The goal of the program is to develop nationally consistent training on how to provide telehealth in Residential Aged Care Homes (RACHs) with the needs and wellbeing of residents at the heart of the approach. The training will include interactive, microlearning modules across a range of topics for both RACH staff, visiting clinicians, and remote-end clinicians. The training is designed to build confidence in the workforce on how to deliver telehealth in a residential aged care setting, using proven teaching techniques.

Telehealth reduces the need for unnecessary transfers to clinical services for residents who are often extremely unwell and vulnerable. It benefits clinicians by enabling consultations in the resident’s usual environment, which provides clearer insight into their health condition and needs. It ensures a collaborative approach to care, enabling RACH nursing staff to be present, if appropriate, for the consultation.

Western Victoria PHN is leading the project on behalf of South Eastern Melbourne, Murray, Eastern Melbourne, North Western Melbourne, Gippsland, Tasmania, Coordinare (NSW), Western NSW, Murrumbidgee, Healthy North Coast (NSW), Gold Coast, Brisbane North, Northern Queensland, and Darling Downs West Moreton Primary Health Networks.

The RACH Telehealth Training Program will be rolled out from July 2024.

Townsville Public Health Unit

Phone 4433 6900

13 November 2023

Dear Doctor

Public Health alerts: APSGN, measles, pertussis Shortage of Bicillin LA®

There have been several recent cases of acute post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis (APSGN) in North Queensland, mainly in Indigenous communities. APSGN can occur in outbreaks following circulation of ‘nephritogenic’ strains in Group A strep skin and throat infections.

APSGN has recently become a Notifiable Condition on suspected diagnosis. This means doctors must tell Public Health without relying on lab notification processes.

Most APSGN cases are between one and 16 years of age. Look for at least two of:

• facial and / or peripheral oedema
• microscopic or macroscopic haematuria
• hypertension, according to age / sex / height percentiles.

Take bacterial swabs of the throat and any skin sores. Work-up includes urgent Paediatric referral with GAS serology and complement levels.

There is a national shortage of long-acting Benzathine Benzylpenicillin. Most stock is reserved for RHD patients and infectious syphilis, making control of APSGN clusters and GAS skin infections difficult. Information about Bicillin alternatives is at https://bit.ly/3FZjMGp or contact QLD Antimicrobial Stewardship Hotline on 1300 753 229.

There have been recent North Queensland notifications of:

• Measles (with extensive community exposures in Cairns during the infectious period)
• Pertussis (expected to be a national surge in cases)

Make sure all your patients have at least two recorded doses of a measles vaccine and catch-up infants and older persons who are behind with their primary pertussis course or boosters.

Please notify your local public health unit of any suspected cases.

Yours sincerely,

Dr Steven Donohue

Director & Public Health Physician, Townsville Public Health Unit

Download the letter here.

MyMedicare patient registration is now open to eligible patients. Registration for MyMedicare is voluntary for both patients and providers.

To complete the MyMedicare registration, dual consent is required. 

Dual consent for MyMedicare can be achieved during the registration process, as outlined below:

• If a patient is initiating MyMedicare registration through their Medicare online services, this acts as the patient consent for registration. The patient-initiated registration is only considered to be successful, after the practice has accepted this registration request through the MyMedicare tile in HPOS which acts as the practice consent.  
• If a practice is initiating MyMedicare registration on behalf of their patients through the MyMedicare tile in HPOS, this acts as the practice consent for registration. The practice-initiated registration is only considered to be successful, after the patient has accepted this registration request in their Medicare Online Services. 
• Patients can also register for MyMedicare by filling out a MyMedicare Patient Registration Form. Completing this form acts as the patient consent to the registration process. Practices are then required to finalise the MyMedicare patient registration process through the MyMedicare tile in HPOS, acting as the practice consent for registration. Note: Practices will be required to retain a copy of this form to comply with record keeping obligations in accordance with Federal, State, or Territory legislation, applicable to their practice.

For support or further information, please contact the NQPHN Primary Care Engagement Team or email digitalhealth@nqphn.com.au

NQPHN Senior Primary Care Engagement Officer Debra Davis, NQPHN Indigenous Health Project Officer Melinda Green, and Precedence Health Program Manager Emma Walker met with various practices and discussed the benefits of INCA, answered questions, and demonstrated how Inca could complement their current systems.

Some of the key discussions during the visits are outlined below.

