With Ann Maree on long service leave, members of CheckUP's management team will provide the monthly introduction to CheckIN. This month, it's Russell Johnston, Executive Director Corporate Services, CFO.

Hi all,

It's hard to believe the year is coming to a close. With that in mind, I am proud to say that CheckUP has made great strides towards our vision of better health for the people and communities that need it most in 2023. I am excited to see what we can achieve together in 2024. 

You can discover all that CheckUP has been up to over the last year by reading our Annual Report. Our 2022-23 Annual Report provides an overview of our achievements over the past financial year. These achievements simply would not have been possible without the support of our valued funders, partners, members, and providers. 

In other news, the CheckUP team has been busy over the past month with travel and hosting our last QPHCN event of 2023. Coinciding with Disability Action Week, our QPHCN event showcased an exciting lineup of presenters, including Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM, Brent Phillips, Emma Lynam, Cody Skinner and CheckUP’s Amanda Frier; a group of outstanding disability sector leaders, who each shared insights about accessibility, inclusion and purpose. Read more about our final QPHCN event below. 

To improve our internal control process with respect to supplier payments, CheckUP have engaged Eftsure to provide payment verification services. Eftsure provides a service to ensure that payments are made to the intended recipients.

All our suppliers and service providers who have not already been pre-verified by Eftsure will receive an email request to verify their details. You can read more about Eftsure on our website. 

With Christmas just around the corner I'd like to advise that CheckUP's offices will be closed from 5pm on Friday 22 December and reopen again on Monday 8 January 2024. 

On behalf of CheckUP, I would like to wish you all a safe and happy holiday season. Despite it being a joyous time for many, it can be a time of great challenge for others. Below, our Queensland Mental Health Week team have put together some resources to help you nurture your mental wellbeing during the holidays. 

Thank you again to all our stakeholders for your support. We look forward to engaging with you in the new year. 

Best wishes,
Russell Johnston
Executive Director Corporate Services, CFO
CheckUP

Read CheckUP's 2022-23 Annual Report

CheckUP's Annual Report for 2022-2023 was officially launched at our Annual General Meeting in November.

Our Annual Report showcases the wide range of activities undertaken by CheckUP during the 2022-23 financial year. Collectively, we have been able to make a positive impact and better health for people and communities who need it most.

We hope you enjoy reading our Annual Report and learning more about what we have achieved together!

Skin Cancer Early Detection (SCED) Program

David Millichap, CheckUP’s General Manager - Engagement and Business Development, travelled to Eulo last week with the team from the RFDS for a skin cancer clinic as part of CheckUP’s SCED program. 

Coordinated by CheckUP, the program has a focus on regional towns, aiming to create fairer access to the professional assessment and treatment of skin cancer for people who have a skin cancer risk.

In 2024, the SCED program will be facilitating five free upskilling workshops across Queensland for GPs living in rural, regional and remote areas. The workshops will cover skin cancer detection essentials. 

Interested in attending a workshop in 2024? Register here for more information.

CheckUP YIPEE program - Townsville Hospital tour

Recently, students from Bwgcolman Community School on Palm Island travelled to Townsville for a Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) workshop and a hospital tour at Townsville Hospital and Health Service as part of our YIPEE (Youth Industry Partnerships for Education and Employment) project.

Working in collaboration with Queensland Department of Education, the workshop and tour opened the students' eyes to the wide range of jobs within the healthcare system.

Our YIPEE coordinator, Donna Glover, speaks passionately about the experiences she is providing to students in the video below.

The YIPEE project is part of the Queensland Government's Good people. Good jobs: Queensland Workforce Strategy 2022–2032.

Nurture mental wellbeing during the holidays

Be kind to yourself this holiday season.

Christmas can be a time of joy and celebration for some, but for others it can be stressful and isolating, even amplifying mental health challenges.

The Queensland Mental Health Week team have put together some tips and strategies to help support your mental wellbeing during the holidays. 

QAIHC's State Member Conference

CheckUP staff attended the QAIHC State Members Conference and Annual State Members Dinner.

Nearly 100 people attended the conference over the 3 days, demonstrating the commitment, hard work and resilience that characterises the sector.

CheckUP’s Industry Workforce Advisors Vicky Meyer (Health) and Andrew Legg (First Nations Healthcare and Social Assistance) gave a presentation about our Industry Workforce programs and the ways CheckUP can support the sector to better serve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. 

Nyaree Mewett, CheckUP's General Manager - Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health commented on the conference stating, "it was wonderful catching up with mob from all over the Queensland".

Access for All App

To be the best health provider you can be, practice your disability awareness skills using the free ‘Access for All App’.

The 3D simulation app provides an innovative way for 'players' to engage in disability awareness training and experience healthcare access barriers from the perspective of people with disability.

Want to learn more about the app? Watch Dr Dinesh Palipana, OAM speak about how the Access for All app is helping to reduce healthcare inequality for people living with a disability.

CheckUP Christmas Closure

To allow our staff to take a well-deserved break, we will be closing our offices from 5pm on Friday 22 December and returning on Monday 8 January 2024.⁠

We wish you all a very happy and healthy holiday season and look forward to working with you in the new year.

Save the date for CheckUP's QPHCN events in 2024

CheckUP will once again host a series of QPHCN events in 2024. The first event will be held on Thursday 7 March 2024 and will explore the topic of Health Workforce.

Mark your diaries and contact us by emailing comms@checkup.org.au if you are interested at presenting at any of our QPHCN events.

Calling all healthcare workers in Northern Australia

Have your say and shape the content of the Health eMinds ECHO 2024 training program by completing a brief 2-minute survey. Survey closes Friday 22 December.

Haven’t participated in a Health eMinds ECHO session yet? This anonymous survey is open to all healthcare workers in Northern Australia, even if you do not intend to participate in Health eMinds ECHO, your ideas are valued and your participation is appreciated.

If you want to know more about the Health eMinds ECHO program, check out the website here.

Check the rays. Get the most out of your holidays.

As we approach holiday season, a lot of us will be taking time off and enjoying a lot more time outside.

As Queenslanders, we are lucky to call the sunshine state home, but we also have one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world. It's important to prioritise sun safety by checking the UV rays and practising the 5 steps of sun safety.

• Slip on protective clothing
• Slop on minimum SPF30 broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen
• Slap on a broad-brimmed hat
• Seek shade
• Slide on wrap-around sunnies

Head to the Cancer Council's website for more information.

MyMedicare

MyMedicare is a new voluntary registration system. It aims to improve healthcare delivery and patient experiences by formalising the relationship between patients, their general practice, general practitioner (GP) and primary care teams.

MyMedicare is designed to support practices, enabling them to offer better tailored care and services to fit the needs of their regular patients.

For more information and for how to register visit the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care’s website.

Financial Support for Upskilling Rural Health Professionals

The Health Workforce Scholarship Program has been helping rural health professionals with professional development since 2018.

The Program provides bursaries and scholarships of up to $10,000 per 12-month period, to privately employed medical, nursing, midwifery, allied health, dental and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health professionals providing primary healthcare in remote and rural areas (MM3-7) and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (MM1-7).

Funding can support a range of upskilling such as formal post-graduate study, workshops, short courses, online workshops and conferences.

Round 1 applications for 2024 will be open between 15/01/2024 - 04/02/2024.

Have your event or training featured in CheckIN

CheckUP Organisational Members are eligible to advertise their latest news and upcoming events/training under the Member News section of this eNewsletter, which is sent to all of our current members and a wide range of stakeholders. You can send us items by email, via comms@checkup.org.au.