To be eligible for the funding available through GrantConnect, providers must include independent business advice as part of their application either from:

• our free, independent and confidential Business Advisory Service, apply by 21 January 2022, or
• another business advisory service.

Alternatively, outcomes from the department’s Aged Care Financial Monitoring and Business Assistance team can be used.

The Business Improvement Fund gives short-term grants to eligible residential aged care providers experiencing financial challenges to improve governance and operations. The grants support small to medium size providers (7 or fewer facilities) located in regional, rural and remote areas.

Find out more on the Department of Health’s website.

This provides free Video Call access for general practitioners working in private practice and/or Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs).

General Practitioners are encouraged to continue using this secure video consulting platform which has been purpose-built for primary care settings. 

For GPs in private practice wanting to start using the service, please register your practice. For GPs in ACCHOs wanting to start using the service, please register for access.

RACGP CPD accredited training in healthdirect Video Call is available for your practice.

RACGP Accredited Training In collaboration with the RACGP, Healthdirect Australia is offering CPD courses that support GPs and Practice Managers to use Video Call more confidently and effectively. The following free courses are run by Healthdirect’s RACGP Education Activity Representatives:

Essential Video Call training (1 hour 2 CPD points for RACGP or 1 hour ACCRM credit) This module is for GPs new to Video Call and covers the basic functionality of the platform. The course will also suit Practice Managers who may be implementing telehealth into their practice workflows. Register here for essential training

Advanced Video Call training (1 hour 2 CPD points for RACGP or 1 hour ACCRM credit) This module covers more advanced use of the platform. The course will also suit Practice Managers and anyone interested in how Video Call can reshape the provision of services to patients or clients. Register here for advanced training

Please contact the healthdirect Video Call team if you have any questions.

The holiday season is meant to be a time of joy, but for many it can be a time of disappointment, stress, anxiety, or loneliness.

Northern Queensland Primary Health Network (NQPHN) has launched its annual Be Kind To Your Mind This Christmas Time social media campaign.

The campaign prompts North Queenslanders to look after their mental health during the Christmas and New Year period and reach out for support when they need it.

Be Kind To Your Mind This Christmas Time provides links to 24-hour crisis support services, counselling and support services, and community service organisations.

These specialised support services are readily available to listen to any concerns and provide support and assistance to develop coping strategies.

NQPHN Chief Executive Officer Robin Whyte said it’s important to remember to be kind to yourself, take some time out, seek help when needed, and check on loved ones throughout the busy holiday season.

“It’s a busy time of year and the holiday season usually comes with high expectations and increased social activity. Some people experience feelings of isolation, financial stresses, or increased family tensions that can make this a very stressful time of year,” Ms Whyte said.

“For those that have recently lost a loved one, it may also be a sad time. For all these people, Christmas can be a time when they need an extra helping hand.

“Stress and anxiety may be heightened with uncertainty remaining around coronavirus. Feelings of uneasiness may occur as people start to travel more, attend social gatherings, and hold larger celebrations with loved ones.

“People with mental ill-health may shy away from social interactions because of stigma, past experiences, or being overwhelmed by the situation.

“Through a simple act of kindness anyone can help others feel as if someone is thinking or caring about them. Those of us who have stable housing, finances, family and friend connections, should think about those who don’t have these things, often through no fault of their own.

The Be Kind To Your Mind This Christmas Time campaign will run on NQPHN’s social media channels including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

For more information, visit www.nqphn.com.au/community-member/be-kind-your-mind-christmas-time

Earlier this year, NQPHN invited young, aspiring Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander artists to express their knowledge, understanding, and interpretation of the importance of maintaining and growing a Connection to Country.

The competition welcomed a record number of submissions from talented young Indigenous artists from as far north as the Torres Strait Islands and as far south as Mackay.

NQPHN would like to thank all artists who participated in this year’s competition - your response and artwork was truly inspiring and we encourage you to continue developing, expressing, and sharing your creative talents!

For the first time, this year’s competition was split into two categories – a junior competition for young people aged between 12–14 years and a senior competition for those aged 15-18 years.

In each category, the first-place winner received an Apple iPad Pro and Apple Pencil valued at $1,698, with the second and third place winners receiving gift vouchers for art supplies, valued at $500 and $250 respectively.

