4 April 2024
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.
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On Thursday 21 March, WA Primary Health Alliance (WAPHA) hosted a launch breakfast for its pilot project to enhance the primary care response to family, domestic and sexual violence (FDSV). The breakfast, held at the Gosnells Golf Club, was well attended by general practices across the targeted areas of Gosnells, Armadale and Canning. The launch event featured Dr Anna Chaney, a GP with extensive experience supporting patients impacted by violence and abuse, who provided helpful perspectives on the role of the GP and the value of working as a team, both within the practice and with local services. Carolyn Donovan, manager of the new South East FDV Healing Service in Armadale, discussed the comprehensive range of services that will be available at the hub, emphasising the potential for fostering collaboration between general practices and support services. The discussion that followed amongst attendees demonstrated that the resources offered by WAPHA’s FDSV pilot project are both needed and welcomed. Rosie Logie, the activity lead for WAPHA’s FDSV pilot project, explained the project's origins, its early successes and the benefits it now offers to practices in Perth’s south-east metropolitan corridor. “Among the project's benefits is the provision of a collocated FDSV social worker, supporting practices to recognise, respond to and refer individuals impacted by FDSV. Additionally, a comprehensive training plan is being developed that will provide CPD points to attendees,” Ms Logie said. Expressions of interest to participate in the project are currently open to general practices in Gosnells, Armadale and Canning. For further information or to register your practice’s interest, email fdsv@wapha.org.au
GPs are the health professionals accessed most often by people experiencing mental health issues and/or engaging in suicidal behaviour.1 To help increase the capacity and capability of GPs, they can attend free depression management and suicide prevention online training sessions delivered by subject matter experts from the Black Dog Institute and supported by WA Primary Health Alliance (WAPHA). Please make your GPs and GP registrars aware that the free online training sessions are available throughout the 2024 calendar year with a choice of times and target topics including:
CPD hours are available for the online training sessions. For more information, dates and registration links, visit WAPHA’s suicide prevention webpage. In addition, free suicide prevention training workshops for general practice staff are being held in Armadale, Bunbury, Esperance, Kalgoorlie, Manjimup and Midland. The workshops are delivered by Wesley LifeForce and supported by WAPHA. 1. Stene-Larsen K, Reneflot A. Contact with primary and mental health care prior to suicide: A systematic review of the literature from 2000 to 2017. Scand J Public Health. 2019 Feb;47(1):9-17.
From 6 April 2024, the Department of Health and Aged Care will introduce the ability for patients to provide additional information about themselves as part of their MyMedicare registration, should they choose to.
The "About You" questions will enable patients to voluntarily provide information about themselves including whether they identify as First Nations, have a disability and/or have a cultural and linguistically diverse (CALD) background. There is also a question about their gender and sexual orientation.
Patients will have the option to provide answers to the voluntary questions when registering for MyMedicare using a registration form or registering through Medicare Online Services. The new patient registration form will be available from 6 April 2024, and the link updated on the Practice Assist MyMedicare information page.
Major amendments to WA’s abortion legislation will result in a change of practice for general practitioners when the new laws came into effect, on 27 March 2024. In Western Australia, approximately 80 per cent of abortions occur at less than 9 weeks gestation, and involve general practitioners (GPs) in the pathway of care.
This article describes the most significant changes to the abortion legislation in WA and how this will affect GPs and their practice. Detailed information is available at www.health.wa.gov.au/Abortion.
Read more
To ensure care is received as soon as possible, East Metropolitan Health Service (EMHS) allocates Direct Access Endoscopy referrals to the EMHS Hospital with the shortest wait time. When referring patients living in the EMHS catchment for Direct Access Endoscopy:
If there is a concern with referral allocation after the referral has been accepted by an EMHS hospital, patients can telephone the hospital the referral has been allocated to and request the Elective Surgery Waitlist department to directly discuss their needs. Thank you for assistance in supporting timely access and care for the EMHS community.
