1 June 2023
WA Primary Health Alliance acknowledges and pays respect to the Traditional Owners and Elders of this country and recognises the significant importance of their cultural heritage, values and beliefs and how these contribute to the positive health and wellbeing of the whole community. Throughout this newsletter, the term 'Aboriginal' is used to refer to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, unless stated otherwise.
General Practice GP Grants
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So far more than 96% of eligible* general practices in WA have begun the process to apply for a Strengthening Medicare General Practice Grant. Of these, more than 600 practices have completed step 2 by registering as a supplier in our Aspire payment system, and nearly 200 practices have completed step 3 by completing their grant application.
Practices must have completed step 2 before 15 June 2023 to be eligible.
For Information on the GP Grants Program visit the Practice Assist website. Please see the manuals to assist with completing steps 2 and 3:
The GP Grants Support Team is offering dedicated 20-minute sessions to practices that are currently completing step 2 or 3. Please contact Practice Assist on 1800 2 ASSIST (1800 2 277 478 or 08 6278 7900) or email gpgrants@wapha.org.au to book a time with the team. If your practice is eligible to receive a GP Grant and you have not been contacted by WAPHA via the gpgrants@wapha.org.au address, please contact the Practice Assist team on 1800 2 ASSIST (1800 2 277 478 or 08 6278 7900) or via gpgrants@wapha.org.au *Medicare general practices, and ACCHS that deliver general practice services and are not owned or operated by a state, territory or local government agency or body. Please note eligible ACCHS will be able to apply for the GP Grants through the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO).
Starhill Medical Centre in South Lake has credited WA Primary Health Alliance’s simple to follow guidelines as the key to successfully completing the Strengthening Medicare General Practice Grant application process. Practice owner, Mr Ganesh Sayapathi, said he was able to easily go through the required steps and is looking forward to having new IT equipment installed before the financial year end. Starhill is one of 695 Western Australian general practices that have registered their intent to apply for a grant. The grant will allow the practice to implement a much-needed IT equipment upgrade and continue to provide a bulk billing service to the local community. Mr Sayapathi said it was a seamless and smooth process as long as the instruction documents are read and followed. “These are the best written guidelines and instructions as they are clearly constructed from the perspective of a normal user rather than an expert user, or someone who knows the grant application system process. “This made it clear to follow and understand, making the overall experience easy and smooth.” Mr Sayapathi has felt well supported by WA Primary Health Alliance and by getting his grant completed early, has been able to have initial discussions with his IT provider. This will ensure that on receiving the grant, the new hardware can be installed in a timely manner and immediately benefit his team and their patients.
Primary Sense Update
Now that more than 70% of practices have installed Primary Sense, we have produced a suite of resources to support General Practice to maximise their use of Primary Sense and the report function.
These resources have been developed to enable practices to work with their practice data to achieve positive patient outcomes.
The Primary Sense reports overview looks at how to use the report function built into the Primary Sense tool. The 11 new Primary Sense Reports user guides focus on specific topics, showcasing a range of reports relating to each topic.
We will continue to add to this suite of resources based on the reports available to practices and we welcome your feedback.
Alcohol Status
Allergy Recorded
Bowel and Breast Cancer Screening
Cervical Cancer Screening
Diabetes Management
Ethnicity Recorded
GPMP and TCA
Health Assessments
Heart Health Check
Influenza Vaccination
Smoking Status
For additional support with Primary Sense or to provide feedback, please email Practice Assist or call us on 1800 2 ASSIST (1800 2 277 478 or 08 6278 7900) .
Feature - Men's Health
Australian men have a lower life expectancy, are more likely to be overweight and experience higher rates of a range of chronic diseases in comparison to women.
Identify male patients in your practice:
If your practice would like further support to explore these quality improvement activities, please connect with your Quality Improvement Coach or Primary Care Navigator via Practice Assist.
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has reviewed the available evidence and advises that for people aged 12 years or older, a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine is now preferred over original (ancestral) vaccines for primary vaccination. The safety of bivalent vaccines is similar to monovalent original vaccines when used as a booster dose. ATAGI has no additional concerns regarding the safety or effectiveness of bivalent vaccines compared with monovalent vaccines when used for a primary course.
Read the full statement from ATAGI here