Among the many entrants, the well-deserving 2021 winners in each category were:

Junior category (12-14 years old)

Senior category (15-18 years old)

NQPHN Board Chair Nick Loukas led the Board panel of voters and shared his excitement and pride in the competition.

“This is the fourth year of competition, and the talent, level of attention and meaning in this years’ artwork submissions and explanations is inspiring,” shared Mr Loukas.

“We are thrilled at the calibre and number of local young Indigenous artists who have risen to the occasion and created artwork illustrating their histories, abilities, and cultures.”

Since the close of the competition, winners received their awards and prizes at school presentations and class ceremonies to celebrate their achievement.

NQPHN’s fourth competition ran as part of the organisation’s commitment to support Indigenous youth, and a meaningful pathway towards inclusion of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

The 2021 winning artworks can be viewed on the Indigenous Youth Art Competition page.

The sessions have allowed both face-to-face and online attendance, with an impressive number of total participants in each region to date:

• Cairns (150+ attendees)
• Townsville (160+ attendees from two sessions)
• Mackay (60 attendees)

The workshops have been a great opportunity for health experts to collaborate on a whole-of-system approach to protect the wider community as borders reopen and international travel resumes. A huge thanks to GPs, pharmacies, and local Hospital and Health Services for taking part in these vital, ongoing discussions.

A significant number of eligible Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander patients have not been correctly registered for the Closing the Gap Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme co-payment program. As of 1 February 2022, these patients will not have the applicable co-payment reduction applied when their prescriptions are being dispensed.

To ensure eligible patients are formally registered for the Program and continue to receive their PBS medicines at the reduced PBS co-payment, health care providers need to review the registration status for any Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander patients. A patient’s registration status can be checked using the Health Professional Online Services (HPOS). If the patient is not formally registered with Services Australia, HPOS will indicate that the person is ‘inactive’. In this case, you will need to contact that patient to arrange to have them assessed by either a PBS prescriber or an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner.

This issue must be rectified before 31 January 2022 to ensure all eligible Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander patients who have previously received their PBS general schedule medicines under the program can continue to do so.

Information on registering patients for the program can be found on the Department of Health’s website.

For PBS prescribers, if you require information on using HPOS this can be found on the Services Australia website.

Health care providers can register their patients if they’re:

• a PBS prescriber
• an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner registered with both the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and Medicare.
   

Instructions 

1. Log into your individual PRODA account
2. Navigate to HPOS > Go to Services > My Programs
3. Select the ‘Closing the Gap PBS Co-Payment Register’ tile
4. Select the method you’d like to use to search for your patient – ‘Medicare Card details’ or ‘patients name details’
5. Read and agree to the declaration
6. If successful, your patient will be displayed below the search criteria with their current Close the Gap registration status
7. If the Register button displays as an ‘Inactive’ status, select the ‘register’ button
8. Select save
9. The registration status should change from inactive to active.

First published in 2014, the IPC Standards are designed as a guide to help health professionals and other healthcare staff in the implementation of infection prevention and control procedures. We’re updating the IPC Standards in 2022 to ensure the guidance reflects current evidence and best practice. A technical working group will develop the updated resource and a draft will be provided to members and stakeholders for feedback. At this initial stage, we’re seeking your thoughts on the current IPC Standards. We’re eager to hear from you and your practice teams about how you use the IPC Standards, as well as your thoughts on its content, level of detail and format:

• What areas of the IPC Standards do you find most useful?
• Is there content that needs more detail or prominent focus?
• Is the advice in the IPC Standards presented in the most useful format (ie text and tables)? If not, what format would be more useful to you and your practice?
• What general feedback do you have on the IPC Standards?

It’s important to acknowledge that the IPC Standards are designed for use in office-based practices in the implementation of infection prevention and control procedures. This means general practices are not accredited against IPC Standards, but may refer to them in meeting some criteria set out in the Standards for general practices (5th edition). Please email any feedback on the IPC Standards to standards@racgp.org.au by 7 February 2022.

See the below schedule to register for upcoming educational webinars.

Clinician Vaccine Integrated Platform (CVIP) education sessions

A number of sessions outlining the provider end-to-end workflow and how to add and manage vaccines using CVIP have been scheduled through to the end of November.

