Northern Queensland Primary Health Network (NQPHN) is embarking on an ambitious 12-month program to dramatically improve access to culturally safe health assessments for the First Nations’ people within its catchment.

NQPHN Chief Executive Officer Robin Whyte said the organisation was aiming to bring General Practitioners, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services, the Royal Flying Doctor Service, and Hospital and Health Services’ Primary Care Clinics to take part in the year-long First Nations Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Program to improve primary care service to First Nation North Queenslanders.

“We believe the participant mix is a first in Australia,” she said.

“We are acutely aware across northern Queensland the care of First Nations people is fragmented and, in some instances, not culturally safe.

“NQPHN is very committed to making a tangible impact in this space, not more talk, or more measurement of the issue, but action on the ground.”

Ms Whyte said NQPHN estimated that only 11,000 of the 80,000 First Nations people living in the NQPHN region had received a comprehensive “715 Health Assessment” in the past 12 months.

“A coordinated and comprehensive approach is needed to improve the health situation, enhance clinical care and management, and reduce the health burden and preventable hospitalisation,” she said.

“The aim of the program is to work with primary care providers to provide First Nations people with increased access to coordinated, quality, and culturally safe care, using the 715 Health Assessment as the basis for identification of health needs.”

Ms Whyte said participating practices would receive Cultural Safety and Awareness training, free resources and education to assist with providing comprehensive, culturally sensitive health assessments as well as a host of other training and access to information and data.

Quarterly workshops will be held in Cairns, Townsville, and Mackay from May 2022 until June 2023, involving expert presenters, covering First Nations Australians Health: What you need to know, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander 715 Health Assessment, best practice for managing complex and chronic conditions experienced by First Nations’ Australians, and First Nations Mental Health and Alcohol and Other Drugs.

As part of the first educational session in August, Kidney Health Australia (KHA) will work with NQPHN to discuss Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders.

“This First Nations peoples’ case study-based module explains the role of primary care in preventing and detecting CKD,” said KHA General Manager Clinical and Research Breonny Robson.

“Correctly staging CKD using Estimated Glomerular Filtration (eGFR) and urine Albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) results will be covered along with how to create an individualised clinical action plan for an individual with CKD,” Ms Robson said.

The organisers have aligned the workshops in Cairns, Mackay and Townsville with the Kidney Kar Rally which departs Cairns on 11 August on a secret 5,000km route via the Gold Coast and finishes in Dubbo on 20 August. The rally raises awareness of kidney disease as well as fundraising for various Kidney Health Australia programs and research.

As well, a Kidney Karnival raised awareness of kidney health on 7 August at Muddy’s Event Lawn on the Cairns Esplanade. It included free kidney health checks, children’s entertainment, live music, and food stalls.

One of the key workshop presenters is Gurriny Yealamucka Health Service Aboriginal Director of Clinical Services and Senior Medical Officer Dr Jason King, who will be involved in two of the quarters, specifically Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander 715 Health Assessment: Completing more and doing it better, and Chronic Disease Management.

First Australian, counselling psychologist and a research fellow with The Hopkins Centre at Griffith University, Dr Leda Barnett, will be one of the presenters at sessions next year.

Dr Barnett’s three-hour workshop will be presented in two chapters: mental health and alcohol and other drug use, and First Australian experiences of empowerment.

Summary of works

Mental Health and Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD)

Headspace Townsville and Mackay

Commissioning for headspace Townsville and Mackay is complete, with Stride and North and West Remote Health (NWRH) announced as the providers, respectfully. Read more here.

Stepped Model of Care review

Our review into the Stepped Model of Care has commenced and is now well underway, with broad consultation occurring throughout July and August 2022. This has seen us connect with many stakeholders including NQPHN’s Clinical Council and Consumer Advisory Committee, GPs, Aboriginal Controlled Community Health Organisations (ACCHOs), our local Hospital and Health Services (HHSs), consumers and carers, and a lived experience workforce.

The review is prefaced by NQPHN’s most recent Health Needs Assessment (HNA), and will be evaluated against the four key performance domains of:

• access to services
• efficiency of service delivery
• appropriateness of service delivery
• effectiveness of the services delivered.

