This week's - Goulburn Valley Medicare Local

Monday Mail
Monday, 15 December 2014
frontdesk@gvml.com.au – www.gvml.com.au – (03) 5831
5399
ALERTS
Chief Health Officer Advisory –
Unpasteurised Milk
The Department of Health has recently been
notified of several children contracting
cryptosporidiosis and haemolytic uraemic
syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal
condition caused by shiga toxin and verotoxin
producing E.coli. All children had consumed
unpasteurised milk sold as ‘bath milk’.
For further information please see the
advisory at
www.health.vic.gov.au/chiefhealthofficer
REFERRALS AND SERVICES
Mental Illness Fellowship Victoria
Helpline Open Over Christmas
For the first time, Helpline will be open over
the Christmas period which will enable them
to continue supporting individuals when they
need it most. For the cost of a local call,
individuals can speak to a Helpline volunteer
who has had a lived experience of mental
illness.
How can Helpline help you & your workers?
Helpline is an available resource to use
during the Christmas period. Whether it’s
providing emotional support to individuals
over the phone or providing information on
social engagement activities during the
festive season. Helpline have been working
on developing a list of social activities for
individuals that are free or low cost. Call
Helpline on 8486 4222 to find out what
Christmas activities are on in your area that
you could tell your clients.
What support does the Helpline provide?
GVML CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
GVML Basic CPR Training
The next Basic CPR Training Session is:
Date:
Wednesday, 13 May 2015
Time:
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Venue:
Local
Goulburn
226
Valley
Medicare
Wyndham
Street,
Shepparton
RSVP:
frontdesk@gvml.com.au
The training session is open to all GPs and
health service professionals and is free of
charge. Numbers are strictly limited and you
must have registered for this event in order
to attend.
This session is presented by Dr Carolyn
Kamenjarin.
This unit of competency
describes the skills and knowledge required
to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation in
line with the Australian Resuscitation
Council Guidelines.
This activity has been approved by the
RACGP QI & CPD Program. Total 5
Category 2 points.
For more information, including information
regarding other basic CPR training
providers, please contact Val Petrovski on
5831 5399.
CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS
Learning Module – Reporting Adverse
Events with Medicines and Vaccines
An online education module for health
professionals, including GPs, pharmacists,
and nurses, to report adverse events relating
to medicines and vaccines has now been
Helpline now offers phone calls to both
consumers and carers on a weekly basis.
Reasons for weekly calls could be because of
social isolation, program engagement or
transitional support. Helpline can provide
peer mutuality, intentional peer support,
follow up calls, appointment reminders, goal
alignment, reflection on engagement, support
between case workers and general check-in
phone calls. If this is something that you think
your clients would benefit from, please
contact the Helpline and ask for a Request for
Appointment Calls form.
Christmas Operating Hours
Helpline will remain open during the
Christmas period, with modified hours from
24 of December to 31 of December.
24
December
10am – 4pm
25
December
CLOSED
26
27
December
December
CLOSED
10am – 4pm
28
December
10am – 4pm
29
December
10am – 4pm
30
31
December
December
10am – 4pm
10am – 4pm
1
January
CLOSED
2
January
9am
–
(return to regular hours)
published and is available on the TGA
website.
The module is one of two modules
developed by NPS MedicineWise in
partnership with the TGA. A second module
is about how to report adverse events
relating to medical devices.
On completion, health professionals will be
eligible
for
continuing
professional
development points for the relevant
accrediting health professional bodies.
Australia’s Healthy Weight Week
Run by the Dietitans Association of
Australia, this important week is all about
getting the right advice and supporting
those looking to be a healthy weight.
Date:
16 – 22 February, 2015
Australia’s Healthy Weight Week falls at an
ideal time with many Australians aspiring to
eat better in the New Year. The 2015
campaign aims to get more people cooking
at home and eating the right foods in the
right portions.
Award-winning celebrity cook, Callum Hann,
and Accredited Practising Dietitian, Themis
Chryssidis (both from Sprout), are
supporting the 2015 campaign.
