Practice Connect #144

 

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 Winter Strategy

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See your GP – Keep your health on track campaign:
communication tools for practices

WA Primary Health Alliance has developed a self-service campaign for general practices to inform, reassure, and encourage patients to keep their health on track. It is also intended to relieve some of the pressure GPs and practice staff are facing in a rapidly changing and challenging environment, where they are busier than ever.
 
See your GP - Keep your health on track provides practices with communication tools to remind patients of the importance of looking after their health, and to understand why their care may be delivered a little differently at the moment, yet still safely and effectively.
 
It is an excellent opportunity to promote the benefits of telehealth (where clinically appropriate), e-prescribing, and COVID-19 and influenza vaccinations.
Practices can self-serve from the suite of materials, some of which are customisable, such as the patient information sheet and website text, with others being widely applicable, such as the suite of animated videos and social media tiles.
The campaign was informed by members of the WA GP Advisory Panel run by WA Primary Health Alliance in partnership with RACGP WA and Rural Health West.

You can download here and share the campaign materials on your own communication channels.

 

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Winter Strategy

There is an expectation that the winter flu season this year will require us to be as prepared as possible. Our Winter Strategy Webpage is a collection of information and resources on Influenza and COVID-19 to assist general practices this winter season.

Resources include posters, brochures, links to clinical guidelines, and links to various resources provided by the WA Department of Health,  the Australian Government Department of Health and more.

This page will be frequently updated as new information is released or new resources developed.
 
Contact Practice Assist 1800 2 ASSIST (277 478) or practiceassist@wapha.org.au for further information or assistance.


 

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Winter preparedness webinar: Update on COVID and influenza antiviral prescribing May 19, 2022 (7.00pm AWST) With flu season just around the corner and COVID cases continuing to climb, we're pleased to present the next antiviral update for GPs. We'll cover all the important updates on COVID antivirals, pre-exposure prevention for COVID and updates on Tamiflu. Using the latest advice and evidence, this webinar covers: A brief refresher on molnopuravir and paxlovid, including practical advice on efficacy, indications and contraindications the use of pre-prophylaxis medication (Evusheld), indications and access via NMS Tamiflu indications and use (Including RACFS - when to use and the implications in the pandemic) access to these medications the use of sotrovimab HealthPathways update You'll have the opportunity to ask questions throughout the webinar. If you have a question prior, you can submit it upon registration. This webinar in presented in partnership with RACGP, WAPHA and AMA WA.   REGISTER HERE

 

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Winter Preparedness Webinar for GPs – Recording now available

This webinar, held on 2nd May, is for general practitioners/primary care providers. The panel provide key updates and answer the questions of participants on COVID-19 and influenza preventions and treatments.

The webinar recording can be viewed here

 

 

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   COVID-19 Updates 

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COVID-19 Links to Useful Resources

As the number of COVID-19 cases in Western Australia continues to remain high, the Practice Assist team has been monitoring the useful resources available to assist general practice staff.
 
We have recently released an updated version of our one-page document with COVID-19 Links to Useful Resources which includes a new section about recovered COVID positive patients.
 
If you would like further information, contact Practice Assist by emailing practiceassist@wapha.org.au or calling 1800 2 ASSIST (1800 2 277 478).

 

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Medicare ineligible patient funding

The Australian COVID death rate was two-and-a-half times higher in people born overseas compared to people born in Australia, according to the latest ABS statistics.
 
Engaging with migrant populations regarding vaccination is one easy way to bring down the death rate.
 
Funding is available until 30 June 2022 to support the vaccination of Medicare ineligible patients to the value of the equivalent MBS item number.
 
To date, WA Primary Health Alliance  has reimbursed 20 practices for more than 800 vaccinations of Medicare ineligible patients.

Immunisation providers can request a 10A report from the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR), to identify Medicare ineligible patients who might be due or overdue for immunisations.
 
To request a 10A report, you will need to login to PRODA and access your HPOS account. For more information, refer to Services Australia for detailed steps on accessing this report.
 
