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Trying to find your feet in primary health care or want to try your hand at mentoring nurses new to primary health care?
This program will help you grow your skills, knowledge and confidence and set you up in your career. The 12-month program will support the transitioning nurse through tailored CPD, mentorship and support in primary health care settings such as (but not limited to) general practice, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health care and community health.
Applications are now open.
For more information and to apply, please click here.
Are you looking to take the next step in your career? Want to learn new skills and knowledge so you can deliver a new model of care?
The Building Nurse Capacity Project will focus on the development of nurse-led (team-based) models of care that meet local population health needs, and contribute to building the capacity of the healthcare team. Grant funding and APNA support will be provided to successful applicants. It will help you promote close collaboration between nurses and health practitioners, as well as the primary health care sector, health leaders, organisations and consumers, thanks to the team-based care approach.
Helen Storer, a Western Australian Practice Manager and Nurse, and Board Director for APNA, has recently established a private Facebook group for all WA nurses. If you are a member of Facebook and are interested in joining, please search for Western Australian Primary Health Nurses and click Join Group. Helen’s professional biography is available on the APNA website, which you can find by clicking here.
Ensuring that patients of your practice can access care outside your normal practice hours is vital to the continuity of quality clinical care. While fewer GPs, particularly in metropolitan areas, choose to provide after-hours care to their patients themselves, it is imperative that you have in place a method for your patients to access care when your practice is closed. Importance should also be placed on the direct and continuing relationship between your practice’s GPs, and the after-hours care provider.
There is a variety of ways in which after-hours care might be provided to your patients. For many practices, access to medical deputising services offers an alternative to providing your own after-hours care. Where a medical deputising service (MDS) is used for after-hours care of your patients, it is strongly recommended that a formal agreement be established between your practice and the MDS. This agreement should ensure patient consultation information is returned to your practice in a timely manner, and that both parties are aware of how to contact each other in the event of a patient care emergency.
Alternatively, your practice may be able to provide its own after-hours care. Sometimes a practice will have GPs that are willing to provide after-hours care to all patients of the practice, or they may create a roster amongst local GPs or practices to share care. It is acknowledged that for some practices, the only after-hours care available may be the local hospital: if this applies to your practice, it is still recommended that, where possible, a formal agreement be established with the hospital.
To meet the Standards, practices must ensure that staff are able to explain to patients what the practice’s after-hours care arrangements are, and this knowledge will be assessed by surveyors during staff interviews at the survey visit. In addition, it is recommended that you display information in the waiting room, on your website and/or practice information sheet, and in a place visible from outside the closed practice, directing patients to your after-hours care provider. Remember that, by providing this information to patients, they are more likely to contact an after-hours care provider that delivers care in accordance with your principles, and who will ensure the consultation information is returned to you for inclusion in the patient’s health record. A recorded message on your practice’s telephone could also provide the contact details.
Where care has been provided to a patient in the after-hours, details of this care must be included in the patient’s health record, and during the review of medical records at the time of the survey visit, surveyors will look for evidence of care delivered in the after-hours.
RACGP Standards for general practices 5th ed Criterion GP1.3
Catch-up immunisations aim to provide optimal protection against disease as quickly as possible by completing the vaccinations recommended for a person. Immunisation providers actively review a patient’s vaccination history and give the appropriate catch-up vaccines.
If a person has not received all the vaccines in the National Immunisation Program (NIP) Schedule appropriate for their age, plan and document a catch-up schedule.
People up to 19 years of age, and refugees and other humanitarian entrants of any age, can get NIP Schedule vaccines for free, if they did not receive the vaccines in childhood.
Further advice on free catch-up immunisations can be found here.
The WA Immunisation schedule has been updated to include varicella as a catch-up vaccine.
To view the most recent West Australian Immunisation Schedule, please click here.
Australia has one of the world’s most comprehensive national immunisation programs, with over 94% of Australian children aged 5 years fully immunised. Even though the vast majority of children are fully immunised, parents may still have questions about vaccination and want to know more about it.
Two new immunisation resources are now available to help parents better understand immunisation and to answer key questions about vaccination.
The Questions about vaccination booklet provides answers to many common questions about vaccination. It is designed to help:
Copies of the booklet will be distributed to GPs shortly. You can download an electronic copy or order hard copies by clicking here.
The Australian Academy of Science has also developed a series of multimedia products to support their Science of Immunisation: Questions and Answers publication. These materials address key questions such as:
This series of short videos and in-depth articles can be found by clicking here.
