Practice Connect #250

Rural Health West is excited to announce that nominations are now open for the 2027 Western Australian (WA) Rural Health Excellence Awards!

These prestigious awards recognise and celebrate health professionals who have dedicated their careers to providing exceptional care in rural communities across WA.

You are invited to nominate a colleague who has made a significant contribution to rural health or encourage your patients to nominate you if they believe your work has made a difference in their lives. This is a wonderful opportunity to shine a spotlight on the hard work and commitment of rural health professionals.

Award categories:

• Aboriginal Health Professional of the Year
• Allied Health Professional of the Year
• Clinical Leader of the Year
• Early Career Health Professional of the Year
• General Practitioner (GP) of the Year
• Health Service Contributor of the Year
• Health Team of the Year
• Nurse or Midwife of the Year
• Specialist (Non- GP) of the Year

The awards acknowledge the dedication of health professionals who have enhanced the range and quality of medical care available in rural WA. Whether it’s through exceptional patient care or leadership in clinical practice, we want to celebrate those who make a difference.

To learn more about each award category and the nomination criteria, please visit the WA Rural Health Excellence Awards website.

From 1 September 2026, St John of God Mount Lawley Hospital will transition into the Western Australian (WA) public health system following the State Government’s purchase of the hospital from St John of God Health Care.

The hospital will become Mount Lawley Hospital, part of East Metropolitan Health Service and the Royal Perth Bentley Mount Lawley Group. The transition will increase public hospital capacity while building on the established services and clinical expertise at the Mount Lawley site.

Mount Lawley Hospital will provide a range of public services, including general medical, rehabilitation and geriatric services, older adult mental health, outpatient clinics, day procedures, endoscopy and surgery. Surgical and endoscopy services will commence following upgrades to theatre infrastructure, equipment installation and commissioning, with commencement dates to be confirmed.

What this means for GP referrals

GPs should continue to use established WA public hospital referral pathways, including the Central Referral Service and usual public outpatient referral mechanisms. Mount Lawley Hospital will not accept direct referrals. Patients already receiving public care will be contacted directly if there are any changes to their appointments or care arrangements.

Questions about the transition can be sent to emhs.mtltransitionprogram@health.wa.gov.au

The Australasian Society of HIV Medicine and The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation have updated the Syphilis Guidance for Primary Care website, which provides practical information to support syphilis diagnosis, treatment and management in primary care settings. Clinicians are advised to visit the website for the most up-to-date information about syphilis in primary care.

For more information visit the Syphilis Guidance for Primary Care website.

WA Health has reported a fatal case of meningococcal serogroup Y disease in an adult – the first serogroup Y case recorded in the state this year.

Two other cases of invasive meningococcal disease reported in WA earlier this year were serogroup B.

Meningococcal vaccination is recommended for:

• infants, children, adolescents and young adults
• special risk groups, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and individuals with certain medical conditions.

Meningococcal vaccines are available free under the National Immunisation Program for eligible people.

WA Health is encouraging vaccination and awareness of meningococcal disease symptoms to support early diagnosis and treatment.

Read the WA Health media release here.

The WA Immunisation Schedule can be accessed here along with the NCIRS meningococcal FAQ’s here.

Recent reports to the Vaccine Safety Surveillance (WAVSS) system identified vaccine administration errors involving influenza vaccines, particularly FluMist and Fluad being recorded as administered outside their registered age groups.

Immunisation providers are encouraged to check vaccine age indications before administration.

See the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s Medicine Safety Update, Be alert to FluMist® indicated age range, for more information.

To report a vaccine error, access the WAVSS website here.

The WA Immunisation Schedule and WA Aboriginal Immunisation Schedule have been updated to include the following programmatic changes:

• Expanded eligibility for the 2026 regional WA diphtheria outbreak vaccination program
• FluMist® is now funded in Western Australia (WA) for all children and adolescents aged 2 to 17 years
• The Free Influenza Vaccine Program has been extended until 31 July 2026, ensuring that all Western Australians aged 6 months or older are eligible for a free influenza vaccine throughout July
• The new adult pneumococcal vaccination program through the National Immunisation Program commenced 1 July 2026

The ‘Be Wise Immunise’ resources, including toolkits for providers, schools and early childcare providers, have been updated to include information regarding the 2026 WA Health Nasal Spray Influenza Vaccine Program eligibility expansion and the Free Influenza Vaccine Program extension. Resources such as posters and brochures have also been updated to reflect the new program dates.

