript NSW, real-time prescription monitoring system, coming soon to CESPHN

Prescribers and pharmacists in the central and eastern Sydney region will have access to SafeScript NSW from late May 2022.

SafeScript NSW provides prescribers and pharmacists with real-time information about a patient’s prescribing and dispensing history for certain high-risk medicines, known as monitored medicines. This information helps to improve clinical decision making and keep patients safe.

For more information, visit the website or send enquiries to safescript@health.nsw.gov.au.

Do you support people who need psychiatric care?

With the support of funding received from the Ministry of Health, CESPHN has engaged Dokotela to provide telehealth psychiatry services for people living in the central and eastern Sydney area. The service will work in collaboration with GPs and other CESPHN-funded mental health and psychosocial support providers. It will provide free psychiatric services for clients currently experiencing severe and complex mental illness who, due to socio-economic reasons, would not otherwise be able to access psychiatry.

Referrals to this service can be made online here.

For more information, contact Dokotela:
P: 02 8003 7668
E: cesphn@dokotela.com.au
W: www.dokotela.com.au

Non delivery of discharge summaries from SESLHD

South Eastern Sydney LHD advised us that some GPs are not receiving discharge summaries. This can happen when practices discontinue the use of the secure messaging solution Argus for their practice and do not remove the GP/practice details from the Argus directory.

Another common reason for discharge non-delivery is when a new GP joins the practice but the practice forgets to notify the secure messaging solution vendor. 

If you would like further information or support, please do not hesitate to reach out to CEPSHN's Digital Health team at digitalhealth@cesphn.com.au.

Influenza vaccine for patients 65 years and over

Patients aged 65 years and over who request influenza vaccine must only be administered Fluad Quad vaccine. This vaccine has been specifically formulated to invoke a better immune response in this age group. If you do not have stock of Fluad Quad vaccine, please ensure you refer the patient to an appropriate provider. This may be a GP or another pharmacy with stock of Fluad Quad vaccine.

The patient should be encouraged to call ahead to ensure availability of stock, prior to attending another vaccine provider.

Survey: GP visitation in Residential Aged Care Facilities

CESPHN wants to support GPs with caring for your patients living in residential aged care facilities. We are looking for feedback from GPs on your experiences with visiting patients in residential aged care facilities so we can better understand and address any issues you have encountered.

The survey will take 5 minutes to complete, and we thank you for sharing your thoughts to help us design and implement strategies to help you care for your residential aged care patients.

Project ECHO General Mental Health

Sydney LHD Mental Health Service is inviting you to join in the Project ECHO Autumn Series 2022. The program has a focus on the management of enduring mental illness, cardiometabolic risk and complex psychopharmacology and more information on the program can be found here.

When: Every Tuesday from 28 April - 28 June 2022, 7.00 pm - 8.00 pm

The program flyer can be found here. Please visit the Project ECHO SLHD website for more information.

If you have any questions, please contact Ji-Sun Kim on SLHD-ECHO@health.nsw.gov.au or 0436 863 626.

Parkrun practice initiative

RACGP has partnered with parkrun Australia to promote the health and wellbeing of staff and patients. Under this initiative, general practices are encouraged to develop close links with their local parkrun to become parkrun practices.

Activating Primary Care COPD Patients with Multimorbidity (APCOM) trial

The APCOM trial aims to empower people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and comorbidities through an innovative, practice nurse-led, tailored, self-management program.

All practices will be provided $500 as recompense. Practices in the intervention group will be provided $60/hour for the practice nurse's time towards training and delivering the program to patients.

To express interest, please contact Professor Nick Zwar at nzwar@bond.edu.au or 07-5595 5499.

Have your say: Mental Health and AOD Peer Workers

We know peer workers find networks useful for support and mentoring. We'd like to find out what networks you have access to and what you would like to see. Click on the link below to answer our short and anonymous survey. The survey closes on Friday, 22 April 2022.

Your answers will help us to support peer workers living and working in central and eastern Sydney. 

Get ready for Heart Week - 2-8 May 2022

Thanks to you and your commitment to keeping Australian hearts healthy, there have been over 275,000 Heart Health Checks delivered since April 2019.

This Heart Week (2-8 May) presents an opportunity for health professionals and the Australian public to start a conversation about heart health and take steps to reduce their risk of heart disease. We are encouraging GPs, nurses and general practice staff to deliver Heart Health Checks for more eligible Australians. 

With one Australian suffering from a heart attack or stroke every 4 minutes, you and your general practice teams have the power to change this statistic by focusing on simple, routine practices that have a measurable lifesaving impact.   

The girls are back in town! BreastScreen mobile van visits

The BreastScreen mobile van will be visiting La Perouse Aboriginal Community Health Centre from 20 April - 2 May 2022.

BreastScreen NSW recommends women aged 50-74 years have a mammogram every two years. Book your free screening mammogram on the 2022 mobile van or at the fixed sites in the links below. 20 minutes could save your life.

Free webinar - Think Eat and Move

The Think, Eat and Move (TEAM) program is a free 8-week evidence based healthy lifestyle program delivered online to adolescents aged 13-17 and their families. Adolescents learn about healthy eating, physical activity and behavior change through interactive modules and activities while also receiving weekly health coaching calls. Want to learn more? Join a free lunch and learn webinar about the program.

When: Thursday 28 April, 12.30 pm - 1.00 pm

Can’t make it to the live webinar? Register for a recording for you to watch in your own time.