A list of metropolitan immunisation clinics, their locations and opening hours, has been made available.
You can download this list by visiting clicking here.
HealthPathways WA, in partnership with Perth Children's Hospital, would like to invite your GPs to attend the Perth Children’s Hospital GP Education Event.
Education sessions include
Date: Saturday, 3 November 2018 Time: Presentations from 8.30am – 4.00pm Registrations from 8.00am Venue: Perth Children’s Hospital, 15 Hospital Avenue, Nedlands WA 6009 Catering: Morning tea and lunch is provided Registration: For more information, and to register, please click here Registrations are essential. Please RSVP by Friday, 26 October 2018
40 Category 1 RACGP QI&CPD points, and 30 ACRRM PDP points, have been applied for.
More HealthPathways events can be found in the Education and training section of this newsletter.
This educational visiting program has been designed to help GPs confidently distinguish between non-specific low back pain and more serious forms that require further investigation and management. It explores the importance of staying active and provides resources to help GPs manage patient expectations about imaging.
One-on-one: 30-minute in-practice discussion for GPs, tailored to individual learning needs. We also offer virtual visits delivered by teleconference, so that GPs who find it difficult to schedule an in-practice visit can still benefit from our visiting program. Virtual Visits can be scheduled at a mutually convenient time – be that before, during or after work hours. Doctors who book a Virtual Visit can nominate their preferred videoconferencing technology e.g. Skype, Scopia, FaceTime, etc.
Small-group: a 1-hour in-practice discussion for up to 10 health professionals (GPs, pharmacists and nurses).
Two Category 2 RACGP QI&CPD points
One Core point in the ACRRM PD Program
They are also recognised as counting towards the Practice Incentives Program’s Quality Prescribing Incentive (PIP QPI).
Email: Nicole.Humphry@wapha.org.au
Phone: 08 6272 4921
On 1 July 2018, the Health Legislation Amendment (Improved Medicare Compliance and Other Measures) Bill 2018 came into effect. Key changes introduced by this bill are:
Given the significance of some of these changes, we highly recommend you either read the overview , or read the Bill in its entirety by clicking here.
Armadale Hospital is seeking the input of local GPs to help co-design a rapid access medical clinic for patients needing urgent specialist advice or review. If you are interested in shaping this service so it meets the needs of your patient, please join Armadale Hospital and WAPHA at a special GP Focus Group on Tuesday 23 October 2018 from 6 - 8pm. For further detail and to register, please click here.
Recent events indicate WannaCry continues to target medical devices within the health sector.
The ACSC would like to re-distribute its advisory from July 2018 on WannaCry. This advisory provides actionable recommendations to assist in protecting your systems against future WannaCry events. You can read this Advisory by clicking here.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your state ITSA, or the 24/7 Global Watch on 1300 292 371 or asd.assist@defence.gov.au
The Alcohol and Other Drugs Knowledge Centre have added a suite of online resources which are now available on the website. Based on the Review of harmful alcohol use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, there are three new resources available:
The animated infographic provides an audio visual snapshot of key information found in the review, in an engaging format, while the eBook is an interactive, online version of the review with additional, enhanced features such as embedded videos and illustrations. The HealthInfoByte is part of a series which promotes HealthInfoNet reviews and provides short, ‘byte’ sized information.
For more information, and to access these resources, please click here.
Determining what factors influence an individual's career choices will help to guide all those involved in the journey of training junior doctors. With better insights, we can support junior doctors to be well-informed and supported in making their speciality career choices. PMCWA, AMA WA and WAGPET are conducting a short, personalised interview process to gather this information. This study received ethics approval from the Curtin University Ethics Committee. The involvement of as many junior doctors as possible in the process will greatly improve the quality of the data and influence future discussions that will ultimately benefit current and future generations of junior doctors.
To learn more, or participate in the survey, please click here.
Visit our Webinars & Workshops page at www.practiceassist.com.au for more events in your area.
These events are often in high demand, so we recommend registering as soon as possible so you don’t miss out.
