My Health for Life is a FREE health coaching program that focuses on changing behaviours and coaching people through behaviour change as opposed to simply educating people on what they should be eating or how much exercise they should do. The program is structured in such a way as most people know what they should be doing; it is the doing bit that is hard. Health Moves Exercise Physiology provide people with strategies and help them formulate plans to achieve success. 

What is really exciting is that the eligibility criteria for My Health for Life has now changed, which means more people can now access this program. The new criteria includes:

1. Queensland adults 18 years and over with an AUSDRISK score ≥12.
2. Queensland adults 18 years and over who have a waist measurement of ≥102cm (males) and ≥88cm (females) will be automatically eligible for the program.

The next program commences Thursday 7 October 2021 at 9.30am-11.30am and runs until the end of the year. 

Interested participants can contact Health Moves direct on: (07) 4281 6889 or go visit healthmovescairns.com.au/my-health-for-life/ and follow the links to complete a risk assessment.

With the upcoming Topbar Version 2.15 release, practices are recommended to update their system to meet the new Minimum Technical Requirements for setting up Topbar.

The Minimum Technical Requirements for Topbar are listed below:

• Windows Server 2012 (64 bit) Operating System
• SQL Server 2016
• .netframework v4.6.

Topbar Version 2.15 is expected to be released for all general practices across Australia in mid-September 2021.

Existing Topbar Users
Practices that already have Topbar installed must meet the new Minimum Technical Requirements for .netframework in order to receive continuous Topbar updates.

For any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact the Pen CS Account Management Team on 1800 760 993 or at support@pencs.com.au.

To assist health practitioners in understanding how QScript works and what information is contained in the system a number of webinars are planned as follows.

Getting ready for QScript

This webinar is ideal for those who want a guide of how to integrate QScript with their prescribing or dispensing software. The audience will be provided with a demonstration of how QScript works in practice. 

QScript training for health practitioners

These webinars are aimed at prescribers and dispensers and will detail the legislative changes for health practitioners, including complying with the Monitored Medicines Standard, and finishes with a demonstration of QScript.

The webinars are available at  https://www.qscriptlearn.health.qld.gov.au/training/webinars

Have you registered for access to QScript yet?

Don’t forget to make sure you have registered for QScript so that when it commences you will be ready to log in and use the system. Registration for QScript is now available through the registration portal at https://register.qscript.health.qld.gov.au

Registration is currently open to the following health practitioners:

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

To assist health practitioners with understanding the new legislation and how QScript works, the QScript Learning portal is available. The portal provides access to a series of eLearning modules, videos, and factsheets to help orient health practitioners to QScript and enhance clinical practice with monitored medicines.  

The modules are available free of charge and are accredited by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACCRM) and the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC).  Queensland Health encourages all practitioners who will be using QScript in the future to access these modules as an introduction to both relevant areas of the new Medicines and Poisons Act 2019 and QScript.

For further information about QScript, visit the Queensland Health website.

Supported by Northern Queensland Primary Health Network (NQPHN), an in-reach Commonwealth Government vaccination team from Healthcare Australia (HCA) visited Star of the Sea Elders Village on Thursday Island, and Hope Vale Aged Care to administer vaccines.

NQPHN Chief Executive Officer Robin Whyte said the vaccination tours for aged care residents and workers in North Queensland were an important step in protecting older Australians.

“Aged care residents, especially First Nations peoples, are among the most vulnerable to the impacts of COVID-19, and we need to protect them to the best of our ability throughout this pandemic,” Ms Whyte said.

“I’d like to thank everyone involved in the rollout of vaccinations this week, including the vaccine providers and aged care residents and staff who helped contribute to protecting themselves and their community.”

To check your eligibility for a COVID-19 vaccine, visit the COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility Checker: (https://covid-vaccine.healthdirect.gov.au/eligibility), or alternatively you can call the National Coronavirus and COVID-19 Vaccination Helpline on 1800 020 080.

What this means for +5,100 GP practices using Bp Premier:

• The CVD Risk Assessment Form and My Healthy Heart Plan are directly accessible within Bp Premier
• The templates will auto-populate with existing patient data from Bp Premier
• Heart Health Checks appointments will be more efficient.

To learn more, click here.

The Queensland Government, Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC) and the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH) produced the COVID-19 vaccination campaign.

The Make the Choice campaign aims to help address the gap in vaccination rates between First Nations people and the general population, with the overall vaccination rate for First Nations people almost half the vaccination rate of non-First Nations people.

The Make the Choice campaign is a new website that is filled with helpful and easy to understand information about COVID-19 vaccinations and the vaccination process to help inform the choice about getting vaccinated against COVID-19.

Find out more at www.makethechoice.com.au

An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a work-based intervention program designed to enhance the emotional, mental, and general psychological wellbeing of all employees and includes services for immediate family members.

