Mainstream primary care and/or allied health service providers working across the Cape and Torres, Cairns, Townsville, and Mackay regions were invited to attend the workshops.

The aim of the workshops was to build capacity and support the mainstream primary care and allied health service providers to develop and deliver culturally appropriate services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in our region.

The positive feedback received has been overwhelming, with a Townsville participant noting that he learnt things about Indigenous people that they never knew before.

“The session was informative and interesting, and it has given me some ideas on how I can make positive changes to the way I deliver services,” said the participant.

“I will definitely recommend the workshop to my colleagues the next time it is offered”.

The workshop provided participants with:

• an understanding of cultural awareness and appreciation learnings
• an improved understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
• tools to engage effectively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
• opportunities for service providers to identify, develop, and implement culturally appropriate service delivery methodologies to improve Integrated Team Care (ITC) service delivery capacity and quality across the NQPHN region.

A Cairns participant said the workshop was overwhelming, powerful, and very educational.

“I’m sure everyone who attended was able to take something away from it,” she said.

“I found the workshop to be so beneficial that I’ll be reaching out to the facilitators to organise a similar training for the rest of my team”.

Each workshop was fully funded through the NQPHN ITC program and delivered by local Indigenous facilitators.

Additional workshops will be delivered across the region for those who missed out, although no dates have been confirmed yet. If you would like to be added to the waitlist for the Cairns, Townsville, or Mackay workshops please email itc@nqphn.com.au

Queensland Children’s Clinical Nurse and Diabetes Educator, Jennifer Allen, will facilitate the sessions alongside an inter-professional team.

GPs, diabetes educators, dietitians, social workers, psychologists, and other primary care professionals who support children with T1D and their families, are invited to participate in this innovative and interactive community of practice. The network is also well suited to regionally based teams and community services using online, interactive and case-based learning to provide free access to professional advice.

To register your interest in this ECHO network, visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GSHJKCG. For more information, download the flyer or email ECHO.CHQ@health.qld.gov.au

The Perinatal Depression e-Consortium (PDeC)*, led by the Parent-Infant Research Institute (PIRI), offers the evidence-based MumMoodBooster online treatment program free to the Australian public, which now features a customised clinician portal to help GPs better care for patients with postnatal depression.

Effective online treatment for postnatal depression: MumMoodBooster

• based on best-practice cognitive-behavioural therapy
• proven effective in controlled scientific studies for clinically diagnosed cases of depression
• as effective as face-to-face cognitive-behavioural therapy
• rapid reductions in symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress
• includes six interactive online treatment sessions
• SMS support and optional weekly phone coaching (for those at higher risk)
• can be accessed 24/7 from any internet-connected device
• the only e-treatment program of its kind in Australia

Clinician Portal for GPs available now: Easy referral and monitoring of symptoms

Developed with GPs, for GPs, this clinician portal allows direct referral of patients to MumMoodBooster where GPs can then track their progress. Through the portal, GPs have rapid, secure login access to view their patients’ assessment results, and monitor their depression symptoms and risk status. In the event that a patient’s symptoms escalate, the patient is notified (via email) to contact her health professional, noting the GP also receives a copy of this risk alert email. Register here to begin referring your patients now.

For more information, contact piri@austin.org.au.

*The Perinatal Depression e-Consortium (PDeC) is led by the Parent-Infant Research Institute (PIRI) and funded by the Australian Government, and includes Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia (PANDA), Monash University, Queensland University of Technology and Jean Hailes for Women’s Health.