Making Tracks Together seeks to improve the health and wellbeing of First Nations people by eliminating health inequities and working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations, health services, communities and consumers, including Traditional Owners to design, deliver, monitor and review healthcare services.

Firmly embedded in the legal framework guiding the public health system in Queensland is a commitment to improve First Nations health and wellbeing outcomes by:

• actively eliminating racial discrimination and institutional racism within the service
• increasing access to healthcare services
• influencing the social, cultural and economic determinants of health
• delivering sustainable, culturally safe and responsive healthcare services
• working with First Nations peoples, communities and organisations to design, deliver, monitor, and review health services.

Health equity in Queensland reflects the formal Partnership Agreement on Closing the Gap between the Commonwealth Government, state and territory governments and the Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peak Organisations.

This nation-first move in amended public health system legislation will strengthen the Queensland Government commitment to closing the gap in First Nations health and wellbeing outcomes by requiring Hospital and Health Services (HSSs) to work in partnership with the community-controlled health organisations and other stakeholders prescribed by regulation to co-design a regional health equity strategy.

Health Equity Strategies will be reviewed every three years and there will be three tranches of regional strategies over the next ten years.

For more information on Making Tracks Together visit www.health.qld.gov.au/public-health/groups/atsihealth/health-equity

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Northern Queensland Primary Health Network’s (NQPHN) Vaccine Works campaign spotlights the region’s vaccinating general practices and pharmacies, and focuses on the primary care sector’s highly successful role in increasing COVID-19 vaccination rates in North Queensland.

GP respiratory clinics have been operating across Australia since last year to assess people with mild to moderate respiratory symptoms and test and diagnose cases including COVID-19, influenza and pneumonia, and this year joined the national COVID-19 vaccination rollout program.

In the Townsville Hospital and Health Service region, two GP respiratory clinics are currently vaccinating the local community:

• Townsville GP Respiratory Clinic (located at Upper Ross Medical Centre)
• Charters Towers GP Respiratory Clinic (located at Gold City Medical Centre).

As of today (15 November 2021), Townsville GP Respiratory Clinic and Charters Towers GP Respiratory Clinic have together delivered more than 14,000 COVID vaccines to their local communities.

Townsville GP Respiratory Clinic has been vaccinating the local Townsville community since the vaccination rollout program began earlier this year.

“We have been supporting our community since the start of COVID-19, doing assessment and testing with our respiratory clinic, and the inclusion of vaccinating is now an extension of that,” said Practice Manager Kerrie Rankin.

“We are pretty proud of being able to do this for the community, but without the support of our teams, including reception and nurses, we wouldn’t have been able to do it and we appreciate everything that they have contributed.”

National Rural Health Commissioner Professor Ruth Stewart said the two North Queensland clinics, along with other GP respiratory clinics across Australia, have been a centre piece in the action to keep COVID-19 out of rural and remote Australia.

“These clinics were established very early in the pandemic so that people who may have been infected with the virus could be quickly tested in an environment that was safe for them, their community and the health professionals looking after them,” said Professor Stewart.

“Since then the staff of GP respiratory clinics have been working tirelessly to detect any cases and to vaccinate their communities.

“I thank them from the bottom of my heart and pay tribute to their service and dedication.”

NQPHN Chief Executive Officer Robin Whyte praised the two GP respiratory clinics and said the primary care sector is playing a key role in the ever-increasing rate of COVID-19 vaccinations across North Queensland.

“Our Vaccine Works campaign is about showcasing our local primary care providers for all the amazing work they’ve done over the past few months to improve COVID-19 vaccination rates in North Queensland and protect our community,” Ms Whyte said.

“Primary care plays a vital role in the national vaccination rollout program, as it has the capacity to vaccinate in a distributed model by offering place-based solutions in local communities.

“North Queensland, due to its geography, presents unique challenges and opportunities, and the incredible work of general practices and pharmacies in our region will support us to reach our vaccination targets sooner rather than later.”

In North Queensland, there are currently 137 general practices, 106 pharmacies, 10 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations, and four GP-led Respiratory Clinics administering COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Moderna).

To book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment, including at Queensland Health clinics, people are encouraged to use the Australian Government’s official COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic Finder at https://covid-vaccine.healthdirect.gov.au 

The course is accredited with the RACGP as a CPD Accredited Activity (40 CPD points) and with ACRMM as a PDP Activity (6 PDP hours). It is also accredited by the General Practice Mental Health Standards Collaboration (GPMHSC) as stand-alone Clinical Enhancement Module. As with all of Emerging Mind’s training and resources, this course is available to practitioners free of charge.

The package includes:

• a summary of the course and its learning outcomes
• a prescribed GP learning pathway that includes other relevant online courses
• a Pathways of Care template for you to download and use to create a central database for services you can reach out to
• a promotional video about this course.

Last year, Emerging Minds released their e-learning titled A GP framework for child mental health assessment (5-12 years), which is accredited at the same level as the course for 0 to 5 year-olds. These are the only courses available in Australia that are designed exclusively for GPs working in mental health treatment planning and management for children aged under 12. 

