COVID-19 update

Read about:

• COVID-19 cases in the region
• New COVID Home Visiting Service
• Isolation requirements
• Vaccine withdrawals
• Children aged 5-11 now eligible for second dose
• Upcoming webinars
• Free fit testing for GPs and practice nurses
• and more ...

Immunisation update

Read about:

• Vaccine withdrawals
• Children aged 5-11 now eligible for second dose of COVID-19 vaccine
• Reminder: ATAGI does not recommend booster dose for 12–15-year-olds
• Winter dose COVID-19 vaccine administration error advice
• Important reminder: Influenza vaccine
• Importance of HPV vaccine course completion
• COVID-19 live stream update for GPs
• and more ...

SURVEY: 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 this 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. 

Sydney LHD Project ECHO autumn series 2022 

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.

Domestic and Family Violence (DFV) training for primary care

CESPHN provides free DFV training and support through our service DFV Assist. Check out our upcoming training sessions below: 

Responding to DFV in primary care
Customised training for your practice online or face-to-face available all year round 
Click here to register. 

Supporting culturally and linguistically diverse patients experiencing DFV
When: 17 May 2022
Where: Online
Click here to register. 

Domestic violence in your practice: How to recognise, respond and refer patients affected by domestic violence
When: 28 May 2022
Click here to register.
Presented at the General Practice Conference and Exhibition at ICC Sydney. In partnership with Hunter New England and Central Coast and Nepean Blue Mountains PHNs.

“Too Little, Too Much”: Recording DFV disclosures in general practice
When: 9 June 2022
Where: Online
Click here to register

“Should I? Shouldn’t I?”: When to report and share information about children and adults at risk from DFV 
When: 23 June 2022
Where: Online
Click here to register.

For more information or if you have a patient experiencing DFV and are looking for advice and referral support, call or email Lauren on 9304 8754 or dfvassist@cesphn.com.au.

EOI: Seeking consumer representative for the Person Centred Medical Neighbourhood advisory committee

The Person Centred Medical Neighbourhood (PCMN) Program provides tailored support to participating general practices so that they can achieve the highest levels of accessible, comprehensive, coordinated and person-centred care. Under this initiative, CESPHN will engage with primary care providers to enhance the core functions of primary health care in:

1. Providing comprehensive care that requires a team of care providers.
2. Providing health care that is relationship-based with an orientation toward the whole person.
3. Coordinating care across the broader health care system, including specialty care, hospitals, home health care, and community services and support services.
4. Delivering accessible services and responsive to patients’ preferences regarding access.
5. Demonstrating a commitment to quality improvement and population health management, including use of health information technology to support quality improvement activities.

We are seeking a consumer representative for the PCMN advisory committee. 

A candidate will be selected by Monday 23 May 2022 for the first meeting on Tuesday 21 June 2022.

Should you have any questions relating to this Advisory Committee please contact: Michaela Fenech, Practice Support and Development, 02 9304 8616 | m.fenech@cesphn.com.au

e-Referral coming to RPAH Women 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.

Multicultural Community Services upcoming events

Are you new to Australia? In your first five years, Multicultural Community Services offers free settlement assistance to help you form meaningful connections with your community. 

World Immunisation Week 2022 

This year, World Immunisation Week will be celebrated in the last week of April. This year’s theme is ‘Long Life for All – In pursuit of a long life well lived’. The week aims to highlight the collective action needed to promote the use of vaccines, to protect people of all ages against vaccine preventable diseases.

Resources to support the event provided by the World Health Organisation are available here. 

Click here to book your FREE flu shot for Friday 29 April, 2022. 

Where: 
Sydney Town Hall
483 George St
Sydney, NSW 2000

Supporting culturally and linguistically diverse patients experiencing domestic and family violence

This training will provide insight into the specific needs of CALD patients experiencing DFV and how health professionals can support them.

When: Tuesday, 17 May 6.30 pm – 8.30 pm
Where: Online webinar
Target audience: GPs, all other primary care providers welcome.
RACGP points: 4

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

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

Intellectual disability health care

This 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 7.00 pm – 8.30 pm
Where: Online webinar
Target audience: GPs, nurses, practice managers, allied health professionals and administrative staff working in general practice.

CESPHN Practice Nurse orientation 

Practice Nurse orientation webinar presented by Karen Booth, RN and President of APNA.

When: Tuesday, 24 May 7.00 pm – 8.30 pm
Where: Online webinar
Target audience: Nurses in the central and eastern Sydney region