These education sessions will cover how to use the CVIP platform to manage vaccinations and report vaccination information to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR). CVIP can be used by recognised vaccination providers who do not already have clinical software that reports to the AIR.

Register here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/8827360252233212685?source=Bulletin

Your questions answered: Electronic Prescriptions

The Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) invites you to join a Q+A Support session on Electronic Prescribing. Sessions will run each week on varying days to help suit your schedule. The ADHA welcome all your questions and there is no requirement to have used electronic prescribing prior to joining a session.

For those practices already generating and pharmacies dispensing electronic prescriptions, we would like to hear about your experiences and discuss feedback from your patients. 

You will be able to participate by speaking directly with our subject matter experts, or by submitting questions anonymously through our questions platform. If you would like to submit your questions prior to the session to ensure they are addressed, please submit when registering.
All healthcare providers, pharmacists and administrative staff as welcome to participate.

Register here: https://training.digitalhealth.gov.au/mod/page/view.php?id=534

My Health Record: Q+A with subject matter experts

Join the Australian Digital Health Agency for our informal Q+A sessions on My Health Record open to healthcare providers and non-clinical staff working within primary care, hospitals, and other health settings. Come along with your questions and concerns and we will attempt to clarify any issues during the session. Additionally, feel free to submit questions in advance of the session when registering.

Register here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/4847527280696982287?source=Bulletin

Best Practice

This one-hour session is aimed at GPs, Specialists, Practice Managers, Practice Nurses, and Aboriginal Health Workers interested in learning more about My Health Record and how to use it most effectively in routine practice. Using a software simulation platform, the instructor will demonstrate how to:

• access your patients’ My Health Records in your software
• use filters to find documents
• view documents and overviews
• understand how to view immunisation history in My Health Record
• enter access codes for patients with protected documents/records
• upload documents to My Health Record
• ensure appropriate security and access governance mechanisms are in place.

This education is CPD accredited by AAPM, RACGP,  ACRRM and NAATSIWHP.

Register here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/3857636958320592911?source=Bulletin

MedicalDirector

This one-hour session is aimed at GPs, Specialists, Practice Managers, Practice Nurses, and Aboriginal Health Workers interested in learning more about My Health Record and how to use it most effectively in routine practice. Using a software simulation platform, the instructor will demonstrate how to:

• access your patients’ My Health Records in your software
• use filters to find documents
• view documents and overviews
• understand how to view immunisation history in My Health Record
• enter access codes for patients with protected documents/records
• upload documents to My Health Record
• ensure appropriate security and access governance mechanisms are in place.

This education is CPD accredited by AAPM, RACGP,  ACRRM and NAATSIWHP.

Register here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/6809952122708877838?source=Bulletin

Practice Manager - Compliance Sessions

This one-hour session will equip Practice/Pharmacy Managers and administrative staff with a sound knowledge of how to implement and maintain policies and procedures to govern access to the My Health Record within their organisation.  Upon completion participants will be able to:

• understand the legislative framework for accessing My Health Record
• create and maintain security and access policies for My Health Record
• manage My Health Record user accounts and training registers
• understand the importance of Healthcare Identifiers and correct system configuration
• designate roles and responsibilities for practice staff engaging with My Health Record
• understand when and how to access information contained within a consumer’s My Health Record.

This activity is CPD accredited for Practice Managers by AAPM and NAATSIWHP.

Register here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/5633297659491090959

My Health Record - Aged Care Case Study

My Health Record provides clinical information uploaded by a range of providers (GPs, hospitals, pharmacists), which may facilitate care coordination, reduce potential medication misadventures, and ultimately improve health outcomes.
 
This webinar will explore the benefits of using My Health Record through a case study demonstrating how aged care healthcare providers may use the various clinical documents in everyday workflow/practice.

Register here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/3872559532941310480?source=Bulletin

My Health Record - Aged Care Overview

Realise the benefits of having access to key health information in My Health Record for your aged care residents. This webinar is targeted at healthcare providers and administrators who work in the aged care sector and will highlight core features of the My Health Record system. The national system provides clinical information uploaded by a range of providers (GPs, hospitals, pharmacists), which may assist in facilitating care coordination, reduce potential medication misadventures, and ultimately improve health outcomes.

Register here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/57404817651062798?source=Bulletin