If you would like further support with this important data-driven quality improvement (QI) activity or for further information about this funding, contact Practice Assist and one of WAPHA’s Practice QI Coaches or a member of the vaccination team will be in touch as soon as possible.

 

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COVID-19 and Long COVID – the emerging picture presentation

At last week’s Better Health, Together forum, we welcomed Professor Jeremy Nicholson* to facilitate discussion and provide a better understanding of COVID-19 as a systemic disease. A recording of Professor Nicholson’s presentation is now available, where you can hear his insights on:

• COVID-19, Relationships with diabetes, and long-term cardiovascular risks 
• Children, COVID-19 and Multiple Inflammatory Syndrome 
• Omicron, BA2 and other variants and possible roles in Long COVID

General practitioners (GPs) and their teams providing care for patients who have previously tested positive to COVID-19 or have a history suggestive of undiagnosed COVID-19 can also refer to the RACGPs Caring for patients with post-COVID-19 conditions

The guide provides generic advice and support for developing individualised plans – in collaboration with patients – for the ongoing management of post–COVID-19 conditions and can be used in conjunction with localised advice in the suite of WA COVID-19 HealthPathways

*Professor Nicholson is the Emeritus Professor of Biological Chemistry at Imperial College London, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences at Murdoch University, and the Director of the Australian National Phenome Centre

 
View the recording here
 

 

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Which dose and when?

ATAGI recommended COVID-19 doses and vaccines

ATAGI have updated their infographic table for all COVID-19 doses, dose intervals, and vaccines to reflect recent changes relating to ATAGI dose interval guidelines. The table summarises details for all age groups, including recommendations for the winter dosage.

Review and download this helpful one-pager. 

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Download full table here

 

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Stock Management for COVID-19 Vaccinations

WA general practices have contributed to administering over 3.75 million vaccinations to Western Australians since the vaccine program commenced.
 
As our vaccination rates for 1^st and 2^nd dose sit at greater than 95% and our booster rates at greater than 80%, practices may notice a decline in vaccination bookings as majority of the population receives their full course.  This may affect the scheduling of clinics, ordering of vaccines and stock wastage.

To minimise wastage and improve practice efficiency, we’ve created some helpful tips for practices who are adjusting to the decrease in the volume of people requiring vaccination. 

1. Order less than your maximum allocation
   Many practices are not aware that they do not have to order their maximum allocation each fortnight. You can order in multiples of 100 (or 120 for Pfizer 12+) to ensure that you are only ordering what your practice will use.
2. Skip an ordering fortnight
   If you hold large amounts of stock at the end of your ordering fortnight, skip a cycle in order to utilise your stock on hand. The Commonwealth Department of Health is monitoring practices with large amounts of stock on hand and low utilisation levels, in some instances imposing a pause on ordering or skipping an order cycle on behalf of the practice.
3. Share an order with a nearby practice or transfer stock between sites to minimise wastage
   If you know that you are not going to use the stock, ring your nearby practices and vaccine sites to transfer stock to another site to be used. You might even consider sharing an order with them if you only require a small amount.

WA Primary Health Alliance reminds practices of the helpful guides and resources for planning clinics including:

• COVID-19 Vaccine Stock Governance Guide
• Stock Control Spreadsheet
• Transfer of Stock Between Sites

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Practice Assist at 1800 2 ASSIST (277 478).

 

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COVID Vaccination: Advice on dose intervals

ATAGI now recommends the dose interval between primary doses of Pfizer (COMIRNATY) and Moderna (SPIKEVAX) should be extended to 8 weeks.

The extended dose interval of 8 weeks has been shown to improve the immune response to vaccination and therefore may improve effectiveness. A longer dose interval may also reduce the risk of myocarditis and pericarditis.

The dose interval can be reduced (to a minimum of 3 weeks for Pfizer (COMIRNATY) or 4 weeks for Moderna (SPIKEVAX)) for people at higher risk of severe COVID-19 (including older adults and people with underlying medical conditions), in an outbreak setting, or prior to international travel.