To access this confidential service, please contact AccessEAP on 1800 818 728 and identify as one of these groups when calling into our service, starting with Northern Queensland Primary Health Network, then either Chemist Staff or GP staff.

For more information on AccessEAP, visit their website.

NQPHN has also created an EAP support poster to advise staff of the service availability:

• Download poster (General Practices)
• Download poster (Pharmacies)

On Sunday 8 August, Cairns and Yarrabah LGAs were determined by Queensland's Chief Health Officer to be in the 'moderate' risk category after a lockdown was announced following confirmation of a local COVID-19 case.

This meant that the Australian Government made additional quantities of PPE supplies available for GPs, community pharmacies, and ACCHOs in the Cairns and Yarrabah LGAs, with an ordering process soon put in place by NQPHN.

NQPHN received more than 100 boxes of emergency PPE supplies from the Australian Government on Wednesday 11 August, coordinating the ordering process and distribution of all the PPE packages (surgical masks, P2/N95 masks, gowns, gloves, eye goggles) by the next day to 35 general practices/ACCHOs and 20 pharmacies across Cairns and Yarrabah.

In total, NQPHN distributed the following total PPE items within 24 hours of receiving them:

• 19,200 surgical face masks
• 8,640 P2/N95 face masks
• 30,000 gloves
• 3,125 long-sleeve gowns
• 1,200 eye goggles.

NQPHN Chief Executive Officer Robin Whyte said NQPHN was again proud to assist in the COVID-19 pandemic response efforts for the benefit of the local community.

“After being informed of the PPE being made available, we quickly assembled a team who assisted in taking delivery, opening, sorting, repacking, and organising couriers for these items for primary healthcare providers across the Cairns and Yarrabah LGAs,” said Ms Whyte.

“It was a significant logistical task, but they did an amazing job to ensure all PPE orders were fulfilled within just 24 hours.”

Visit NQPHN's COVID-19 web pages for more information on the ongoing pandemic.

Starting a conversation about mental health challenges with someone you care about can sometimes feel challenging. That’s why a partnership between the National Mental Health Commission and Australia’s national mental health organisations who specialise in supporting children, young people, and parents – batyr, Beyond Blue, Butterfly Foundation, headspace, Kids Helpline, Orygen, and ReachOut – have today launched #ChatStarter

#ChatStarter was designed with the support of parents and young people. The program can open opportunities for us to reach people before they reach crisis point and help them access the right type of care. However, talking may not necessarily be the best way to ‘start a conversation’. Sometimes engaging in fun, creative, and productive activities together can transcend barriers to conversation, build trust and help create safe spaces for people to talk about how they’re feeling, and the kind of support they need.

Young Australians and parents are encouraged to create their own content on social media on how they start chats safely with others.

Here are some #ChatStarters to help you start the conversation:

1. Walk and Talk – Walking and talking can break down barriers and help people feel less confronted than chatting face-to-face.
2. Yarn and Learn – Storytelling can help us understand what people are going through. You might like to yarn with Elders or friends about your experiences and how you’re feeling. You could yarn with members of your household or virtually with others you trust.
3. Drive and Debrief – Going for a short drive with someone, or taking them for a drive if they’re not up for it, can provide a short-term escape and provide the opportunity for uninterrupted conversation and a place to calm down or clear heads.
4. Bake and Bond – Keeping our hands busy can help someone feel more comfortable in having conversations about challenges. If your child or friend likes baking, encourage them to choose a recipe to make together.
5. Relate over Reels – Young people enjoy watching content they relate to - this includes reels and videos on social media. They might share links with you that can help you understand what they’re going through that can help guide conversation. Alternatively, you can sit down and watch some videos together which may help conversation flow.
6. Create and Connect – This is just for fun - what we draw, write, paint, cook, dance, capture, and play can help give insights into someone's experiences. Try photography – why not go bush? Go outside to the backyard or the park nearby if possible and spend time taking photos. You don't need a special camera to capture beautiful colours, textures, and reflections.
7. Dance and Download – Dancing is a great way to express yourself. You, your family, Elders, friends, or anyone in your household might like to pick some songs and dance. If you're in different households, a video call to dance and move is a great alternative to face to face when restrictions are tight.
8. Stretch and reflect – Stretching and self-reflecting can spark insight, which can alter the way we see ourselves and those around us.
9. Celebrate and share – Celebrate the small things together, a home-cooked meal, a friendly message from a friend, a smile or even a wave from the neighbour, or anything that makes you feel good.
10. DIY and decompress – Remember that cool cupboard you wanted to build? Ask your parents or siblings to give you a hand at starting a DIY project to focus your mind on.

For more information, visit https://www.headtohealth.gov.au/covid-19-support/chatstarter