Wednesday, 2 February 2022 - Dear subscriber, Welcome to this week's edition of Sydney Health Weekly.
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Dear subscriber,
Welcome to this week's edition of Sydney Health Weekly. This is your one-stop-shop for primary health news and events within the central and eastern Sydney region.
COVID-19 update
Read about:
- COVID-19 cases in the region
- vaccination and training update
- booster doses for 16-17 year olds
- resources and vaccination clinic for Aboriginal children aged 5-11 years
- upcoming webinars
- in-language resources for managing COVID at home
- COVID-19 care in the community
- accessing pulse oximeters
- CESPHN Vax at Home Service
Immunisation update
Read about:
- Novavax training module
- vaccine deferral after COVID-19 infection reduced to 4 months
- booster doses for 16-17 years
- booster doses are now listed on COVID-19 digital certificates
- rapid Antigen Testing – Concessional Access Program factsheet
- COVID-19 vaccine well tolerated by children
- COVID-19 live stream update for GPs
VIDEO
In-language videos supporting communities in South Western Sydney
South Western Sydney Local Health District has hit the ground running this year and is continuing to produce a high number of in-language videos to share COVID-19 health advice and vaccination messages to its Culturally and Linguistically Diverse communities.
The District’s media and communications team has filmed 16 in-language videos in recent weeks, featuring its leading clinicians to promote booster vaccination. The languages include Arabic, Hindi, Vietnamese, Samoan and the Chinese dialects of Mandarin, Cantonese and Teochew.
Four in-language videos featuring medical and nursing staff as well as a GP have also been produced in Arabic, English, Samoan and Khmer to assist people who are managing COVID-19 at home.
NEWS
CESPHN Strategic Plan 2022-2024
Our Strategic Plan for 2022-2024 is available now. Read on to gain an understanding of what the PHN's vision is for the future and what we plan to accomplish across our three goals:
- improve the integration of care,
- improve practice in primary health care and
- commission local health and wellbeing services.
Thank you to Amy Lea Hill-Trindall for creating the beautiful artwork that features in the Plan, entitled 'Supporting Our Mob in Health'.
CESPHN offering free fit testing
We are pleased to confirm that CESPHN will be offering free fit testing for all GPs and practice nurses in our region. Bookings are now open and can be made here.
Individual Appointments: GPs and practice nurses can use the existing Sydney Local Health District mask fit testing booking system to book individual appointments at either Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Concord Hospital or Canterbury Hospital for mask fit testing services.
Group Appointments: Fit testing services can be provided in the GP practice for group appointments provided there is a minimum of 20 people requiring mask fit testing. This may require practices to collaborate to ensure they meet minimum numbers.
Contact: Lesley Innes, Director, Centre for Education and Workforce Development: Lesley.innes@health.nsw.gov.au
0425 677 898
Register for on-demand digital health training
Register for free CPD accredited courses provided by the Australian Digital Health Agency. Topics include:
How to protect your digital information
Listen to the podcast from the Australian Digital Health Agency to hear practical security tips. Healthcare organisations hold a lot of important data. Ensure your organisation’s digital information is protected with a robust backup process.
Register for About Clean Slate Clinic webinar
This 30-minute webinar on 'Creating a safe and successful telehealth alcohol withdrawal pathway' will provide an overview of the telehealth-only model for withdrawal and recovery. The team will step through:
- key aspects of the clinical model,
- how and why we deliver the model fully over telehealth,
- our outcomes at one month post detox,
- lessons learned from our first twelve months of operation, and
- next steps, including expansion into other substances of abuse.
Joint regional planning progress update
The Central and Eastern Sydney Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Regional Plan aims to improve mental health, physical health and wellbeing of people with or at risk of developing a mental health condition or at risk of suicide. This is achieved through collaboration and a whole of system approach to service design, delivery, and review.
As we commence our third and final year of joint regional planning, we are pleased to share with you our Year 2 Implementation Report Card summarising our work to date.
If you would like to learn more about joint regional planning you can visit the CESPHN website.
Keeping the Body in Mind program
Keeping the Body In Mind is a life skills and lifestyle program for individuals living with severe mental illness. Through funding made available by CESPHN, participants have access to 8 face to face sessions with an exercise physiologist and 8 sessions with a dietitian at no cost.
NEW webinar for GPs: Eating disorders
The webinar is hosted by Dr Martin Cohen, features Dr Marianne Ayre, Psychologist.
This webinar will cover how to:
- identify someone with an eating disorder,
- undertake a patient-centred conversation and improve health literacy of the patient,
- apply techniques of motivational interviewing, screening to determine risk, intervention and provision of pathways
- create a management plan under a stepped care model
- how to refer to treatment, how to monitor treatment, and acquire proper resources, and
- determine appropriate medications and treatment options for those experiencing an eating disorder.
CPD points: This activity is accredited with the RACGP for 2 category 2 QI&CPD points. A certificate of is available for download on completion of all activities in the course.
Too much Omega-3 increases the risk of atrial fibrillation
A recent systematic review and meta-analysis published in Circulation (Gencer et al, 2021) looked at seven RCTs (81,210 patients) that examined the cardiovascular outcomes of marine omega-3 fatty acid supplementation. The review found marine omega-3 supplementation was associated over time with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation, and that the risk was greater at daily doses of >1g.