Providers can also consider extending the interval between 2 primary doses of Novavax (NUVAXOVID) to 8 weeks (from a minimum of 3 weeks) to potentially improve effectiveness and reduce any potential risk of myocarditis and pericarditis.

 

Advice on COVID-19 vaccination post infection

It is now recommended that all people should wait for 3 months after confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection before they receive their next COVID-19 vaccine dose.

This updated advice reflects the lower risk of reinfection with the Omicron variant within the first 3 months following a confirmed infection, particularly if prior COVID-19 vaccine doses have been received.

This information will be added to the modules in the next update.

 

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COVID-19 Vaccination Training - Update

Significant updates have occurred in the COVID-19 Vaccination Training Program on Friday 29 April 2022 regarding Vaccine Operating Centre Hours and the ATAGI recommendation on boosters in children aged 12 to 15 years old. Module progress and completion have not been affected. Please note that certificates will display the date that the module was originally completed and will not be updated if the module is repeated.
 
You are expected to login and view the new information. A summary of the updates can be found in the COVID-19 Training Announcement Board. All new changes and updates within the modules for this week are identified by 'NEW' and 'UPDATED' in blue with white, and all changes from the previous two updates will be identified as 'NEW' and 'UPDATED' in red and white.
 
Please see the COVID-19 Training Announcement Board for more details.

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Dr Lucas de Toca video for patients answering important questions on the influenza season

COVID-19 Primary Care Response First Assistant Secretary, Dr Lucas De Toca, answers the following top three questions on influenza in a new video you can download and share with your patients:

1. Why are we especially vulnerable to flu this year?
2. What can we do to protect ourselves against a bad flu season?
3. I’ve heard of plenty of people who have been immunised with the flu shot and still get the flu! What’s the point?

Download here
 

 

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 Preventative Heart Health

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What is a Heart Health Check?

Heart Health Check is the patient-friendly term for comprehensive cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk assessment and ongoing management. It principally involves gathering information about a patient’s CVD risk factors, calculating and recording their absolute CVD risk using a validated calculator and managing their risk as per guidelines on an ongoing basis.
 

Who is eligible for a Heart Health Check?

The intention of this item is to identify cardiovascular disease (CVD) in people not known to have CVD including:

• Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander persons who are aged 30 years and above;
• Adults aged 45 years and above

The heart health assessment item can be claimed once per patient in a 12-month period. The heart health assessment items cannot be claimed if a patient has had a health assessment service in the previous 12 months.
 

What is Involved in a Heart Health Check?

Professional attendance for a heart health assessment by a general practitioner at consulting rooms lasting at least 20 minutes and must include:

• collection of relevant information, including taking a patient history that is aimed at identifying cardiovascular disease risk factors, including diabetes status, alcohol intake, smoking status and blood glucose;
• a physical examination, which must include recording of blood pressure and cholesterol status;
• initiating interventions and referrals to address the identified risk factors;
• implementing a management plan for appropriate treatment of identified risk factors;
• providing the patient with preventative health care advice and information, including modifiable lifestyle factors.

 
For more information on Heart Health Checks , including MBS item numbers, refer to the Practice Assist Heart Health Check Fact Sheet

 

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New Heart Health Check toolkit resources in the spotlight

With one Australian having a heart attack or stroke every 4 minutes, primary care professionals have the power to change this statistic by focussing on simple, yet life-saving preventative care. The Heart Foundation has made routine cardiovascular disease risk assessment and management easy with the Heart Health Check Toolkit.

The Heart Health Check Toolkit is a one-stop shop designed to assist general practice staff to easily assess and manage CVD risk in line with the latest guidance. It offers a range of tools and resources including assessment and management templates, quality improvement tools, patient engagement resources and much more. We are excited to announce three new resources available to assist in conversations with consumers.
 