Updated information can be accessed here: Campaign Be Wise Immunise

RSV season has commenced in Western Australia (WA), with RSV notifications and hospitalisations higher compared to the previous four-year average. Almost half of the notifications have been among children aged less than 5 years.

Many newborns and infants still need protection from RSV.

The WA Department of Health encourages immunisation providers to recommend Abrysvo to pregnant women from 28 weeks’ gestation, and Beyfortus^® to parents of eligible infants.

It is not too late to immunise infants ahead of peak RSV season. Beyfortus^® provides almost immediate protection against RSV infection and remains highly effective for at least 5 months.

Access further information about RSV immunisation: WA Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Immunisation Programs.

In response to the rising number of mpox cases, the WA Department of Health has launched a campaign to raise awareness of the risks of contracting the virus and to promote prevention, testing and vaccination across the state.

The campaign is a response to the increase in notified mpox cases, with 34 cases reported so far in 2026, compared with 28 cases reported in 2025. In addition to cases among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, infections have also been reported in heterosexual men and women.

Campaign materials include social media tiles, videos and digital displays, as well as general awareness and educational resources.

Those who are recommended to receive the mpox vaccine are encouraged to do so, especially before travelling overseas to areas with high mpox transmission.

The campaign will run until the end of September 2026.

Access the campaign materials here.

On 1 June 2026, the Australian Government launched a refreshed national campaign to increase participation in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP).

Delivered in partnership with Cancer Council Australia, the campaign, ‘Bowel cancer waits for no one’, tells Australians aged 45-74: ‘Don’t wait. Test now.’

The campaign will feature ads across free-to-air television, radio, video on demand, out-of-home, digital and social channels.

The campaign will be supported by a targeted community engagement program focused on areas with lower bowel screening participation.

There will be 98 community engagement events delivered via roadshow across 35 regions over the next 2 years, including:

• Large-scale interactive activations/pop-up events (Loo Post)
• Local café partnerships (Catch It Early Café)
• Community focused events and targeted activities

Your practice can help support the campaign by:

• Promoting local community engagement events and campaign messaging through your networks. Visit the Campaign Hub and campaign website for content and the Mail that saves lives events page for event dates
• Your practice can take part in upcoming community engagement events, this will support the campaign and strengthen its message through credible, expert-led conversations. Please reach out to CancerScreeningCommunications@Health.gov.au if you’d like to get involved
• Continue to promote bowel screening to eligible participants and follow up with those who have not returned their kits. View your patient’s screening history through the NCSR to check if they’re due to screen

As an immunisation provider, you help protect your community from vaccine-preventable cancers.

• Cervical cancer is almost entirely preventable and is mainly caused by HPV
• Around 950 women in Australia are expected to be diagnosed this year, with about 250 deaths
• Australia’s national HPV vaccination program has reduced HPV infections and saved lives
• The HPV vaccine is offered to all Year 7 students in WA, with free catch-up available to people under 26
• Australia aims to eliminate cervical cancer by 2035 and reach 90% HPV vaccination coverage by 2030

Some adolescents may miss HPV vaccination at school due to illness or absence. Please routinely check the immunisation status of patients aged 12 to under 26 while they remain eligible for free HPV vaccination.

HPV vaccination coverage among 15-year-olds in WA remains below the 90% target. Increasing HPV vaccine uptake in people aged 12 to under 26 is essential to eliminating cervical cancer.

While most HPV vaccines are given through the School-based Immunisation Program, general practice and other health professionals are key to vaccinating adolescents who miss school-based opportunities and improving coverage nationally.

Your support includes:

• using recall systems to keep patients up to date with vaccines
• vaccinating people aged 12 to under 26 who missed HPV vaccination at school
• discussing HPV vaccine benefits and risks with parents and carers through supportive conversations
• asking patients to contact your clinic if they or their child want the vaccine, so stock can be ordered if needed
• recording HPV doses on the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR)

 Subscribe to the WA Department of Health Vaccine Updates newsletter for immunisation news and program updates.

The Alcohol Program Team at Cancer Council WA is seeking clinicians who would be interested in contributing to efforts to increase community awareness of alcohol as a cause of cancer and other alcohol-related harms. They want to hear about how you communicate with patients about alcohol use and your story about the role you play as a trusted source of information to contribute to preventing alcohol harms.

If you are interested in being interviewed as part of this advocacy initiative, please get in touch with Tess Fletcher, Alcohol Policy and Research Senior Coordinator at tess.fletcher@cancerwa.asn.au to discuss further. Alternatively, if you know of someone else that you think would be suitable, please encourage them to get in touch.