More than 130 primary care service providers, including 47 general practitioners (GPs), turned out recently for the Northern Queensland Primary Health Network (NQPHN) First Nations Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) education event focusing on Chronic Disease and Care Planning held in Cairns, Townsville, and Mackay.

And by all accounts, they were a huge success.

In his address to the groups, First Nations CQI GP champion and guest speaker Dr Jason King provided practical hints, case studies, and resources for attendees.

The NQPHN workshop series forms part of the 12-month First Nations CQI Program, which includes four events on relevant topics of discussion.

Previous topics include chronic kidney disease in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and 715 Health Assessments.

Attendees have commended the events as informative and enjoyable with relevant speakers and take-home knowledge.

NQPHN and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health (ACCHO) Integrated Team Care (ITC) personnel also presented at the Chronic Disease and Care Planning event and dinner, providing information about the ITC program including referral pathways and contact details.

Currently, 75 primary care service providers are participating in the CQI program until September 2023, including 48 general practices, six ACCHOs and Aboriginal Medical Services (AMS), and 21 Hospital and Health Service (HHS) Primary Care Clinics.

Attendance to the First Nations CQI Chronic Disease and Care Planning Events covered Townsville (46 attendees, including 14 GPs), Cairns (45 attendees, including 15 GPs), and Mackay (42 attendees, including 18 GPs).

The latest Chronic Disease and Care Planning Workshop was the third event of the series, with the final workshop’s details on mental health to be announced.

More than 290 North Queenslanders across Cairns, Port Douglas, Cooktown, Innisfail, Atherton, Mareeba, Mackay, Bowen, and Moranbah have registered for the Heath Community Connectors workshops as part of the globally recognised Compassionate Communities movement.

Northern Queensland Primary Health Network (NQPHN) recently put a call out for community members and groups to get involved with the movement as health community connectors to offer support to older persons in the region — and the response has been overwhelming, according to NQPHN CEO Robin Whyte.

“More than 290 registrations have been received to date for the Health Community Connectors workshops, which is a key project under the NQPHN Greater Choices for At Home Palliative Care initiative,” Ms Whyte said.

“The response has been astounding with individuals from all walks of life, experience, and backgrounds registering for the workshops and wanting to become more connected to their community.

“As the workshops progress, we are seeing more and more individuals and groups register to become health community connectors, who are everyday people who can care for and support older persons as they age, are near the end of their life, or who are grieving loss. They may be retired, health or community services professionals, or caregivers.

“There are many reasons why people answered our callout, including wanting to fill a void since retiring, create a better experience for others, connectivity, to help friends, add value to their communities, and network with like-minded people, while others want to play a part in planning their own end of life.”

Innisfail resident Mandy Larsen is originally from Coen in Cape York and attended the Health Community Connectors workshop in Innisfail as a community member.

“We spend so much of our life concentrating on a good life that planning our end is not given the same level of attention,” Ms Larsen said.

“It’s very important we have options in place, so our family clearly understands what our wishes are.

“The resilience it creates after death for family members has a huge impact on families, so it’s important we educate our community on what services are out there and to support them in putting their wishes in place.

“I’m interested to know what services we have in our community and how I can assist our community with any inquiries and sharing information that would benefit them when they are considering life and death for themselves or their family members.”

Ms Whyte said the workshops would also help to develop an understanding of people’s care journeys and collecting data to help with the future planning and design of palliative care services, which will enable more choice for at-home care.

Following the recent workshops, many health community connectors are organising barbecues, community events, support groups, expos, and trainings for National Advance Care Planning Week from 20-26 March 2023, which aims to educate people around their advance care planning and future health care options.

NQPHN will hold further Health Community Connectors workshops in Thursday Island and Weipa this month. The workshops are for individuals and groups who want to be part of the Compassionate Communities movement as health community connectors.

Future workshops are also planned for Hughenden, Charters Towers, Townsville, and Burdekin later in the year.

More information on the upcoming workshops can be found below:

• Thursday Island workshop
• Weipa workshop

Julie’s team assists 48-year-old man to get life back on track

Creating a safe place has helped a man in his 40s on the road to recovery from alcohol and drug dependency in Townsville.

The Salvation Army Withdrawal Management Service (WMS) in Townsville has been partially funded by Northern Queensland Primary Health Network (NQPHN), with participants provided with a secure and calm environment.

Withdrawal Management Team Leader and registered nurse Julie Cobb said the service provided a safe place “to unpack emotions, provide psychoeducation, and explore options for recovery”.

“We see this as a great way to foster autonomy and connection, both important factors in the therapeutic alliance,” Ms Cobb said.

“Often conversations about where-to-next and planning for discharge occurs and confidence and hope flourishes.

“As participants explore options, they consider what is right for them and voice their needs and wants they gain a sense of self. Taking this therapeutic risk leads to greater confidence and a focus put on the future.”

Participants are also encouraged to engage in art therapy facilitated by the service’s registered nurses.

Ms Cobb said recently a 48-year-old man experiencing chronic homelessness and significant alcohol and methamphetamine dependency called WMS in a vulnerable state requesting an emergency admission for withdrawal.

He was known to the service with four prior admissions over the past three years.

“The man was feeling hopeless, at the end of his tether and could not think past the end of day, let alone plan for his recovery,” Ms Cobb said.

She said a phone assessment was conducted, along with a health risk assessment, and it was determined that a rapid admission was required.

A taxi collected the man from his location, and he was admitted to the WMS.

The man completed a seven-day medicated withdrawal and during that time he engaged with staff, reflected on previous withdrawals, and rehabilitation, and learnings.

“He explored his sense of self and the notion of institutionalisation and the comfort zone and what that meant for his recovery,” Ms Cobb said.

“Motivational interviewing techniques were used, and this man was able to set short, medium, and long-term goals as well as the steps required to achieve those goals.

“As a result of all the supported conversations, contemplations, and goal setting, another rehabilitation program was identified that best suited his need.”

Ms Cobb said WMS staff worked with the man to support a warm referral and he was now well along the way of his recovery journey.

NQPHN uses Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) funding to commission a range of services across our footprint to improve access for individuals to a range of evidence-based interventions regarding substance use that is tailored to the needs of each individual.

Services such as the WMS provided by Ms Cobb’s team work with a range of other health and community services (including GPs, mental health providers and Hospital and Health Services) to better integrate health and wellbeing treatment and referral pathways for people experiencing comorbid health conditions.

The Townsville WMS delivered AOD withdrawal management services for prevention and harm reduction for both individuals and the wider community and support the cessation of substance use.

It provided an inpatient service and care 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with admission and intake into the services four days per week.

The service is comprised of 10 beds which created a platform for people to build their lives in ways that are meaningful and purposeful.