New resource in the spotlight:

1. Practical guide to pharmacological lipid management - This pharmacological management guide has been developed to help you manage patients with high cholesterol with flowchart recommendations on when to prescribe different types of lipid lowering medications.
2. Personal Walking Plan – When it comes to exercise, it can be hard for patients to know which advice to trust, how to get started and how to stick with it. Refer your patients to an easy-to-follow Personal Walking Plan that will help them be more active, healthier and happier in just six weeks.
3. Eating well to protect your heart – Provide your patients with a healthy eating information sheet that provides them with resources to follow a heart healthy eating pattern.

For more information, please contact cvdriskteam@heartfoundation.org.au

 

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   Immunisation & Cancer Screening Updates 

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National Cervical Screening Program - expansion of self-collection

From 1 July 2022, the National Cervical Screening Program (NCSP) will expand screening test options, offering self-collection as a choice to all people participating in cervical screening. 
 
The change means from 1 July 2022 all NCSP participants aged 25-74 years old will have the choice to screen using either a self-collected vaginal sample or a clinician collected sample from the cervix, accessed through a health professional in both cases.  
  

How accurate are self-collected samples?

Recent evidence demonstrates a Cervical Screening Test using a self-collected vaginal sample is as accurate as a clinician-collected sample taken from the cervix during a speculum examination.  
 
A self-collected sample is taken from the vagina (not the cervix) and is tested for the presence of HPV. For asymptomatic participants there is strong evidence that HPV tests on self-collected vaginal samples and clinician-collected cervical samples have equivalent sensitivity when using a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)-based HPV test¹ – the test used by the National Cervical Screening Program.  

• A recent meta-analysis has demonstrated the accuracy of self-collection
• Screening using a self-collected vaginal sample has equivalent sensitivity when compared to a clinician-collected cervical sample
• A summary of the evidence of self-collection sensitivity can be found in the National Cervical Screening Program Clinical Guidelines
• A self-collected sample is from the vagina (not the cervix). It can only be tested for HPV and not for cytology (cervical cell abnormalities). If a sample is positive for HPV, depending on the type of HPV detected, the woman will either need a speculum examination for liquid based cytology to determine management or will need to be sent directly for colposcopy
• According to data from the National Cancer Screening Register, the current rate of unsatisfactory HPV samples (from self-collected samples) is under 2.6%. This is well within the acceptable range
• Patients with symptoms that could indicate cervical abnormalities or cancer require diagnostic testing and should be managed in accordance with the National Cervical Screening Program Guidelines
• Self-collection is not recommended for patients that are symptomatic

 
More information on the upcoming changes to the National Cervical Screening Program will be communicated through future editions of Practice Connect. A webinar explaining the self-collection expansion will occur in June. Details of this webinar will be published soon.

 

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Recent ProQuad orders with short expiry

The WA Department of Health would like to provide an update about short dated ProQuad singles that were distributed in the last month:

• Two batches of ProQuad – Singles were sent to providers with short-dated expiration. The affected batch numbers are: T038437 and T038439
• The expiry date of these batches is 13 May 2022
• If you don’t use these doses by Friday 13 May 2022 , please discard them and report them here
• Order required doses to replenish your stock through Onelink
• Remember that Priorix-Tetra is an alternative MMRV vaccine
• More information on reporting vaccine wastage can be found at vaccine orders
• If you have any queries, please contact vaccineorders@health.wa.gov.au

The WA Department of Health apologises for the inconvenience this may have caused, and thanks all practices with your continued support of the Western Australian Immunisation Program.
 

 

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Important information for metro practices - Cold chain monitoring

The WA Department of Health would like to provide an update on Sensitech TagAlert®.
 
Each vaccine delivery from Onelink has a Sensitech TagAlert® cold chain monitor to electronically record the vaccine temperature during transport.

In the Perth metropolitan area, Onelink have commenced using a new model of Sensitech TagAlert®.

Upon arrival of every vaccine delivery, immunisation providers or practice staff must immediately STOP the TagAlert®, and then check it to see if a breach has occurred during transport. This should be done before moving vaccines to the vaccine fridge.

If you do not stop the TagAlert®, it will continue to monitor the temperature, and may alarm.
 