Population Health Priorities

First 1000 Days of Life Framework

A situational analysis and extensive stakeholder engagement has been undertaken to assist in the development of a draft joint First 1000 days of Life Framework for North Queensland.

The draft framework is currently being reviewed by the Better Health North Queensland (BHNQ) Alliance ahead of its release in late September 2022.

An NQPHN Maternal Child Health 2022-23 commissioning plan is currently being drafted to reflect the framework and strengthen our commitment to participating in the joint implementation of the Framework with our partners. Commissioning is planned for later this year.

Chronic Conditions Strategy

NQPHN has engaged a consultant to develop a situational analysis and draft a Chronic Conditions Strategy for NQPHN. The draft Chronic Conditions Strategy will be used to consult with stakeholders throughout August 2022 including peak bodies, HHSs, ACCHOs, general practice, and other primary care providers across the NQPHN region. This consultation will form NQPHN’s commissioning approach.

First Nations Health

Integrated Team Care (ITC)

The ITC – Improving Cultural Competency of Mainstream Primary Care tender process is complete and NQPHN is pleased to announce Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA) as the successful organisation to deliver cultural competency activities. IAHA will commence engagement with key stakeholders to develop Cultural Competency activities that will be made available to mainstream primary care providers across the NQPHN region.

ACCHOs are now delivering ITC services to First Nations people in North Queensland. The program is currently still in a transition phase, with activity planned for ACCHOs to support general practice to provide ITC through mainstream services.

Download the Commissioning priorities infographic here.

Previous commissioning priorities updates:

• 17 May 2022

Townsville-based general practice Cranbrook Medical is using innovative methods to deal with the current busy winter season of COVID-19 and influenza and protect the safety of its patients.

Australia had record low flu numbers during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the number of influenza cases have increased rapidly this winter.

Cranbrook Medical Operations Manager Laura Rasmussen said the practice had implemented several initiatives to help protect the health and safety of its patients.

“We have an outdoor respiratory clinic as a designated area at our practice,” said Laura.

“It's covered and it's also private, and there is a specific side gate patients can come through when they arrive.

“If they've identified as having any flu-like symptoms or recently had COVID, we just ask them to let us know that they're here and they stay in their car.

“The doctor calls them to have majority of the conversation over the phone, and then directs them to come around to our respiratory clinic once it's available.

“We also have a PPE station there, with designated equipment for the doctor, and hand sanitiser for patients.

“Patients also have privacy and shade, and they're right next to a kitchen, so if they're needing a drink of water, we just get it for them.”

Laura said that Cranbrook Medical is also opening up a new procedure room to further assist specific patients.

“If we have any patients having spirometry, for example asthmatic patients, we want to move them to an isolated area rather than in the big treatment area where there's a three-bedded bay,” she said.

“We're going to move them into their own little procedure rooms that we've only just built and are now opening for our patients.

“We also get them to do a RAT test beforehand, and we have a couple of different waiting areas, so if we don’t think they’ve got respiratory symptoms, we have a designated waiting area where they can sit right near the nurse and still be monitored.”

Laura said telehealth is still being utilised as an important method of liaising with patients in a safe manner.

“There have been times where a patient is not well enough to come in, and the doctors will assess whether they need telehealth or not,” she said.

“We do have our outdoor respiratory clinic where the doctors do a thorough physical assessment, but there is still that option on video calls as well.”

Laura said her practice is passionate about keeping as many people as safe as possible, not only in the community, but also her own staff at Cranbrook Medical.

“We’ve got lots of vulnerable people such as the elderly which we look after, and a lot of our patient base has been coming to us for generations,” she said.

“We want to eliminate or reduce the amount of hospital presentations, so we see our role as being able to provide primary health care as best we can and keep everybody safe.

“Our staff also know what we’re trying to do and know the importance of it all, and they're all really good at promoting that.

“For example, our nurses are excellent at making sure they pick up on things and follow up with patients and know who's been unwell and who might need a phone call if they've been stuck at home for a week.

“I'm very proud of our practice and what we do here. I think we have a beautiful approach to primary health and general practice, and I hope that it continues.”