The Department of Health and Aged Care has launched a national information campaign to encourage Australians to use the Medical Costs Finder when planning for the private specialist care. The Medical Costs Finder website is an initiative of the Australian Government to help patients find and understand the typical costs for common private health procedures and avoid surprises when getting billed. Since its launch in December 2019, over 531,000 users have visited the website, with new users continuing to grow each month with over 76,000 new users in February alone. The campaign primarily targets Australians aged 18 years and older who are considering or seeking private health treatment. A new video to explain how the website helps patients:
As of Monday 13 May 2024, mandatory Referral Access Criteria for Rheumatology (adult) and Endocrinology & Diabetes (paediatric) WA public outpatient services will be introduced. Referral Access Criteria (RAC) are clinical criteria developed by Specialist Heads of Department, Consultants and General Practitioners that outline the mandatory history, examination and investigations required within a referral to support effective outpatient triaging and maximise the value of your patient’s first outpatient appointment. The purpose of the RAC is to improve access for those most in need and ensure every appointment adds value. Each RAC also includes examples of presenting issues, a list of excluded outpatient conditions and indicative triage categories for various conditions. RAC are being introduced in a staged approach for outpatient specialties. RAC are now mandatory for ENT (adult and paediatric), Direct Access Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, Urology, Neurology, Ophthalmology, Rheumatology and Endocrinology & Diabetes (paediatric). To learn more, please access the RAC via Department of Health website – (www.health.wa.gov.au/RAC) “It is important to ensure all mandatory information under the RAC is attached when making a referral to our service. If a referring clinician sends us a referral with missing information, then the referral is likely to be rejected, or the patient may be placed on a lengthy waitlist. If all the pathology and imaging are included in a referral, then the patient is likely to be seen sooner. The RAC enables referring clinicians and our service to work together, ensuring patients are seen more quickly.” – Dr Helen Keen, Head of Department, Rheumatology
The State Health Minister announced on 2nd April 2024 that the free Flu Vaccination program would return for the 2024 flu season. In the months of May and June ONLY, the flu vaccine will be provided for free for anyone over the age of 6 months. Read the statement here. Program information has not yet been released. General Practices will be updated as soon as we have information.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a common, highly infectious virus that can infect people of all ages. It affects the respiratory system (lungs and breathing passages). RSV easily spreads when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks sending respiratory droplets containing the virus into the air. These droplets can end up in other people’s eyes, nose or mouths where they can cause infection. The droplets can also land on objects, such as door handles, surfaces or toys, where other people can touch them and then transfer the virus to their eyes nose or mouths. It can also spread through hand-to-hand contact with an infected person. RSV is the leading cause of infant hospitalisation in Australia. Each year between 900-1300 infants are hospitalised with RSV in WA. An estimated 65 per cent of all infants will get infected with RSV in their first year of life and 1 in 50 will be hospitalised as a result of their illness. Aboriginal infants are hospitalised at a rate of around two times higher than the rest of the population. For adults the data is more limited due to testing of the virus being relatively uncommon, however the reported rate of RSV hospitalisations in older adults has been increasing with the growing awareness of RSV disease and more frequent laboratory testing in older age cohorts. The risk of severe RSV disease is higher among adults with medical risk conditions and older adults (with the risk increasing with age). For non-First Nations adults, the risk is greater from age 75, while for First Nations adults and adults with medical risk conditions the risk is greater from age 60. More information on RSV can be found at:
The West Australian Government has introduced a free Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) immunisation program for eligible infants and babies for the 2024 winter season. The program will be delivered through participating birth hospitals, General Practices, Aboriginal Medical Services and Community Health Immunisation Clinics. The program will run from April 1, 2024 to September 30, 2024. The immunisation for the program is Nirsevimab (brand named Beyfortus). Nirsevimab is a monoclonal antibody, or passive immunisation, that provides antibodies directly to the infant so that they have almost immediate protection against RSV. Each dose of Nirsevimab provides an infant protection for around 5 months and Clinical trials have demonstrated a reduction of hospitalisations by almost 80%.