Instructions on how to stop the new model TagAlert® will be provided along with the TagAlert® with each vaccine delivery.

All breaches must be recorded as per the instructions accompanying the TagAlert®, and should be passed on to Onelink for advice.

 

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Hepatitis A vaccine Vaqta update

The WA Department of Health would like to provide a vaccine ordering update:
 

Hepatitis A vaccine, Vaqta is only provided for:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at 18 months and 4 years of age, as per the Western Australian Immunisation Schedule

No other cohorts are eligible for a government-funded Hepatitis A vaccination.

Individuals who are not eligible should seek private means of getting vaccinated.

Due to supply constraints, our stock is currently low with more arriving later this month. As a result,

• Vaqta has been temporarily removed from the Onelink ordering template.
• If you urgently require Vaqta, please email Vaccine Orders.
• We will review all Vaqta order requests on a case-by-case basis and if approved, your order may be reduced to help us manage stock until more arrives.

Please note all orders for Vaqta placed this week have been cancelled.

We will advise you through official communications once we have reinstated Vaqta on the ordering template through Onelink.

If you have any queries, please contact vaccineorders@health.wa.gov.au

Thank you for your continued support for the Western Australian Immunisation Program

 

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WA Health Hepatitis A & B vaccine update

The WA Department of Health would like to provide a vaccine ordering update for the following vaccines:

Hepatitis A & B vaccines:

• Vaqta - Singles
• Engerix B (Auth Adult State) – Singles
• Engerix B (Aborig Adult State) – Singles
• Havrix (Auth State) – Singles

Due to supply constraints, our stock is currently low with more arriving later this month. As a result:

• These vaccines have been temporarily removed from the Onelink ordering template.
• If you urgently require these vaccines, please email Vaccine Orders.

At this time, you will not be able to keep stock on hand for Vaqta or Engerix B (Aborig Adult State).

The WA Health Department will review all Hepatitis A & B vaccine order requests on a case-by-case basis and if approved, your order may be reduced to help us manage stock until more arrives.

Individuals who are not eligible should seek private means of getting vaccinated.

The WA Health Department will advise you through official communications once they have reinstated these vaccines on the ordering template through Onelink.

If you have any queries, please contact vaccineorders@health.wa.gov.au

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Campaign launch: Routine childhood immunisation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander routine childhood immunisation campaign was launched on 26 April 2022 to encourage routine childhood immunisations for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have higher rates of some vaccine preventable diseases so extra vaccines are available free through the National Immunisation Program.

Vaccination rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children have decreased over recent periods, particularly at 1 and 2 years of age.

Skipping or delaying vaccinations puts children and those around them at risk of catching serious diseases. It’s important that children receive their routine vaccines in line with the Childhood Immunisation schedule on time, every time, for the best protection.  The campaign encourages parents and carers to get their kids vaccinated on time for the best protection.
 
Visit the Department of Health website for more information and access to resources.

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   Digital Health Updates 

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Digital Health – Check out our 'How To Series'

Over the past number of weeks we have been releasing videos and ‘how to’ fact sheets full of information in regards to Digital Health. These resources are all available by visiting our  Digital Health Toolkit webpage.
 
Each fortnight we upload, videos, imagery and written information on all the important Digital Health tools. All you have to do is click here to choose what way you want to learn more.
 
As this ‘how to’ series is new to WAPHA we would love to hear your feedback, especially on if you find the information useful and if so, what medium do you prefer it in. You can contact us with your feedback or any questions you may have via Practice Assist.

 

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   Other news

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International Nurses Day 2022

Today is International Nurses Day!

International Nurses Day (IND) is an international day observed around the world each year on 12^th May, to mark the contributions that nurses make to society. The 12th May was chosen to celebrate the day as it is the anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.
 
In 2022, the theme for IND is Nurses: A Voice to Lead – Invest in nursing and respect rights to secure global health.
 
The focus is on the need to invest in nursing and respect the rights of nurses in order to build resilient, high quality health systems to meet the needs of individuals and communities now and into the future.
 