• A practice that has been using Inca for 12 months said they find it saves time and is user-friendly.
• A practice recently came on board with using Inca and are looking forward to a much more streamlined approach with care planning.
• Practices liked the simplicity of the Inca tool for care planning.
• Allied health databases can be uploaded into Inca accounts for Team Care Arrangements.
• The Inca platform could be used to return notes from other services, through to the General Practitioner.
• Comparisons between the My GPMP Tool and Inca were discussed, and although they have some similarities, the cost difference was explained, with Inca now being provided to practices cost free with NQPHN funding.
• A practice had recently started using CUBIKO, which led to discussion on how that would complement the Inca platform, with MBS billing claimed for clients able to be seen anywhere with CUBIKO, but only in the software when using Inca. 
• A few concerns were raised by a practice who has been using Inca for 12-months, however with Emma from Precedence Health on had to rectify these immediately, these uncertainties were eased.
• Key benefits of Inca that were highlighted by nurses in one practice included that there was no longer the need to print the care plans and the faster reply of TCA returns.
• A key struggle that could be foreseen, was simply with introducing a new platform and needing to get to know it. Our team organised a time where Emma could meet virtually with the reception team at the practice to give them some one-on-one time to understand and walk through the platform.

Our team found the Inca visits to be highly valuable and enjoyed demonstrating the benefits of the Inca platform in person with the practices they were able to visit. They were also able to distribute flyers for upcoming events, as well as information about newly released Spirometry Training.

The team would like to thank the practices they were able to meet with during this visit, including Collinsville Family Practice, Girudala Community Cooperative Society, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service (ATSICHS), Sydney Street Medical Centre, Caneland Medical Centre, Pioneer Medical, Mt Pleasant Medical and Dental, and Podiatry Mackay.

For more information, please visit the NQPHN Inca Integrated Care Platform webpage.

To arrange a practice visit or to discuss the Inca platform, please contact the NQPHN Primary Care Engagement Team at email pce@nqphn.com.au

Pier Portella is committed to working with vulnerable young people to help them live better lives.

As a provisional psychologist at Better Together Community Support, an Atherton and Tablelands-based health and wellbeing service, Pier’s mission is to support young people in the community to overcome the challenges and issues they’re facing.

Those issues can include anxiety, problematic use of substances, addictions, and other complex situations.

And he’s been doing amazing work with one young person in particular.

Recently, Pier worked with a 16-year-old who had turned to video gaming to cope with the impacts of a difficult home life.

The teenager was referred to Better Together for mental health concerns (anxiety), related video game addiction, and being at-risk of alcohol use.

Pier said the teenager had been through traumatic times and wanted assistance and support to improve his situation.

“The teen identified goals to improve his relationship with his mum, improve his social skills, and reduce his anxiety,” said Pier.

“However, there was conflict within the family for his unwillingness to stop video gaming.”

Pier said Better Together provided the teen with ongoing emotional support to address his anxiety, psychosocial education regarding the risk of alcohol use, education related to healthy family relationships, coping strategies to reduce video gaming, and engaging in pro-social activities.

Northern Queensland Primary Health Network (NQPHN) funds Better Together’s Youth Alcohol and Other Drugs Case Management and Complex Care Coordination (YAODCC) program, a free service that provides case management support for young people aged 12-25 who misuse substances and have complex needs.  

“The young person told his YAODCC program case manager his fear surrounding his mother's alcohol use because she was aggressive towards him when drinking, and also of the threat of physical abuse by his mother's partner,” said Pier.

“These disclosures allowed YAODCC to liaise with Better Together’s Intensive Family Support (IFS) program to work with the mother on parenting and substance use, and allowed YAODCC to create a safety plan with the family to ensure there was no further contact between the teen and the mother's partner.”

It was the amazing work of Pier and Better Together that allowed the teen to start overcoming his family issues and other challenges.

“This opportunity allowed YAODCC to re-enforce the learnings that a patient, gentle approach to engagement is beneficial to relationship development, and allows safe space for young people to explore their concerns,” said Pier.

Pier said the situation was difficult in the beginning, however the adolescent had progressed very well.

“At the moment, the teen is in a stable and safe environment, which allows him to grow and develop,” said Pier.

“This marks a huge shift from the situation he was in when we first started working together. 

“His reaction has been positive, and he has also shown a high level of engagement, even through the most difficult moments. 

“This has led to a positive outcome, with the primary carer (his mother) also receiving relevant support too, and with increased safety for the young person by ceasing contact with the mother's partner.”