Webinar: Improving health care for people with intellectual disability

CESPHN's Project GROW is ensuring primary care providers have access to the most up-to-date and useful tools, resources, and information to assist their patients with intellectual disability. The following events are being promoted as a part of CESPHN’s PCEP Project GROW: 

Paediatric developmental delay: Assessment and management
This online session will be a discussion around child developmental delay, assessment, and early intervention.
When: Wednesday, 11 May 2022, 7.00 pm - 8.30 pm 
Where: Online
RACGP accredited CPD activity
Register here

Intellectual disability healthcare
This online training will provide practical information and materials for GPs and primary health care professionals to enhance their capability to care for people with intellectual disability. 
When: Wednesday, 15 June 2022, 7.00 pm - 8.30 pm 
Where: Online
RACGP accredited CPD activity
Register here

National Pancreatic Cancer Roadmap

The Australian Government has launched the National Pancreatic Cancer Roadmap and has committed $20.3 million to support improved outcomes and survival for Australians affected by pancreatic cancer.

The National Pancreatic Cancer Roadmap identifies 33 key priority areas and 60 strategies for collective action over the next five years to 2027. These priority areas were developed with stakeholders and cover all aspects of the pancreatic cancer pathway, including prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, supportive and palliative care, and research.

Cancer Australia has created the Roadmap as an interactive, easy-to-use, web-based tool where users can easily identify information in their areas of interest across the continuum of pancreatic research, treatment and care.

Research: Better physical health consultations with mental health consumers

GPs, mental health consumers and others who co-designed this Physical Health Conversation Guide agreed that better interactions about physical health are valuable for effective physical health care in primary care settings. The Physical Health Conversation Guide is free to use.

UNSW researchers would like to invite GPs to share their experience of using the tool via interview or survey. The time commitment is up to 1.5 hours. Enquiries from practice nurses are also very welcome. Participants will be reimbursed for their time.

Please contact: k.thorburn@unsw.edu.au

Transition Consumer Experiences Survey

The ACI Transition Care Network is asking GPs, allied health and community organisations to share their Transition Consumer Experiences Survey with their clients. The survey is for young people 18 years and older with chronic conditions, and carers to share their experiences of moving from children’s to adult health services in NSW.

Any questions, please contact Rachael Havrlant via 0437 883 941 or Rachael.havrlant@health.nsw.gov.au.

Exploring security in GP-patient relationships

We are seeking GPs willing to help explore how healing GP-patient relationships are experienced and cultivated. Participation involves an initial patient survey, followed by interviews and a questionnaire with a smaller number of patients and their GPs. Interview participants will receive a $50 gift voucher.

Interested? Please email Dr Hayley Thomas, GP and Senior Lecturer, The University of Queensland at h.thomas@uq.edu.

End-of-life care for diverse communities

A new training module by the End-of-Life Essentials Project for health professionals - ‘End-of-life care for diverse communities’ - recognises that some people in Australia may hesitate in asking for help from healthcare services and hospitals. 

The module presents three fictitious cases to illustrate the importance of providing excellent end-of-life care to all people in your local community. The cases focus on peoples:

• of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
• who are lesbian, gay bisexual, transgender and intersex
• who live with mental illness.

THIS WAY UP - online cognitive behavioural therapy

This webinar will explore the advantages of integrating iCBT for anxiety and/or depression into practice.

When: Wednesday, 27 April 6.30 pm – 8.30 pm
Where: Online webinar
Target audience: GPs and practice nurses

Attendees can self-report this activity as CPD with their governing body.

There’s no place like home: supporting patient choice for people with kidney failure

Join us online for this breakfast session to learn about the various forms of dialysis that can be done at home and what you need to know to support these patients in your practice. St George hospital education program.

When: Tuesday, 10 May 7.30 am – 8.30 am
Where: Online webinar
Target audience: GPs, nurses and allied health professionals
RACGP Points: 2

An update on myeloma, COVID-19, vaccines and cancer

Join specialists from St Vincent's hospital and the Kinghorn Cancer Centre as they discuss myeloma, Covid and cancer and the GPCanShare program.

When: Thursday, 5 May 7.00 pm – 8.30 pm
Where: Online webinar
Target audience: GPs, nurses, pharmacists
RACGP points: 3

Neurology medical update

Cases with neurological presentations can be daunting to diagnose due to the complexity of the symptoms and difficulty of navigating the various diagnostic tools available. Part of Hazelhurst CPD series.

When: Thursday, 28 April 7.30 pm - 9.00 pm
Where: Online webinar
Target audience: GPs, Nurses, AHPs

Allied health: Building a healthy digitally enabled business

Join us for this online event launching the Central and Eastern Sydney PHN Allied Health Engagement strategy. We will discuss the role of allied health and how CESPHN will work to support and strengthen engagement.

When: Tuesday, 3 May 7.00 pm - 8.30 pm
Where: Online webinar
Target audience: Allied health, health leaders, primary care clinicians

Kidney Health Australia: Primary care health professionals focus groups

Research agency, Atlantis Healthcare, will be conducting focus groups on behalf of Kidney Health Australia to find out more about your experiences in diagnosing and treating people with kidney disease in primary care, as well as understanding your relationship with Kidney Health Australia.

When: Monday, 30 May 2022, 7.00 pm - 8.30 pm
When: Thursday, 2 June 2022, 7.00 pm - 8.30 pm

Places are limited and registrations close Friday 15 April 2022.

Enquiries: shannyn.floyd@kidney.org.au

For more information about Kidney Health Australia please visit www.kidney.org.au.

Heart Foundation: Lipid lowering landscape - new and emerging treatment approaches

Date: Wednesday 4 May 2022
Where: Free Zoom webinar
Time: 7.00 pm – 8.00 pm AEST
Accreditation: This webinar has been accredited by the RACGP for 2 CPD points (Activity no. 337635).
Education provider: Scius Healthcare Solutions