You can download a poster from APNA celebrating International Nurses Day to display in your workplace here
 

 

 

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National Palliative Care Week 2022

National Palliative Care Week is Australia’s largest annual awareness-raising initiative, sparking important conversations about the benefits of quality palliative care and acknowledge and celebrate the commitment and dedication of all those working and volunteering in the palliative care sector.

From Sunday 22 – Saturday 28 May 2022, virtual and face-to-face events will be held across the country for clinicians and the community including:

• Palliative Care Education and Training Collaborative’s Palliative Approach Webinar
• Palliative Care Education and Training Collaborative’s Palliative Approach Webinar – South West Perspective
• Palliative Care WA Breakfast (Perth and Bunbury)

National Palliative Care Week is also a great time to check out Palliative Care Australia’s 2022-2027 Roadmap meeting the growing demand for palliative care in Australia, expected to increase by 50% between now and 2035, and double by 2050.

Help PCA raise awareness via social media using the campaign resources and events form. Join the NPCW conversation using the hashtags #NPCW2022 and #palliativecare.

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Changes to the Health Professionals and Support Services Award

The Health Professional and Support Services Award covers employers in the health industry and their employees who are in a classification in the award, and or employers engaging a health professional employee. Examples include general and administrative service employees, including  medical receptionists and practice managers.

The Health Professional and Support Services Award  has recently been updated.

Changes have been made to:

• Record Keeping requirements
• Overtime and penalty rates
• Annual reconciliations
• Annual wage arrangements for Support Service levels 8 or 9, and Health Professional levels 2 to 4.

 
More information on the changes can be found here.
 
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Childhood Obesity Healthcare Provider Survey

The Healthy Weight Service at Perth Children's Hospital is creating a Childhood Obesity educational program for WA Health Care Providers.  Help us create an education and mentoring program that best meets your needs by completing this survey.  This will take approximately 5-7 minutes to complete.  To thank you for your time, you will have the chance to win one of two $200 Rebel sport vouchers. 

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Soundfair and the Deafness Foundation have launched a new suite of hearing health information resources

Soundfair and the Deafness Foundation are pleased to announce the launch of a new suite of hearing health information resources.  

Research shows it takes on average ten years for people to access help for their hearing loss. With funding from the Deafness Foundation, this suite of resources has been developed by Soundfair in consultation with GPs and co-designed by people with hearing loss.  

In addition, the website has a referral algorithm for GPs, information on funding pathways and the find an audiologist tool. To access these valuable tools via the Soundfair link specific to General Practitioners.  

 

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General Practitioners play a key role in facilitating work participation for their patients

Comcare has developed a new one-page resource, designed to assist GPs in assessing their patient’s functional capacity for work. Enabling patients to participate in good work while they recover results in better health and wellbeing outcomes. 

Evidence-based assessment should consider both physical and psychological functions and focus on what the person can do, not what they can’t do. This guide will help GPs to perform psychological assessments of capacity for work and make recommendations for reasonable adjustments to support performance of work duties. 

The one-page guide is attached, and available here. 

Visit Medical practitioners | Comcare for more information and resources to assist with work-related injury or illness, including a free webinar for GPs: Assessing functional capacity to work for psychological injuries.  

Register now  for this webinar on Thursday 19 May from 7.15 – 8.30 pm AEST. 

This webinar is produced by the Mental Health Professionals’ Network in partnership with Comcare. 

 

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Royal Perth Bentley Group Geriatric Assessment Team (GAT) Ambulatory Unit

The Royal Perth Hospital (RPH) Geriatric Assessment Team (GAT) now offers an Ambulatory service with 6 beds which welcomes GP referrals. GPs can contact the RPH Acute Geriatrics GP Hotline (via the RPH switchboard on 9224 2244) between 8am-6pm on weekdays if you are concerned about a patient aged ≥ 65 years/Aboriginal patient ≥ 50 years who lives or is staying in the RPBG catchment area and would benefit from early assessment by a Consultant Geriatrician. Out of business hours, the switchboard will continue to direct GP calls for urgent Geriatrics advice to the on-call Geriatrics consultant.

