The new Practice Incentives Program (PIP) Indigenous Health Incentive will commence in May 2010. This incentive will support general practices and Indigenous health services to provide better health care to Indigenous Australians, including best practice management of chronic disease.
The Indigenous Health Incentive is a key part of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) National Partnership Agreement on Closing the Gap: Tackling Indigenous Chronic Disease.
To join this new incentive, practices will need to be participating in the PIP and meet specific sign-on requirements. The first payments through the PIP Indigenous Health Incentive will be made to eligible practices in May 2010. More information…

General practice nurses who wish to enhance their knowledge and skills in paediatric conditions are invited to attend this educational event planned at Princess Margaret Hospital. Topics will include but are not limited to: Paediatric Asthma, Anaphylaxis and Epipens, Immunotherapy and Immunisations More information…

The data collected from this questionnaire will provide information to guide education programs for GPs, junior doctors and medical students. The topic is ‘radiation dose associated with imaging modalities, patient consent prior to investigation and recommendations for further education’.
Please return the one page questionnaire via fax (08 9433 0250) or email (jrunciman@nd.edu.au) and to include their details (will be de-identified) for a chance to win 2 bottles of Penfolds wine.
This research has been supported by PHCRED Fremantle and WA General Practice Network. More information…

Royal Perth, Fremantle, Swans, Bentley, Bunbury and Mental Health, PMH are all sending electronic discharge summaries to GPs. We can now send into Medical Director, Best Practice, Medtech 32, Genie, Practix, Monet, Medical Spectrum Classic, Surgiware, Zedmed and MMEX.
If your practice would like to receive them, please contact GREG HAYES from HealthLink on 0412 474 950.
NB If your practice is already registered but is changing software please contact 1300554563 ext 1 for HealthLink messaging enquiries to ensure you still get your discharge summaries.

Not-for-profit organisation OZHELP WA is holding its first on-site barbecue on Friday to create awareness of the issue of suicide in the building and construction industry.
The event, at the Brookfield/Multiplex site at Claremont, is hoped to be the first of many across Western Australia in aid of reducing the rate of suicide in these industries.
The building and construction industry workforce has been shown to have one of the highest rates of suicide across Australia. According to CBUS internal figures, 16 per cent of the total male suicides between 1986 and 2003 were Western Australian workers in these workforces.
Parliamentary Secretary to the Mental Health Minister, Helen Morton, said organisations such as OZHELP WA were integral in reducing the rate of suicides in WA and congratulated them on their first workplace event. More information...

Health Minister Kim Hames joined more than 120 health staff and community representatives to view and assess prototype rooms for the new $1.76billion Fiona Stanley Hospital at Murdoch.

The full-size replica rooms - which include patient rooms; an operating theatre; an intensive care room; an emergency department resuscitation bay; a staff base; and utility rooms - have been fitted out with the latest in furniture and fittings to demonstrate how the rooms may look and function when the hospital is completed.

Dr Hames said the prototype rooms allowed the design team and users to trial the latest technology to ensure the right mix of cutting-edge equipment is selected for the hospital. More information...

A new model of care for people with a dual diagnosis of mental illness and alcohol and drug related issues was formally launched in the Wheatbelt.
Mental Health Minister Graham Jacobs said the new integrated health service was a first for the region and would greatly improve services to clients.
The new approach had been formalised in a Memorandum of Understanding signed today between the WA Country Health Service Wheatbelt Mental Health Service and the Holyoake Wheatbelt Community Drug Service team.
“This is an innovative approach, providing for the ‘virtual co-location’ of services by the two health providers - Government and non-government - for the benefit of patients with mental health and drug and alcohol related issues,” Dr Jacobs said. More information...

On 13 November 2009 the Australian Health Ministers’ Conference (AHMC) affirmed its commitment to the introduction of national healthcare identifiers in 2010 and agreed to release exposure draft legislation for establishing a Healthcare Identifiers Service for consultation.
The supporting publication Building the foundation for an e-health future…update on legislative proposals for healthcare identifiers was sent to you prior to the stakeholder forum on the Healthcare Identifiers Service held on 20 November 2009 in Canberra. This publication outlined the key legislative proposals that have formed the basis for the drafting of the legislation.
A copy of the Bill and other relevant documents are available here or via the ‘What’s New’ link on the Department’s Healthcare Identifiers Service website at www.health.gov.au/ehealth/consultation or by phoning 02 6289 3919.

Recently the Federal government released a new measure relating to the Mental Health Skills Training for GP’s. Attached are some tools aimed at giving a level of enquiry and clarification regarding this measure.
They can also be found on the Department website. More information…

The Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) is constantly examining methods to improve communication with General Practitioners (GPs), specifically, how to raise awareness of the various DVA-funded health services available to their veteran patients.
To assist in addressing this, DVA as developed an Information for Medical Practitioners package, particularly aimed at newly graduating GPs, those practising in rural and regional areas, and GPs who are International Medical Graduates (IMGs). Moreover, it can be utilised as a ‘refresher’ for any GP who treats members of the veteran community.
The package consists of:
o an Introduction;
o three information modules;
o a list of web links to information referred to in the modules;
o two useful DVA reference documents - the DVA Funded Health Services and DVA Treatment Entitlement Cards Charts; and
o a feedback form. More information...

