The survey, run by the Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association (APNA), is open to nurses working in general practices, aged care, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, plus all other non-hospital community settings.
Every nurse who completes the survey has the chance to win a $1,000 Red Balloon experience voucher. Click here to take the survey.
We are seeking submissions from artists across the NQPHN region from Sarina in the south, west to Croydon and Kowanyama, and up to the northernmost point of the Torres Strait Islands. This year's competition has two categories:
The artwork should represent Connection to Country in our communities.
There will be prizes for first, second, and third place for each category in this competition:
The three successful artwork pieces from each category, (first, second, and third places) will be displayed in NQPHN’s offices, website, showcased in the next Annual Report (along with the artist’s photo and bio), and other potential NQPHN collateral.
The artwork must be hand drawn, sketched, painted on paper or canvas, sculpted, made from textiles (with allowances for the artwork to be captured digitally via high resolution photography or film), or created in digital form.
The size of the artwork must be A3 (297mm x 420mm—portrait or landscape) or larger.
The artwork must have an underlying theme of Connection to Country.
Either new or existing artwork that fit the brief are welcome for submission.
You must read and accept the terms and conditions.
The submission deadline has been extended. Artwork must be submitted by Sunday 15 August 2021, via the link below.
Entries must be supplied as a high resolution PDF, high resolution photo, or be scanned in high resolution (300 DPI) as a JPG, and follow the rules and guidelines.
Your submission should also include:
IMPORTANT: Artwork by an adult will be disqualified. Submitted artwork must be by the artist.
The successful artwork submissions will be announced in the second week of September (6–10 September 2021). Winners will be contacted directly and also announced on NQPHN’s Indigenous Youth Art Competition page, as well as on NQPHN’s Facebook page.
All participants will receive certificates of participation.
Important dates
The Townsville and Mackay Mental Health Hubs, funded by Northern Queensland Primary Health Network (NQPHN), offer recovery-oriented programs that draw on the knowledge of individuals with a lived experience of mental illness.
The programs and activities are facilitated by a team of mental health professionals, life coaches, and peer workers and are developed based on the diverse needs and interests of those seeking support.
The activities include an art group, walking group, practical life skills group, group fitness, coffee catchups, drumming circles, and facilitated group sessions.
Flexibility and accessibility is built into the program so once a month a weekend social session is held at each hub. Social Saturday in Mackay and Social Sunday in Townsville provide community members with the opportunity to meet the selectability team, get involved in an array of activities, and enjoy a BBQ lunch.
selectability General Manager Townsville Aaron Farrell said the social weekend events had found a permanent place in the hubs’ activity schedule due to their popularity in the community and that it was encouraging to see the program helping residents to live happier, healthier, longer lives.
“We offer different activities at every Social Saturday and Sunday that relate to program activities,” said Aaron.
“Our participants have enjoyed making their own healthy pizza, playing in a drumming circle, rock art, making Kokedama, and bocce and croquet.
“We have received really good feedback from the participants so far. They enjoy being able to socialise with other participants and to meet new people who also attend the Mental Health Hub.
“One participant has commented that they get lonely on the weekends, and that Social Sundays has encouraged them to get out of the house where they had a great time taking part in the drumming activity.
“Another participant is now actively assisting with the BBQ, which is a huge step forward for this person who was initially struggling to get involved in group activities due to their anxiety.
“It’s so great to see Social Sundays having such a positive effect on participants in some way, to assist in improving their mental wellbeing.”
The Mental Health Hubs operate on the principles that:
Find out more about the Mental Health Hubs and view their activity timetables at www.selectability.com.au/our-programs/community-services/mental-health-hubs
The nurse led model of care provides integrated cancer care to enhance the quality of life for their clients, their families, and friends. This includes directly providing coordinated evidence-based care and support services including psycho-social nursing, allied health, and complementary therapies.
In the first year of operations the Wellness Centre provided 1,156 nursing episodes of care including 400 individual consultations, 164 episodes of clinical care coordination, and 315 general enquiries. In addition to nursing support, there were also 84 allied health consultations, 160 touch therapy sessions, and 643 group activity attendances by clients.
COUCH is a not-for-profit organisation and access to the Care Partnership Program is currently free for their clients. This includes access to group classes and nursing support free of charge, as well as heavily subsidised allied health and complementary therapies. If you have concerns about your patient’s financial situation please let COUCH know, as they have funds to support people in financial hardship.
COUCH's qualified cancer care nurses are passionate about supporting clients to receive the very best care and treatment throughout their journey with cancer.
Through the Care Partnership Program, their clients have access to an extensive range of supports and services that greatly assist in managing life with cancer, at every stage including initial diagnosis, treatment, recovery, survivorship, and palliative care.
The nurses follow best practice frameworks and can provide clients with the most up to date research and evidence in managing their cancer.
The COUCH Wellness Centre has a team of allied health specialists with specialised training and experience in providing services to people living with cancer in the Cairns region. Services currently provided include:
The complementary therapies provided at the COUCH Wellness Centre in Cairns align to evidence-based cancer care and have known researched benefits for people diagnosed and living with cancer.
Complementary therapies are designed to enhance quality of life and support health and wellbeing. They are generally used in conjunction with conventional cancer treatments and complement an individual’s chosen treatment pathway.
Complementary therapies do not replace medical treatment regimes, they can instead be effective in managing some treatment side effects and decreasing stress and anxiety. COUCH's complementary therapies include touch therapies (oncology massage, reflexology, acupuncture) and group activities (yoga, pilates, meditation, tai chi, and circuit training).
COUCH welcome referrals from GPs, specialists, treating teams, and allied health and recommend a shared care approach to supporting the client’s goals, health, and wellbeing during their experience with cancer. They see clients under GP Management Plans and Mental Health Care Plans.
For more information or to download the health professionals referral form visit couch.org.au/health-professionals-referrals
This user-friendly site features the Immunisation Planner Tool that allows Queenslanders to quickly generate a personalised immunisation schedule. The schedule helps:
Over the next seven months the VacciDate app will be phased out.
From December 2020, the VacciDate app will no longer be available for download – however, existing users can continue to save their information until 30 June 2021.
All current users will be notified of these changes, receive ongoing reminders, and offered alternative ways to track their immunisation information.
With the VacciDate app phasing out over the coming months, the new Vaccination Matters Immunisation Planner will help Queenslanders to track their vaccination information.
For those who are not sure of the vaccinations they’ve had, they can:
Children and older Queenslanders may also receive immunisation reminders through Queensland Health initiatives, such as Immunise to 95, Bubba Jabs on Time, and Immunise Seniors. AIR can record any vaccinations given since 1 January 1996.