The GAT also provides timely specialist geriatrics decision making and multidisciplinary care to older patients attending the RPH emergency department (ED) and may contact you if one of your patients presents to ED. The GAT consultant performs an early comprehensive Geriatric assessment to promote safe discharge from hospital and reduce readmission to hospital. The GAT encourages direct referrals from GP’s and other specialties to facilitate direct community reviews and admissions, bypassing the Emergency department and can facilitate early referral to community-based services for ongoing assessment.


 

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Updated GP Factsheet: Who can GPs contact for clinical advice about COVID-positive patients living in the East Metropolitan Health Service metropolitan catchment?

The updated East Metropolitan Health Service (EMHS) GP Factsheet: Seeking clinical advice from EMHS for COVID-positive patients includes antiviral advice changes following the nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid) PBS listing from 1 May 2022 and information on referrals for suspected post-COVID syndrome. Please only contact these hospitals (Royal Perth, Bentley, Armadale and Kalamunda Hospitals and St John of God Midland Public Hospital) about COVID patients residing in the EMHS metropolitan catchment area.

What was updated?

• Added link to map of EMHS metropolitan catchment area, where referenced in the factsheet 
• Added the new COVID Positive Home Visiting and Telehealth Service at the start of the factsheet

Updated Question 1 to “How do I access early intravenous therapy for my COVID-positive patient who does not need hospitalisation but is in a high-risk group and has contraindications or isn’t eligible for molnupiravir or nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid) on the PBS?” based on PBS changes that come into effect from 1 May 2022.

Added Question 4 “How do I access specialist care for my patient experiencing suspected post-COVID syndrome?”

• Added to Question 6 an out of hours enquiries contact for Armadale Health Service

 

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   Practice Assist Tool Kit 

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Our Resource Library webpage and accompanying resources have recently been reviewed.

Whilst the location of these resources has changed, the range and relevance of resources will continue to improve, they are now integrated into our Toolkit pages on our Practice Assist website.

The Toolkit provides useful fact sheets, user guides, checklists, business plans, posters and other resources covering all aspects of the day-to-day operations of successful general practices. 

Please see below links for quick reference with assisting you to view our Toolkit pages where you will find our most current and available resources.
 

• Aboriginal Health Tool Kit page
• Accreditation for general practice Tool Kit page
• Business Management Tool Kit page
• Digital Health Tool Kit page
• HealthPathways Tool Kit page
• Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) Tool Kit page
• Nursing in general practice Tool Kit page
• Practice Incentives Program Tool Kit page
• Programs and National Schemes Tool Kit page
• Quality Improvement (QI) Tool Kit page
• RACGP Standards and Other Resources Tool Kit page
• Health Workforce Tool Kit page

Recently published resources:

COVID-19 Resources	How to provide your patients with Antiviral and Monoclonal Antibody Treatments for COVID-19 (VIDEO - NEW) COVID-19 Resources for CALD Patients (NEW) COVID-19 Links to Useful Resources (NEW) For other COVID resources click here
Digital Health	Video - How To Series Best Practice - How to Cancel or Resend an ePrescription  ​Best Practice - How to Send an ePrescription  Best Practice - How to turn on ePrescribe  Medical Director -  How to turn on ePrescribe  WAPHA - Telehealth Appointment  Fact Sheets - How To Series Secure Messaging Getting Started - Guide and Checklist  (NEW) Secure Messaging FAQs  (NEW)

If you have an idea for a new resource or feedback on our current resources, please email practiceassist@wapha.org.au with ideas and comments.
 