5pm
Contact number – (03) 8486 4222
For
more
information
www.healthyweightweek.com.au
visit
Helping Your Patients Who are Drinking
at Risky Levels
EXTERNAL NEWSLETTERS
Legal Issues in Infection Control
The November issue of the Marjen Education
Services newsletter focuses on legal issues
in infection control.
The newsletter is
available online here.
Department of Health December
Immunisation Newsletter
Alcohol kills 15 Australians every day and
5,554 each year.
It hospitalises 430
Australians daily and 157,132 over the year.
This harm is entirely preventable. GPs are
uniquely placed to identify and intervene
with patients whose alcohol use is
hazardous through screening and brief
interventions.
The December 2014 Immunisation
newsletter is available online here.
This webinar provides the opportunity for
GPs to ask questions on how to screen for
and conduct brief interventions around risky
drinking.
OTHER INFORMATION
Date:
Tuesday 17 February, 2015
Time:
7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Lymphangioleiomyomatosis
Update
(LAM)
LAM Australia Research Alliance is a small
not-for-profit
organisation
representing
women
living
with
lymphangioleiomyomatosis
(LAM)
in
Presenters: Dr Paul Grinzi & Dr Hester
Wilson
For further information or to register for the
webinar click here.
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Australia. There are currently 98 women in
Australia registered with the organisation.
Integrated Care for Older People
Seminar
With an incidence of only five women in a
million, LAM is rare and therefore generally
unknown. One of the organisation’s key
objectives is to raise awareness of the
disease so that GPs are more likely to
consider it when a patient presents with some
of the symptoms. At present, women who
develop LAM can be left in the dark for many
years as to the cause of their symptoms or
how to deal with them.
The Respecting Our Loved One’s Wishes:
Delivering Integrated, Consumer Directed
Where, When, and How It’s Needed is on
26 and 27 February 2015 at Melbourne
Olympic Park.
An accurate diagnosis is a step on the way to
dealing appropriately with the challenges of
living with LAM.
This practical seminar focuses on
integration for older people and respecting
their wishes in terms of where, when, and
how their care is delivered.
Date:
26 – 27 February, 2015
Venue:
Melbourne Olympic Park
For more information please see the LAM
Australia Research Alliance website.
Further information including registration
information is available at
www.changechampions.com.au
GP Co-payment Information from AMA
Victoria
Diabetes Study Day for Enrolled and
Registered Nurses
AMA Victoria has information and fact sheets
on the announced revamp of GP co-payment
plan available on their website and will be
updating the information as more is released.
This study day, with Kathy Mills, RN, Med,
Dip Business, Credentialled Diabeteis
Educator, is for enrolled and registered
nurses and covers contemproary and
evidence based research on dietary,
exercise,
psychological
and
pharmacological management of diabetes
mellitus.
Unconventional Volunteering – 2015
Scholarships Applications Now Open
Unconventional Volunteering is offering
scholarships for 2 general practitioners to
spend 2 weeks in Sri Lank in April 2015 on a
volunteer program working with the local
doctors in city clinics and villages.
For
further
information
visit
Unconventional Volunteering website.
the
Date:
Friday 6 March, 2015
Time:
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Venue:
Local
Inner East Melbourne Medicare
6 Lakeside Drive, Burwood
East
Scholarships for Health Workers to Attend
the Preventing Cervical Cancer 2015
Integrating Screening and Vaccination
(PCC 2015) Conference
Cost:
$220.00
–
early
bird
registration (before Friday 20 February,
2015)
$250.00 – full registration
PapScreen Victoria is providing scholarships
for health workers to attend the Preventing
Cervical Cancer 2015 Integrating Screening
and Vaccination (PCC 2015) conference,
which will be held in Melbourne from 20 to
22 February 2015.
RSVP:
The PCC 2015 conference will bring together
international and Australian experts in
cervical screening, vaccination and cancer
epidemiology, to debate and explore current
and future direction in the prevention of
cervical cancer. It will provide a forum for
these experts to share their vision and
influence policy development in the
prevention of the disease.