The role of Emerging Mind’s Team is to assist professionals and organisations across primary care to implement workforce development strategies that strengthen support for infant and child mental health and to have the skills to identify, assess, and support children aged 0 to 12 at risk of mental health conditions.

To learn more, visit https://emergingminds.com.au/online-course/mhst-0-5-years/

All Australian states and territories are working towards implementing real-time prescription monitoring solutions, with the aim of establishing a national system. Once established, information about monitored medicines dispensing events occurring in other states and territories may be recorded and viewable in QScript.

The data in QScript is collected automatically from Prescription Exchange Services (PESs) which currently support the transfer of electronic prescriptions and prescription information from medical clinics to pharmacies. When a prescription is issued at a medical clinic or dispensed at a pharmacy connected to a PES, the PES sends a record of the prescription to QScript in real-time.

Relevant health practitioners are required to check QScript for patient records before:

• prescribing a monitored medicine
• dispensing a monitored medicine
• giving a treatment dose of a monitored medicine.

The following health practitioners have access to QScript:

• medical practitioners
• pharmacists
• nurse practitioners
• endorsed midwives
• dentists
• podiatric surgeons and endorsed podiatrists.

QScript captures medicines that have a recognised therapeutic use but may also present high-risk harm. The Medicines and Poisons Act 2019 refers to these medicines as ‘monitored medicines’:

• all schedule 8 medicines (e.g. opioids, alprazolam, nabiximols, dexamphetamine)
• the following schedule 4 medicines:
  • all benzodiazepines
  • codeine
  • gabapentin
  • pregabalin
  • quetiapine
  • tramadol
  • zolpidem
  • zopiclone.

The Medicines and Poisons Act 2019 specifies penalties that can be imposed if health practitioners do not take reasonable steps to check QScript when required. There will be exceptions in some circumstances, including when treating patients in an emergency. A maximum of 20 penalty units ($2,757 as of 1 July 2021) will apply if a relevant practitioner fails to check QScript when required— unless they have a reasonable excuse.

Learn more about about QScript here—scroll down the page and click to open the full article under 'QScript - Queensland's real time prescription monitoring system' tab in the accordion.

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Northern Queensland Primary Health Network’s (NQPHN) Vaccine Works campaign spotlights the region’s vaccinating general practices and pharmacies and focuses on the primary care sector’s highly successful role in increasing COVID-19 vaccination rates in North Queensland.

In Innisfail, general practices and pharmacies are currently vaccinating the local community, including:

• Rankin Street Medical Centre
• Innisfail Family Health
• Innisfail Medical Centre
• Chemist Warehouse.

As of today (2 November 2021), Rankin Street Medical Centre, Innisfail Family Health, and Chemist Warehouse have together delivered more than 12,000 COVID vaccines to the wider Innisfail community, which has a population of approximately 10,000 people.

Rankin Street Medical Centre has been vaccinating the local Innisfail community since the vaccination rollout program began earlier this year, establishing a stand-alone vaccination site.

“We decided very early that vaccinating all the adults in the area was never going to happen in a reasonable timeframe without a high-throughput designated facility,” said Dr Simon Birchley, GP at Rankin Street Medical Centre.

“Fortunately, a suitable site for such a stand-alone clinic was available next to our practice, with computer and telephone connectivity, and the model has worked pretty well.

“The real heroes have been our staff – managing the bookings, stock control, and vaccination process while dealing with a constant and at times overwhelming number of calls and walk-in questions about timing and eligibility in the early months.”

Innisfail Family Health has been vaccinating local residents with both Pfizer and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines.

“As a Registered Nurse (RN), I have a responsibility to ensure I educate and encourage members of the public to be vaccinated,” said practice RN Michelle McCarthy.

Joel Ng, Managing Partner and pharmacist at Chemist Warehouse Innisfail, said it has been great to see pharmacies able to administer COVID-19 vaccines to the community.

“Chemist Warehouse Innisfail was one of the first few pharmacies approved for the COVID-19 vaccine rollout,” said Mr Ng.

“The uptake of the vaccine has been very positive from the Innisfail community.

“We were fully booked on our vaccination days and had to increase the booking slot in order to accommodate for the demand.”

NQPHN Chief Executive Officer Robin Whyte praised Innisfail’s vaccinating GPs and pharmacies and said the primary care sector is playing a key role in the ever-increasing rate of COVID-19 vaccinations across North Queensland.

“Our Vaccine Works campaign is about showcasing our local primary care providers for all the amazing work they’ve done over the past few months to improve COVID-19 vaccination rates in North Queensland and protect our community,” Ms Whyte said.

In North Queensland, there are currently 135 general practices, 115 pharmacies, 10 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations, and four GP-led Respiratory Clinics administering COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Moderna).

To book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment, including at Queensland Health clinics, people are encouraged to use the Australian Government’s official COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic Finder at https://covid-vaccine.healthdirect.gov.au