Primary Care Providers and those working in drug and alcohol settings interested in furthering their knowledge on hepatitis C should attend this latest treatment update. A leading specialist will present up to the minute data on HCV in Australia, innovations in models of care, lead an in-depth discussion on treatment decision making in light of new pangenotypic regimes, as well as present case studies including advanced issues such as coinfection. This evening will be presented by Professor Gregory Dore, Head Viral Hepatitis Clinical Research Program, The Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney. For more information, you can access the event flyer by clicking here. Date: Wednesday, 10 October, 2018 Time: 3.30pm – 6.30pm (AWST) Venue: Online Cost: Free Register: To register, please click here
This training will provide GPs, nurses and health professionals working in primary care an update on strategies available for the prevention of HIV transmission, focusing on prevention particularly pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). This program will also include an STI update and WA AIDS Council session covering a health consumers perspective around PrEP.
Date: Wednesday, 10 October, 2018 Time: 6.15pm – 9.30pm (registration from 6.15pm) Venue: Fraser Suites Perth, 10 Adelaide Terrace, East Perth WA 6004 Cost: Free Register: To register, please click here
The Women’s Health Strategy & Programs provides training to improve the health and safety of families in WA Health. Please refer to the table below for upcoming sessions in 2018.
For more information, please click here. From this page, you can also register by scrolling to the bottom of the page to find Bookings and download a Registration form.
This evening session is presented by both RACGP WA and North Metropolitan Health Service.
Cervical Screening: Improving participation rates in under screened and never screened women will be presented by Kay Morton from the WA Cervical Cancer Prevention Program.
Participants will engage in discussions and learn how to: outline the eligibility criteria for self-collection and describe the procedure, identify and use available resources to engage with patients about cervical screening and cervical cancer, and conduct and audit of patient records for identification of under screened and never screened patients in their practice.
Date: Tuesday, 16 October, 2018 Time: 7.00pm – 9.300pm (registration from 6.30pm) Venue: Cable Beach Club, Cable Beach Road, Broome Cost: $20.00 (free for Rural Clinical School Students) Register: To register (RACGP member), please log into myRACGP To register (non-members), please visit https://bit.ly/2ICGBkC
Health Networks is hosting the Obesity Collaborative Summit to bring people together to build an Action Plan for WA Health focusing on the early intervention and management of overweight and obesity over the next 3 to 5 years. If you have an interest in helping us tackle this critical issue and are a health professional in public or community services; work in health planning, policy, or commissioning; or related health, community, and social areas then come along and help us build a healthier WA. The Hon. Roger Cook MLA, Minister for Health, will deliver the keynote address and bring his enthusiasm and passion for this topic to set the scene for an energising discussion about the future of WA. You can either attend our face-to-face Obesity Collaborative Summit or join one of the online workshops to share your thoughts on how we can work together to create a better weight management experience for Western Australians. Date: Wednesday, 17 October, 2018 Time: 8.30am - 4.00pm (doors open 8.00am) Venue: Duxton Hotel, 1 St Georges Terrace, Perth Cost: Free Register: To register, please click here Online workshops Date: Tuesday, 23 October, 2018 Time: 11.00am - 12.00pm Venue: Online (connect via GoToMeeting) Cost: Free Register: To register, please click here
Date: Thursday, 25 October, 2018 Time: 2.00pm - 3.00pm Venue: Online (connect via GoToMeeting) Cost: Free Register: To register, please click here
The next Cracks in the Ice webinar will focus on supporting frontline workers with key information and resources about crystal methamphetamine. The webinar will be presented by Allan Trifonoff and Roger Nicholas from the National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction (NCETA).
Date: Wednesday, 17 October, 2018 Time: 9.00am – 10.00am (WST) (12.00pm – 1.00pm AEDT) Venue: Online Cost: Free Register: To register, please click here
This session, hosted by the Heart Foundation and targeted at nurses working with patients after cardiac events, will provide education on resources for six steps to cardiac recovery, information all patients should know after their cardiac event, and what's new at the Heart Foundation. It provides the opportunity for nurses to hone their education skills and understand behaviour change. To view the flyer, please click here. Date: Friday, 19 October, 2018 Time: 8.30am – 12.00pm (morning tea provided) Venue: Heart Foundation Board Room, 334 Rokeby Rd, Subiaco Cost: Free RSVP: by 9 October, 2018 Register: To register, please email shelley.mcrae@heartfoundation.org.au
The Australian Centre for Eating Disorders are proud to offer this course with the permission of Dr Eric Stice at the Oregon Research Institute. The two interventions covered in a two-day course: Body Project & Project Health, have been developed and used at Stanford University, the University of Texas at Austin, and Oregon Research Institute. Date: Thursday, 18 October and Friday, 19 October, 2018 Time: 9.30am – 5.00pm each day Venue: Level 1, 863 Hay Street, Perth WA 6000 Cost: $825.00 Register: To register, and for more information, please click here
BreastScreen WA (BSWA) is holding the annual Pink Ribbon breakfast with keynote speakers Professor Christobel Saunders AO, MBBS, FRCS, FRACS, FAAHMS, and Kathleen Mazella OAM.