Over the past two decades marine omega-3 fatty acid supplementation has been recommended, for healthy older adults and for cognitively impaired older adults, as being preventive/beneficial in relation to cognitive impairment.
The recommendations were usually for doses higher than 1g/d – so the results of this systematic review and meta-analysis are important for most patients using marine omega-3 fatty acid supplementation.
Supporting your patients to improve their health literacy
The South Eastern Sydney Recovery College provides free education for people with a lived experience of mental distress or suicidal crisis or their families and carers on a range of mental health, wellbeing and recovery related topics.
Courses range from understanding different mental health conditions and treatment options to practicing mindfulness, building skills and habits to improve overall wellbeing.
Improving healthcare for people with intellectual disability
CESPHN's Project GROW is ensuring primary care providers have access to the most update and useful tools, resources, and information to assist their patients with intellectual disability.
Health assessments for patients with intellectual disability
The Agency for Clinical Innovation have developed a Diagnosing patients with intellectual disability video that discusses the difficulties of diagnosis, common health problems and approaches to care and gives helpful tips for GPs and information regarding conducting a comprehensive health assessment.
The annual health assessment is recommended to ensure the complexity of health care needs are met. The Health Assessment for People with Intellectual Disability establishes health priorities through early detection, diagnosis, intervention and prevention of common and treatable health conditions that are known to cause morbidity and early mortality.
To support people with lived experience understand the Annual Health Assessment the Council for Intellectual Disability have designed a Yearly Health Check resource.
Check your NASH PKI expiry date and renew on time
Current NASH SHA-1 certificates are being transitioned to more secure SHA-2 certificates. All current SHA-1 certificates expire on 13 March 2022. National Authentication Certificate for Health (NASH) is used to securely access services such as My Health Record, ePrescribing and Secure Messaging with high level of encryption.
If your NASH PKI certificate expires you will no longer be able to access or upload documents to My Health Record and you may not be able to issue or dispense an electronic prescription. If you are unsure about your NASH status, please contact us urgently at digitalhealth@cesphn.com.au.
Step by step instructions for how to renew a NASH PKI certificate can be found using the following link.
You can also register for an instructional webinar and learn to request and renew a NASH PKI.
EVENTS
CESPHN have made some changes to make it easier for you to register for CPD events.
Please ensure you use your registered email address and mobile number to register promptly. If you have not attended events with us in the past, you will be prompted to complete an Events Pass form prior to registering for an event. Please contact the CPD team if you experience any issues on events@cesphn.com.au
Psychosocial issues in transgender health and overcoming barriers to healthcare
Join us online for presentations and a panel discussion around supporting the health of gender diverse and trans patients.
When: Wednesday, 9 February 7.00 pm – 8.30 pm
Where: Online
Target audience: GPs, AHPs, nurses, sexual health care providers
RACGP points: 3
E-Referrals to SLHD Healthlink SmartForms - webinar
Join us for this interactive demonstration on the electronic referrals to the Sydney Local Health District, including new eReferrals (maternity services).
When: Tuesday, 15 February 7.00 pm – 7.45 pm
Where: Online
Target audience: GPs and practice staff
Attendees can self-report this activity as CPD with their governing body.
COVID infection prevention triage and risk management in general practice
Join us for a pandemic infection prevention and control update, presented by Margaret Jennings, a microbiologist, antimicrobial, infection prevention and educator.
When: Tuesday, 22 February 7.00 pm – 8.15 pm
Where: Online
Target audience: GPs, nurses, practice manager and staff working in general practice
Attendees can self-report this activity as CPD with their governing body.
Allied health: infection prevention and risk management whilst still seeing patients
Join us for a pandemic infection prevention and control update, presented by Margaret Jennings, a microbiologist, antimicrobial, infection prevention and educator.
When: Thursday, 3 March 7.00 pm – 8.15 pm
Where: Online
Target audience: Allied health professionals working in private practice
SR specialists and referrals - A free electronic referral service for private specialists
Join us for this interactive demonstration on how to make and receive electronic referrals using the SR Specialists & Referrals service in Genie software. Electronic referrals are safe, save time and make the referral process simple.
When: Wednesday, 23 February 7.00 pm – 8.15 pm
Where: Online
Target audience: Specialists and practice managers in private practice.
Recorded CPD education sessions
Central and Eastern Sydney PHN has a library of recorded CPD education and practice support resources. These videos cover a range of topics and can be self-reported as CPD education. You can find these videos on the CESPHN YouTube page here.
GP & AHP JOBS
This page lists the healthcare positions vacant and rooms for rent within our region at this current time. All enquiries should be made to the relevant contact noted on each job listing.
As always, we would love to hear your thoughts. If you would like to submit an article, have content suggestions, or would like to provide feedback, please email editor@cesphn.com.au.
Central and Eastern Sydney PHN acknowledge the Traditional Custodians and Sovereign People of the Aboriginal land. CESPHN recognise their continuing connection to land, water, community and pay respect to Elders past, present and future.