 

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    Education & Events 

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Winter preparedness: Update on COVID and influenza antiviral prescribing May 19, 2022 (7.00pm AWST) With flu season just around the corner and COVID cases continuing to climb, we're pleased to present the next antiviral update for GPs. We'll cover all the important updates on COVID antivirals, pre-exposure prevention for COVID and updates on Tamiflu. Using the latest advice and evidence, this webinar covers: A brief refresher on molnopuravir and paxlovid, including practical advice on efficacy, indications and contraindications the use of pre-prophylaxis medication (Evusheld), indications and access via NMS Tamiflu indications and use (Including RACFS - when to use and the implications in the pandemic) access to these medications the use of sotrovimab HealthPathways update You'll have the opportunity to ask questions throughout the webinar. If you have a question prior, you can submit it upon registration. This webinar in presented in partnership with RACGP, WAPHA and AMA WA. Register here

 

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PEN CS WEBINARS: Understanding your data, as well as knowing how to access and improve your data is paramount to ongoing Quality Improvement

Multiple dates (see below May to July 2022)

Practice Assist in conjunction with Pen CS is running a series of webinars developed to provide you with a refresher on how to use Pen CS. These webinars will support you to evaluate your data, identify areas of improvement that you can work on to improve patient outcomes and meet Quality Improvement requirements.   

Regular review of your data will enable you to see opportunities for Quality Improvement which our team of Quality Improvements coaches can support your practice to implement.  

Along with our Primary Care Solutions team we have a dedicated Pen CS expert who will guide us through the fundamentals of using your data, in creating positive patient outcomes.  

These sessions have been designed to create a suite of resources that we can refer to and share in the future for new users of Pen CS and for those who have missed the previous sessions. If you would like a copy of previous webinars please contact Practice Assist on 1800 2 ASSIST (277 478)   

Register for upcoming sessions below. These sessions run every Wednesday at 12:30pm  

Wednesday 25 May 2022	Health Promotion: Immunisation
Wednesday 1 June 2022	Health Promotion: Cancer Screening
Wednesday 8 June 2022	Health Promotion: Health Assessments
Wednesday 15 June 2022	At Risk Groups
Wednesday 22 June 2022	Chronic Disease
Wednesday 29 June 2022	Mental Health
Wednesday 6 July 2022	Custom searches / Practice requests
Wednesday 13 July 2022	Custom searches / Practice requests
Wednesday 20 July 2022	Custom searches / Practice requests

   
 

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HPV in Australia - Webinar

Wednesday 25 May (4.00pm WST)

Presented by The Immunisation Coalition, this webinar will have the latest facts about Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and vaccination, covering everything you need to know about the disease and available vaccines.

Learn about:

• Human Papilloma Virus
• Cause and symptoms
• HPV in Australia
• Transmission and prevention
• Available vaccines, efficacy and safety

 

Register here

 

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Communicable Diseases & Immunisation Conference (CDIC) 2022

Date: Monday 20 to Wednesday 22 June 2022
Location: Online and International Convention Centre, Sydney 

The Communicable Diseases and Immunisation Conference will be held in Sydney from Monday 20 to Wednesday 22 June 2022.

In 2022 the Conference theme will be “Moving beyond the Pandemic”.

The conference is of a Hybrid format, this means that you have the option of attending the conference in person in Sydney or online via the Virtual Event Portal.

Face-to-face registrations also include access to the virtual conference portal. All delegates will have access to the virtual content for 3 months following the conference.


Register here

 

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Other Webinars, Events & Workshops

BreastScreen WA mobile visit to Geraldton Presented by BreastScreen WA 13 April to 17 October

Practice Owners National Conference registrations are open Presented by RACGP 14 to 15 May

Diabetes & Heart Disease Presented by Diabetes WA  16 May

Protracted Bacterial Bronchitis (Childhood Wet Cough) Presented by Asthma WA 18 May

The future is Digital Health Presented by RACGP 23 May

Advanced training in Suicide Prevention (Online Workshop) Presented by Black Dog Institute  May to Aug

Advanced Training in Suicide Prevention (Regional WA)  Presented by Black Dog Institute  Aug to Sept

Joint Australasian HIV & AIDS + Sexual Health Conferences  Presented by ASHM  29 August - 1 September

2022 ACNP National Conference: Inspiring Future Growth for Nurse Practitioners and Advanced Practice Presented by ANCP 13-15 October