Programs and National Schemes

Australian Immunisation Register (AIR)

The Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) is a national register that records vaccines given to people of all ages in Australia.

The AIR can only accept immunisation information from recognised vaccination providers in Australia. This means the AIR cannot accept any information from parents.

Medical practitioners, midwives and nurse practitioners with a Medicare provider number are:

• automatically recognised as vaccination providers, and
• authorised to record or get immunisation data from the AIR

Practice Assist, through WA Primary Health Alliance (WAPHA), collaborates with the WA Immunisation Networks to develop strategies for continuing to improve awareness and uptake of vaccinations both in the community and in general practice.

Practice Assist resources

• Vaccine Potency Checklist for Managing a Power Failure (checklist)
• MCDC Assistance for Immunisation Providers (Fact Sheet)

Key resources

• Department of Human Services AIR eLearning modules
• WA Immunisation Schedule
• Immunisation enrolment requirements for child care services, kindergarten and schools (WA Department of Health)
• Questions about vaccination (Department of Health)
• Accessing AIR using HPOS (Services Australia)
• Accessing AIR using PRODA for individuals (Guide)
• Accessing AIR using PRODA for Organisations (Guide)
• AIR: Recording and updating an encounter (Guide) 
• AusVaxSafety (National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance)
• The digital Australian Immunisation Handbook
• The National Vaccine Storage Guidelines Strive for Five (3rd edition) (PDF)
• National Immunisation Program Pneumococcal vaccination schedule (Department of Health) July 2020 - Clinical decision tree for vaccination providers
• PneumoSmart Vaccination Tool (Immunisation Coalition) July 2020 - Pneumococcal vaccination eligibility decision tool
• Supporting and understanding delegations in HPOS to enable access to AIR (NCIRS) December 2020
• Live shingles vaccine (Zostavax) screening for contraindications  (The Australian Immunisation Handbook) January 2021
• Meningococcal B vaccination - Aboriginal and Torres strait Islander children (NCIRS) March 2021

My Health Record is a national platform for the sharing of patient health information that can be accessed anywhere and at anytime. By the end of 2018 every Australian will have a My Health Record, unless they actively choose not to have one.

Through the My Health Record system, healthcare providers will access timely information about their patients such as shared health summaries, discharge summaries, prescription and dispense records, pathology reports, and diagnostic imaging reports.

More information on My Health Record, and the support available from WA Primary Health Alliance, can be found by clicking here.

BreastScreen Australia

BreastScreen Australia is a joint initiative of the Australian and state and territory governments and aims to reduce illness and death from breast cancer by detecting the disease early. Women over 40 can have a free mammogram every two years and we actively invite women aged 50 to 74 to screen.

Key resources

• For health professionals
• BreastScreen WA

 

National Bowel Cancer Screening Program 

Australia has one of the highest rates of bowel cancer in the world. Around one in 23 Australians will develop bowel cancer during their lifetime.

In Australia, the free National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) invites eligible people starting at age 50 and continuing to age 74 (without symptoms) to screen for bowel cancer using a free, simple test at home.

The NBCSP aims to continue to reduce deaths from bowel cancer through early detection of the disease.

Key resources

• The role of general practice
• Clinical guidelines
• NBCSP fact sheet

 

National Cervical Cancer Screening Program

In December 2017, the Cervical Screening Test replaced the Pap test in the National Cervical Screening Program.

Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers. Regular cervical screening is your best protection against cervical cancer. The Cervical Screening Test is expected to protect up to 30% more women, is more effective than the Pap test at preventing cervical cancers, and is just as safe to be done every five years instead of every two.

The two yearly Pap test for people aged 18 to 69 has been replaced by a five yearly human papillomavirus (HPV) test for people aged 25 to 74. People are due for their first Cervical Screening Test at the age of 25 or two years after their last Pap test. The changes include:

• a more accurate Cervical Screening Test has replaced the Pap test
• the time between tests has changed from two to five years
• the age at which screening starts has increased from 18 years to 25 years, or two years after the last Pap test if the Pap test was done at the age of 23 or over
• people aged 70 to 74 years will be invited to have a Cervical Screening Test.