Date: Monday, 22 October, 2018 Time: Breakfast from 7.30am – 9.00am (registration from 7.00am) Venue: Fraser’s Function Centre, Kings Park Cost: $40.00 (inc GST) RSVP: by Tuesday, 16 October, 2018 Register: To register, please click here
For further information, please email BreastScreen WA or phone (08) 9323 6707.
If you are a GP interested in expanding your professional knowledge on alcohol screening and brief interventions, please consider attending the Fiona Stanley Hospital (FSH) Grand Round to hear presentations on the Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention Project, which was carried out with the WAPHA funding in 2017-208 at Fiona Stanley and Rockingham General Hospitals. The presentation will cover burden of alcohol in Australia and project overview, patient and staff attitudes, research evaluation results, clinical impact and operational feasibility and future directions.
Date: Wednesday, 24 October 2018 Time: 12.00pm – 1.00pm (registration from 11.50am) Venue: Fiona Stanley Hospital, Education, Lecture Theatre G.1 Cost: Free Register: To register, please click here (RSVP by 28 September 2018)
Joondalup Health Campus is pleased to announce the first collaborative ALM with the WA Primary Health Alliance on a spectrum of mental health topics ranging from Child and Adolescent Psychiatry to Older Adult Mental Health. Interactive discussions will be based on real case scenarios. For more information, you can view the flyer by clicking here.
Date: Saturday, 27 October 2018 Time: 8.30am – 4.30pm (registration from 11.50am) Venue: Ground Floor, Community Clinical School, Joondalup Private Hospital, Cnr Grand Blvd and Shenton Ave, Joondalup Cost: Free Register: To register, please click here (RSVP by 22 October 2018)
RACGP WA presents a comprehensive, one-day workshop focussing on the business of general practice. The program is delivered by subject matter experts who will share their knowledge and personal experiences. Hosted by Dr Sean Stevens, Chair, RACGP WA and Chair, RACGP Specific Interests Business of General Practice Network, the day also includes an in-depth session on My Health Record.
Date: Saturday, 27 October, 2018 Time: 9.30am to 3.30pm (registration from 8.30am) Venue: Bendat Centre, 36 Dodd St, Wembley Cost: RACGP members early bird (ends 7 October) $66, RACGP members $99, Non-member $129 Register: To register, please click here
Practice staff using either Best Practice, or Medical Director, clinical software systems are invited to attend these free training sessions. Presented by Katrina Otto, principal and owner of Train IT Medical, key topics will include clinical coding, essential clinical data entry, improving effective use and data quality, and clinical assessment focusing on chronic disease management. Registrations close at 5pm on October 25.
An opportunity to tour the new hospital and get the most up-to-date information on the latest research, presented by Perth Children's Hospital in partnership with WA Primary Health Alliance and HealthPathways WA. Date: Saturday 3 November 2018 Time: Presentations from 8.30am to 4.00pm (registration from 8.00am) Venue: Perth Children's Hospital, 15 Hospital Ave, Nedlands Catering: Morning tea and lunch will be provided Register: To register, please click here RSVP: by 26 October, registrations are essential For further information, please click here Participants may be eligible for 40 Category 1 RACGP QI&CPD points, or 30 ACRRM PDP points.
Presented by Osborne Park Hospital in partnership with WA Primary Health Alliance and HealthPathways WA
Date: Saturday 10 November 2018 Time: Presentations from 8.30am to 3.30pm (registration from 8.00am) Venue: University Club, UWA, Crawley WA 6009, free parking available at Entrance 1, Carpark 3 Catering: Morning tea and lunch will be provided Register: To register, please click here
Registrations are essential. RSVP by Friday 2 November 2018.
This event has 40 Category 1 QI&CPD points.