PapScreen Victoria scholarships for nurses:
diabetes.ed@optusnet.com.au
This study day is eligible for 6 hours
professional eduation.
Morning tea, lunch, and notes are provided.
For further information download the flyer or
contact
Kathy
via
email
at
diabetes.ed@optusnet.com.au
RESOURCES
HbA1c or Blood Glucose for Diabetes
Diagnosis – Free GP Educational Video
Professor Jonathan Shaw, Baker IDI,
presented HbA1c or Blood Glucose for
Diabetes Diagnosis in Melbourne in August
Who is eligible to apply?
 Immunisation nurses and credentialed
Nurse Cervical Screening
 Providers will be required to contribute
$200.00 towards the registration fee.
 Aboriginal health workers / nurses will
be eligible for a full scholarship.
Applications open:
December, 2014
Monday
Applications close:
December, 2014
Friday
1
19
For further information about PCC 2015 and
to access the conference program please
visit www.pcc2015.org.au
For further information on PapScreen’s
scholarships
please
visit
www.papscreen.org.au
Review of the Australian Immunisation
Handbook 10th Edition
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on
Immunisation (ATAGI) has been reviewing
the Australian Immunisation Handbook 10th
edition with the aim to provide an online
update in 2015. This is not a full review of the
Handbook but an update of areas where
there is new information. While all changes
will be submitted to NHMRC in accordance
with the procedures and requirements for
meeting 2014 NHMRC Standard for Clinical
Practice
Guidelines,
under
NHMRC
requirements only areas where there is
updated clinical advice need to go out for
public consultation.
The chapters
which require
consultation are:
 Influenza
 Japanese Encephalitis
 Meningococcal
 Pertussis
 Pneumococcal
public
Note that the updated sections / paragraphs
will be highlighted.
Public consultation will be from Monday 15
December 2014 to Friday 16 January 2015.
Your comments are important and valued and
the Commonwealth government would like to
invite you to provide these through the public
consultation process.
A notice about the public consultation
appeared in The Australian on Saturday 6
and 13 December.
2014. This presentation is now available via
the www.armchairmedical.com website.
Changes to the Certificate of Capacity of
TAC and WorkCover
To support general practices to implement
the
new
Certificate
of
Capacity
requirements, NHV have developed a range
of resources which are available on the
GVML website. These resources include:
 FAQs for Health Professionals
 General Practice Readiness Checklist:
TAC/VWA Certificate of Capacity
 The Health Benefits of Safe Work
Program list of resources
 Information for General Practitioners
Practices are reminded that the changeover
to this new system must be completed by 1
March, 2015. Recent data indicates that
there are many practices across the GVML
catchment yet to implement the new system
and forms.
Indigenous Health Check (MBS 715) Tool
Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) item 715
is an annual health check for Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander people of all ages.
Despite the health benefit offered by these
measures, nearly 80% of Indigenous people
did not have a health check in 2013-14. This
tool aims to increase awareness and uptake
of health checks among providers and
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The tool can be accessed online at
www.aihw.gov.au
Oncology Allied Health Postgraduate
Scholarship Program 2015
In 2015, the Victorian Healthcare Association
is offering scholarships to support allied
health practitioners who have demonstrated
interest in and commitment to oncology care
to improve their skills and expertise through
postgraduate studies.
The allied health postgraduate scholarship
aims to provide financial assistance to
professionals to assist them in meeting the
additional expenses often borne by
practitioners
accessing
education.
Scholarships are available to practitioners
entering into their first year of postgraduate
studies.
Further information and application forms for
the Oncology Allied Health Postgraduate
Scholarship Program 2015 are available at
www.vha.org.au
Alternatively you can contact VHA with any
queries via email at vha@vha.org.au
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www.gvml.com.au
226 Wyndham Street Shepparton VIC 3630
PO Box 1074 Shepparton VIC 3632
(03) 5831 5399 – (03) 5831 5396
frontdesk@gvml.com.au
Goulburn Valley Medicare Local (ABN 35 062 463 097)