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COVID-19 vaccination now mandatory for all healthcare workers and contractorsOn 19 September 2021 the Victorian Premier announced that COVID-19 vaccinations will soon be mandatory for Victorian healthcare workers. Victoria's Acting Chief Health Officer has now provided the COVID-19 Mandatory Vaccination Directions (No 4). All workers and contractors at healthcare facilities must:
For the full list of workers to whom this applies, please refer to page 8 of the official COVID-19 Mandatory Vaccination Directions (No. 4). Mandatory vaccination will apply to all workers and contractors at these facilities. Please note that these mandatory vaccination orders are Victorian state public health directives and SEMPHN provides this communication for your information only. Contact providersupport@semphn.org.au or covidvaccine@semphn.org.au if you require support in implementing these directives. Please be respectful when you contact SEMPHN staff—abusive behaviour will not be tolerated. Special Webinar: COVID Positive Pathway and the Public Health OrderWith the growth in COVID numbers over recent weeks, most parts of Melbourne have positive patients. It’s only a matter of time before practices start seeing their regular patients present with symptoms if they have not already seen this occur. The COVID Positive Pathway is one way in which low-risk COVID patients may be managed. The availability of vaccines has also seen the Chief Health Officer release the most recent Public Health Order requiring all healthcare workers to be vaccinated, which can present some challenges in the practice setting. In response, SEMPHN has is conducting a special webinar on updates to the COVID Positive Pathway and providing information on the Public Health Order. Come along to hear from our team and have your questions answered. When: Thursday, 7 October, 12.30 pm Allied health and other workforces join the COVID-19 vaccination programSeveral new workforces, including allied health, dental, pharmacy, and others including some student groups, are now authorised to prepare and/or administer the COVID-19 vaccine under a time-limited Public Health Emergency Order issued by the Secretary to the Department of Health on 1 September 2021. Information about joining the COVID-19 vaccination workforce, including how to access the free online training, as well as the specific conditions, limitations, supervision, onboarding and training requirements for each workforce group, is available on the department's website at COVID-19 vaccination program workforce. COVID-19Staying vigilant about COVID-testing in south east MelbourneWith COVID-19 cases increasing in many areas of south eastern Melbourne and restrictions easing, it’s vitally important that community members continue to get tested for COVID-19 if they have any symptoms or have been in close contact with a COVID-19 positive person. Want to share the message? Below are some of the links to share through your social media channels, newsletters, etc.
Grant open: Free immunisation training for Practice NursesSEMPHN is pleased to offer eligible Practice Nurses the opportunity to access further education in immunisation services. The application is open and ongoing until advised. The Practice Nurse grant will cover the cost of the Nurse Immunisation course for eligible nurses ($1000 per applicant) in the SEMPHN catchment, to support immunisations for influenza, other child and adult vaccinations, as well as the administration of COVID-19 vaccinations. The course is appropriate for both Registered and Enrolled Nurses. For this activity, SEMPHN is working in partnership with The Benchmarque Group. The Benchmarque Group has a nationally accredited course in Immunisation Practice in Primary Healthcare. For eligibility, how to apply and relevant documentation click here. General practice‘It’s more than medicine’: Local GP Dr Peter Mitchell wins GP Supervisor of the YearCongratulations to General Practitioner Dr Peter Mitchell, of Cheltenham Medical Centre, for winning RACGP’s GP Supervisor of the Year in Victoria. The award comes at a welcome time, with Dr Mitchell saying it’s been a difficult period for practice staff during COVID-19.
Training the next generation of doctors is not new to Dr Mitchell, who has been supervising for around six years. He supervised medical students for 10 years but recognised that there was more responsibility as a GP supervisor. It was a challenge he was happy to take on, and he credits his success to a few important factors.
Dr Mitchell also won Eastern Victoria GP Training (EV) Supervisor of the year in 2020. He’s now in the running for the National RACGP GP Supervisor Award, to be announced in November. Congratulations again, Dr Mitchell, from everyone at SEMPHN! Nellie helps 1000 patients meet their health goals!Nellie is a free, automated and interactive persona-based SMS (text message) program provided by SEMPHN to improve the health and wellbeing of the community through disease prevention and self-management. Recently, Nellie reached a milestone of helping 1000 patients achieve their health goals. There are a wide range of Nellie protocols that our clinicians can assign to patients to help them with self-management tasks, including managing diabetes, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, mental health and alcohol and other drugs. Did you know Nellie’s only self-subscribe protocol is a mental wellbeing program that was written by doctors, nurses, and allied health clinicians in response to our COVID-19 lockdowns in Victoria? Community members in our catchment can subscribe to Nellie for four weeks. Messages help them with both their physical and mental wellbeing during lockdown. Thank you to all health professionals who are supporting their patients to access Nellie. Learn more here. Practice Nurse Network Meeting: Care Planning (14 October)Practice Nurses are invited to learn more about care planning at the upcoming Practice Nurse Network Meeting on 14 October. Our guest speaker Ros Rolleston will cover Professional Nursing Practice, Medicare Guidelines and MBS Billing.
When: Thursday, 14 October, 7 pm—8 pm Training: Talking About Suicide in General Practice (18 November)The Talking About Suicide in General Practice workshop aims to increase health professionals’ skill and confidence in recognising presentations where suicide risk is high. You will learn how to undertake a detailed risk assessment, and provide effective management planning using a collaborative, team-based approach. Note: This webinar is only for those who have connections (work, live and/or study) in the Frankston, Mornington Peninsula, Dandenong, Casey and Cardinia regions.
When: Thursday, 18 November, 6 pm–9 pm For further information please contact Melissa Sibraa at melissa.sibra@blackdog.org.au or Hui Yang at hui.yang@semphn.org.au. Awareness DaysOctober is Mental Health Month!This year's theme, according to Mental Health Australia, is 'Look up, look out, look forward'. Lockdowns, social distancing requirements, travel restrictions, and the constantly changing position we find ourselves in is stressful. This makes prioritising our mental health and wellbeing more important than ever. Downloadable resourcesLooking for resources to support Mental Health Month/Day? Click here to find posters/postcards/Zoom backgrounds and more. Free wellbeing support for GP staffSEMPHN continues to offer general practice staff in the catchment access to its Employee Assistance Program (EAP). SEMPHN's EAP provides up to four free short-term professional counselling sessions and can be done virtually or over the phone. We have two experienced psychologists available for appointments. Click here to learn more about SEMPHN's EAP. Professional development and events
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