Key resources

• ​Information for healthcare providers
• Cervical screening Frequently Asked Questions
• Online training modules (via NPS MedicineWise, recognised as CPD by RACGP, ACRRM, ACN, ACM, adnd APNA)
• Cervical cancer education modules (via Cancer Council Australia)
• Recall and Reminder Templates for cervical screening and follow up (WA Cervical Cancer Prevention Program) Jan 2020

National Cancer Screening Register

Release Two of the National Cancer Screening Register is now live and operational. This follows the successful migration of all of the state and territory registers to the National Cancer Screening Register (NCSR).

The Register is a national electronic infrastructure that collects, analyses and reports information about the cervical screening history of eligible Australians.

Key resources

• NCSR information for Healthcare Providers
• ​Quick Start Guide for Healthcare Providers

The National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS) is an initiative of the Australian Government that commenced in 1987 and is administered with the assistance of Diabetes Australia.

The NDSS aims to enhance the capacity of people with diabetes to understand and self-manage their life with diabetes. It also supports people with diabetes by providing timely, reliable and affordable access to the NDSS support services and products.

Registration with the NDSS is free and open to all Australians who are diagnosed with diabetes.

Key resources​

• NDSS information for health professionals
• Health professional resources
• Facts and figures (NDSS data and statistics)

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is the new way of providing support for Australians with disability, their families and carers.

The NDIS will provide about 460,000 Australians under the age of 65 with a permanent and significant disability with the reasonable and necessary supports they need to live an ordinary life.

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) is an independent statutory agency. Its role is to implement the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), which will support a better life for hundreds of thousands of Australians with a significant and permanent disability and their families and carers. The NDIS will mean peace of mind for every Australian - for anyone who has, or might acquire, a disability.

Key resources

• The NDIS in Western Australia
• The NDIS for Providers
• The NDIS Provider Toolkit
• HealthPathways WA Disability and Sickness - Payments and Support

NPS MedicineWise is an independent, not-for-profit and evidence-based organisation that works to improve the way health technologies, medicines and medical tests are prescribed and used. Established in 1998 with the primary aim of promoting quality use of medicines, today it has grown to connect with health consumers and health professionals nation-wide, changing attitudes and behaviours, and empowering all Australians to make the best possible healthcare decisions when they count.

Key resources

• Medical Info
• Clinical topics
• MedicineInsight
• MedicineInsight for general practice

Contact the Practice Assist Help Desk for further information. 

Primary Health Networks across Australia have collaborated in the development of a new data storage and analytics platform called Primary Health Insights.   This initiative has allowed the 27 participating PHNs to take advantage of advances in technology to strengthen the security, governance and privacy measures around data storage and use. 

For more information see this notification here emailed to Western Australian general practices holding Data Sharing Agreements. 

How is my data used by WAPHA in general practice activities?

General practices and general practitioners that analyse and act on their patient data can have a greater insight into the needs of their patients, and are better positioned to provide the care that patients need, when they need it. Accurate patient data can highlight the most prevalent conditions, medications or social groups, and can help determine what conditions need to be prioritised.

WA Primary Health Alliance (WAPHA) provides licenses for the CAT Plus suite of data tools at no cost to general practices across Western Australia under a data sharing agreement.

Sharing your de-identified patient data with WAPHA allows us to provide your practice with access to quality data extraction and analysis that can assist you with accurately recording patient information and better understanding your patient population. It also helps WAPHA to commission the right kind of services where they are needed the most, to support you and your patients. 

Data is also used for the purpose of the Practice Incentives Program Quality Improvement Incentive. Please see the relevant page for more information.
 

Short-term restorative care (STRC)

STRC is an early intervention programme designed to reverse or slow functional decline in older people who are having difficulty performing their day-to-day activities. STRC can provide services to an older person for up to 8 weeks (56 days), twice within a 12-month period. To be approved to receive STRC, an older person must have an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) assessment.
 
For further information, view the STRC fact sheet.
 

PHN Aged Care Program (2021-2025)

In line with PHN Guidance and funding schedules, WAPHA has commenced planning for development and implementation of the program of aged care activities to be delivered by the PHNs. The PHN Aged Care Program objective is to improve outcomes for senior Australians, particularly those at risk of poor outcomes.
 
If you would like more information, visit the aged care webpage on the WAPHA website.

View the current list of Child and Adolescent Health Service (CAHS) - Metropolitan Immunisation Clinics here