If you have any further questions, or would like to complete a QI activity around the RSV immunisation please do not hesitate to call Practice Assist on 1800 2 277 478 or email us on practiceassist@wapha.org.au
The immunisation coalition is launching a series of webinars in a co-ordinated approach to improve Influenza, COVID-19 and RSV vaccination through primary care. There will be three webinars in this series. Each webinar is an update of the previous month with the panel discussion focusing on how the influenza, COVID-19 and RSV season is progressing and strategies around increasing vaccination rates. Webinar 1: Register here
In WA, Aboriginal Health Practitioners (AHP) can now immunise under the CEO of Health Structured Administration and Supply Arrangements (SASA). The Immunisation Program is pleased to announce the development of the first SASA to support AHPs to immunise independently. This is a significant milestone towards improving immunisation service access for the WA Aboriginal community. This SASA authorises AHPs working in WA Health, Department of Justice and in a health service that is a member of the Aboriginal Health Council of WA (AHCWA) to administer vaccines and immunisations according to the WA Immunisation Schedule. To view the SASA, please visit the WA Health website and click on the “CEO of Health” accordion.
Cancer Council WA recently conducted a four-part social media campaign to raise the general public’s awareness about the HPV vaccine and prompt parents and guardians of school-age children to give permission for their child’s HPV vaccination and to ensure their vaccination status is current. Although most HPV vaccines are administered through the school-based National Immunisation Program, some children may have missed their vaccination due to illness or absences. General practice and other healthcare professionals play a crucial role in ensuring high vaccine coverage across Australia. It is essential for GPs to routinely check the immunisation status of their patients aged 12 to 25, who remain eligible for free HPV vaccination. General practices are encouraged to utilise the social media tile by adding their practice details and booking links to promote immunisation catch-up services on social media platforms.
The National Bowel Cancer Screening Program saves 50 Australian lives per week. Recently, the Medical Journal of Australia (MJA) released a podcast episode featuring guest speakers Professor Mark Jenkins and Associate Professor Belinda Goodwin, who authored an article on the importance of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program. The episode discusses current program participation rates and emphasizes the importance of maintaining public confidence in its effectiveness. Listen now.
Join Cancer Council WA for this education session. This breast cancer event features three presentations from radiology, medical oncology, and surgical perspectives. Topics will cover medical imaging and treatment modalities, referral pathways, as well as follow-up and surveillance. Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights into breast cancer care. For further information and to register, click here.
The Australian Immunisation Handbook influenza and COVID-19 chapters have recently been updated. New and updated material includes:
Access the chapter here.
Education & Events
In 2024, the HealthPathways WA team will run three live demonstrations facilitated online by a GP Clinical Editor. These sessions will demonstrate how to integrate HealthPathways into your clinical practice and maximise user experience. Learn key functionalities of the portal and how to access condition specific tools and resources, Referral Access Criteria (RAC) (where available), GPbook Specialist Directory and specialist regional rosters. Sessions have been approved for 1 CPD Educational Hour with the RACGP and will be held online on the following dates:
Open to all health professionals registered to practice in WA as well as general practice staff. For more information or to register, please refer the event flyer.
WA Primary Health Alliance is providing GPs in WA with paid online Initial Assessment and Referral Decision Support Tool (IAR-DST) training, designed to help practitioners and clinicians recommend the most appropriate level of care for a person seeking mental health support. GPs and GP registrars who attend the two workshops in the one online session will be remunerated $300 and CPD hours are available. April IAR-DST training dates:
View the flyer here to find out more and register today.
The Better Health Company are continuing to deliver their FREE evidence-based healthy lifestyle programs for Term 2 2024, in partnership with the WA Department of Health.
Both programs:
View the Active8 flyer and the Better Health Program flyer for more information and to register.