Education sessions include:
General Practitioners, Practice Managers, Nurses, Allied Health and Pharmacists are invited to attend an interactive evening to meet the commissioned WAPHA services in Kwinana and Rockingham. Meet the providers face to face and see what they can offer your patients. Date: Tuesday, 20 November 2018 Time: 5.30pm - 7.30pm Venue: Hotel Clipper, 20 Patterson Rd, Rockingham Cost: Free (canapes and drinks provided) RSVP: by Tuesday November 13 by clicking here
Learn about the current understanding of perinatal mood disorders and its management, using lecture, case studies and interactive exercises. Thanks to the generosity of CBH Group, Black Dog Institute is offering significantly reduced-cost workshops in regional areas across Western Australia.
Date: Saturday, 24 November 2018 Time: 9.00am – 5.00pm Venue: Masters Builders, 30 Graham St, Albany WA 6330 Cost: $50.00 Register: To register, please click here
These sessions are suitable for Allied Health providers, Nurses, Midwives, Counsellors, GP Registrars, GPs and Psychologists.
These sessions have 40 Category 1 RACGP QI&CPD points, 6 hours CPD for Australian Association of Social Workers, and are a CPD Recognised Activity for the Australian College of Midwives.
After years of demand and need The Ehlers-Danlos Society is very excited to bring together in Australia leading world experts to discuss the Ehlers-Danlos syndromes and related disorders, including the recently-described hypermobility spectrum disorders.
Date: Monday, 10 December – Tuesday, 11 December 2018 Time: 8.00am – 6.00pm (Day 1), 7.30am – 6.00pm (Day 2) Venue: Curtin University Building 410, Kent Street, Bentley Perth WA 6102 Cost: $150 (Day 1), $350 (Day 2) Register: To register, please click here
Is your practice looking for a health promotion activity for your practice? Each edition we provide a list of upcoming health promotion activities for the coming months along with resources and contact details.
You can also view all health promotion activities for the year by visiting Practice Assist’s health calendar.
October, Australia’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, provides an opportunity for us all to focus on breast cancer and its impact on those affected by the disease in our community.
Breast cancer remains the most common cancer among Australian women (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer). Survival rates continue to improve in Australia with 89 out of every 100 women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer now surviving five or more years beyond diagnosis.
Two exciting upcoming BreastScreen WA events, as part of Australia’s Breast Cancer Awareness month in October, are the Pink Ribbon Breakfast at Fraser’s on Monday 24 October, with the guest speaker being Sabrina Hahn, gardener extraordinaire, and Picnic in the Park, a gathering of Aboriginal women in Kings Park on Tuesday 25 October.
You can view BreastScreen WA’s events calendar, and further information for general practices can be found by clicking here.
“Mental health starts where we live, learn, work and play.”
This year, the theme of WA Mental Health Week is all about community and the various settings we go to every day where we can support the wellbeing of others.
Mental Health Week / Day / Month is celebrated all around Australia, with each state adopting their own theme and holding their own events each year. Mental Health Week is run in WA by the Western Australian Association for Mental Health (WAAMH), supported by the Government of Western Australia, Mental Health Commission and Lotterywest.
WAAMH is proudly part of Australia's mental health promotion group which plan awareness campaigns around World Mental Health Day.
For more information about what’s on, or to register an event, please visit https://mhw.waamh.org.au/
The WA Cervical Cancer Prevention Program (WACCPP) is inviting all practices to register an activity in support of National Cervical Cancer Awareness Week (12-18 November 2018).
Activity ideas may include an information display, a presentation about cervical screening, a cervical screening clinic or promotion of cervical screening on stakeholder social media sites.
To support an activity stakeholders can access a range of free resources from the WACCPP, including print resources, promotional tools, activities and display materials.
To register an activity, please download the registration form by clicking here.
For more information please contact the WACCPP on 13 15 56 or cervicalscreening@health.wa.gov.au, or to view the flyer, please click here.
World COPD Day is an annual global initiative run by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) to raise awareness about Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and improve COPD care throughout the world.
In 2018, Lung Foundation Australia’s World COPD Day campaign ‘don’t let shortness of breath stop you from living your dreams’ is focused on raising awareness of COPD symptoms, and empowering people with COPD to take control of their condition. Whilst there are many medicines available to treat COPD symptoms, there are also a number of lifestyle habits which can dramatically improve symptoms, and even slow disease progression.
To register an event, please click here.
You can also download resources from the Lung Foundation Australia by clicking here.
NPS MedicineWise has a Clinical E-Audit available and the Lung Foundation provides a useful and simple infographic on COPD.