Earlier this week Minister Roxon announced that the first Chief Executive Officer of Health Workforce Australia will be Mr Mark Cormack, the current Chief Executive of the ACT Health Department. Mr Mark Cormack will be based in Adelaide where the new agency will be established.
Health Workforce Australia has been established to produce more effective, streamlined and integrated clinical training arrangements and to support workforce reform initiatives.
Mr Cormack brings important experience in public and community health care as well as a background in Allied Health. More information…

The increasing number of women becoming pregnant and having babies will benefit from the Rudd Government’s improved maternity services and support programs.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report Australia’s Mothers and Babies 2007, shows that the nation’s baby boom continued in 2007 with 12,000 more births than in 2006.
The Rudd Government has recognised the need for more services to help pregnant women and new mothers. More information...

Australian men are too often reluctant to do the simple things that are necessary to protect themselves from avoidable health problems, the Minister for Indigenous Health, Rural and Regional Health and Regional Services Delivery, Warren Snowdon said.
Mr Snowdon was opening the inaugural ‘Have a Crack’ Day, an event organised by Andrology Australia to focus attention on and raise funds for men’s health issues. More information…

Local government areas will receive a funding boost from the Rudd Government to foster healthier lifestyles in their communities, as the release of a sobering report shows risk factors of chronic disease continue to rise.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report, Prevention of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and chronic kidney disease: targeting risk factors, says the prevalence of some risk factors – such as obesity is increasing.
The Rudd Government knows that the cost of inaction on chronic disease is too high. We know that cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease and diabetes account for one-quarter of Australia’s burden of disease and almost two-thirds of all deaths. More information…

Minister for Ageing, Justine Elliot, announced that 187 palliative care services will share in $2.6 million in funding to help them upgrade their equipment.
Syringe drivers are essential equipment in hospitals, residential aged care, palliative care services and community settings for pain management in palliative care. The devices deliver measured doses of medications via syringe at a constant, controlled rate.
Minister Elliot said: “The Rudd Government is committed to promoting nationally consistent standards and high quality care through the National Palliative Care Program.”
“This equipment replacement program is assisting specialist palliative care services replace out-of-date equipment with equipment that meets the national standard.” More information…

The PHCRIS eBulletin is designed to inform you of recently published articles and reports, news items, media releases, upcoming conferences and courses. The latest edition has as its lead "PHC RIS research study demonstrates the impact of Australian PHC research" http://www.phcris.org.au/publications/ebulletin/

One of the key activities to be undertaken by AGPN under the Nursing in General Practice (NiGP) Program is to host a two day annual forum for Practice Nurse Program Officers and other interested staff. This forum will be our fourth event.
The key aims for the forum are to:
• showcase nationally relevant NiGP initiatives and models;
• share knowledge,skills and resources;
• coach and collaborate with general practice networks to bulid their capacity to support nursing in general practice
• bulid support networks amongst general practice networks (GPNs) NiGP program officers nationally;
• provide an opportunity to review the strengths and weaknesses of the NiGP program and
• prioritise future activities. More information…

The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP), the Internal Medicine Society of Australia and New Zealand (IMSANZ), and the International Society of Internal Medicine (ISIM) are pleased to host the World Congress of Internal Medicine 2010, to be held in Melbourne, Australia on 20 – 25 March 2010. The Congress will be held in conjunction with the annual RACP Physicians Week. http://www.wcim2010.com.au/

The first Australian Clinical Networks Conference is to be held in Melbourne in 2010 and is being hosted by Victorian Department of Human Services.
The conference will bring together Clinical Networks from across Australia and internationally to provide an opportunity to share and promote ideas on Clinical Networks.
Sharing examples of ‘best practice’ in Clinical Networks will be a key theme looking at areas such as:
• Establishing and maintaining effective networks,
• Evaluation and outcomes of clinical networks,
• Consumers as network participants and partners in improving care, and
• Connected and collaborative care. More information...

Across Australia, there are a number of people, organisations and communities working together to address indigenous alcohol and drug issues and associated harm. Recognising that harmful alcohol and other drug use contributes significantly to the poor
health outcomes of indigenous Australians, the continuing capacity and quality of these efforts is contingent on learning good practices and skills, building a local workforce and strengthening indigenous communities to respond effectively. More information...
 

The largest healthcare event in Australia
Hear an unrivalled roster of over 60 international and local healthcare leaders sharing their ideas, debate strategy and discuss long term solutions
Policy reform and implementation
Understand how structural reform, funding models and technology will impact on the delivery and quality of healthcare
Have your say in the healthcare reform debate
Make your thoughts known and influence outcomes by participating in high level panel sessions and networking activities
Pre-Conference Masterclass:
Chronic Disease Self-Management More information…