APNA, the peak body for primary health care nurses, and NQPHN are providing the opportunity for one nurse in every general practice, AMS, and ACCHO across the NQPHN region with a fully funded APNA Corporate Membership* for up to 12-months.

Nominate a primary care nurse

Practice managers, does your general practice, AMS, or ACCHO have a nurse who would benefit from access to current primary health care nursing news, educational resources, guidelines, and support?

Do you know a nurse who is new to general practice or requires extra support?

Nominate them to give them the support they need and deserve.

Nominate now to ensure your nurse gets the most out of the fully funded membership and its extensive range of benefits.

As part of your submission, share how your nominated nurse would benefit from a fully funded APNA Corporate Membership. Make your submission creative. We love to hear great nursing stories!

 A full APNA Corporate membership provides access to:

• current education and resources
• the latest industry news and guidelines 
• community of practice, expert advice, and support
• discounted insurance, advocacy, perks, and more!

To see the full range of APNA member benefits, visit www.apna.asn.au/membership/member-benefits

To learn more, read the terms and conditions, click here.

Nominations

Nominate now to ensure your general practice, AMS, or ACCHO nurse can get the most out of the fully funded membership and the extensive range of APNA membership benefits.

To nominate a general practice nurse working in the NQPHN region, click here.

For more information, contact the NQPHN Primary Care Engagement team at pce@nqphn.com.au

*See flyer for terms and conditions.

**Please note, the APNA/NQPHN Corporate Membership offer is NOT inclusive of professional indemnity insurance, but this can be purchased separately from APNA once your new membership is activated.

Two new programs will be rolled out this year to help combat diabetes and other chronic conditions in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 

This is good news for the Mackay community, according to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service (ATSICHS) Mackay Integrated Team Care (ITC) team. 

ATSICHS Mackay Indigenous Health Project Officer Sharni Scott-Knight (nee Dorante) said the ITC team recently participated in the Diabetes Australia Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Diabetes training as well as the My Health for Life facilitator training.   

“These programs are currently in the planning stages and will be rolled out in this year,” Mrs Scott-Knight said. 

“The ITC team plans on providing culturally appropriate group education with our clients and motivational interviewing for health goal setting as part of the My Health for Life Health Lifestyle Program. 

“We are also planning upcoming facilitator training in the Diabetes Australia Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Diabetes program which features Magnet Man, a new and improved Felt Man, to assist in one-one-one and group education on diabetes. 

“This will encourage our people to maintain healthy lifestyle choices, gain health education and literacy, and self-manage their conditions. 

“It is very exciting for the ITC team and our clients.” 

Mackay's residents, who will benefit from the programs, couldn’t be happier. 

“ATSICHS ITC clients are appreciative for the assistance provided through the program, for example, medical aids, supplementary services, and transportations to their medical appointments,” Mrs Scott-Knight said. 

“One of our clients, who attends dialysis three times a week, will be having a kidney transplant in the near future. This will be a huge benefit to their health and wellbeing, and daily life. 

“These programs will be extremely beneficial to help people manage their chronic conditions and continue to access culturally safe and high-quality health care services, at both Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations and mainstream private practice.” 

Mrs Scott-Knight said their clients were constantly complimenting the work the ITC team did and voicing their appreciation. 

“Our Care Coordinators always receive feedback from clients about going ‘above and beyond to help’,” she said.  

ITC Outreach Worker Atha Power said after transporting a client to a mainstream doctor’s appointment and hearing that they were having trouble with their CPAP machine, she asked permission to look at the machine. 

“The oxygen connection had been beeping at night and they hadn’t been using the machine because of this,” Mrs Power said. “We tested machine and called the local supplier for assistance to fix the problem.  

“The issue was resolved over the phone, but if the beeping continued, we had organised for the supplier to come and service the machine.  

“I also helped with taping down the oxygen tubing that led to their bedroom, so it wouldn’t be a tripping hazard.  

“The client was so grateful and appreciated my time and effort in solving their CPAP and oxygen issue.” 

The ITC Program, which is delivered by ATSICHS Mackay for the Mackay, Sarina, and Isaac regions, is funded under Northern Queensland Primary Health Network's (NQPHN’s) Indigenous Australians’ Health Program and aims to improve the health outcomes for First Nations peoples.  

The program supports people to access medical and allied health services that are imperative in managing their chronic and complex health conditions and deterioration to the point of needing hospitalisation. 

One of the key features of Primary Sense is the variety of on-demand reports; as Primary Sense extracts new data every 3-5 minutes, practices can utilise these quick and easy reports to proactively plan care for patients in close to real-time – better enabling them to give the right care at the right time.

National Diabetes Week 2024 (14-21 July) is rapidly approaching and this year Diabetes Australia have chosen to shine the light on diabetes tech. With that in mind, this article will focus on how general practice staff can make the most of Primary Sense in the management of patients with diabetes.

There are three reports that feature diabetes-related data that you and your team can use to plan clinics, offer opportunistic care, or plan CQI activities:

1. Diabetes Mellitus
2. Winter Wellness
3. Patients booked in with missing PIP QI measures

Report 1 – Diabetes Mellitus

This report comprises 3 different data tables:

1. Patients who may require a HbA1C test
   • Lists patients with a fasting glucose >7.0mmol/L in the past three months who do not have a HbA1c result. Patients who have a coded diagnoses of diabetes or polycystic ovarian syndrome, are prescribed an anti-diabetic medication, or where pregnant will be excluded from this list.
2. Patients who may need a clinical review for a diagnosis of diabetes
   • Lists patients who may have a diagnosis of diabetes that has not been correctly coded. Includes the patient’s fasting glucose result, any diabetic medication the patient has been prescribed, as well as their most recent HbA1C result.
3. Patients with diabetes who may be eligible for chronic care occasions of service
   • Lists patients who have a coded diabetes diagnosis (excluding gestational diabetes). The table displays the patient’s results for HbA1C, blood pressure, date of last influenza vaccination, Albumin Creatinine Ratio (ACR), and Albumin Excretion Rates (AER).

Report 2 – Winter Wellness

The Winter Wellness reports lists patients who may be vulnerable to seasonal respiratory infections. It details information such as the patient’s last Flu vaccination, their last Pneumovax vaccination, as well as data relating to previous COVID vaccinations and infections.

Patients with a diagnosis or medication indicative of diabetes will be included in this report.

Reports 3 – Patients booked in with missing PIP QI measures

This report lists patients with an upcoming appointment who have missing PIP QI measures. The measures – specific to patients diagnosed with diabetes – detailed in this report are:

• Diabetics without a HbA1c result in the past 12 months
• Diabetics without a blood pressure result in the previous 6 months

For more information about using Primary Sense – or if you would like NQPHN to deliver a Primary Sense demo at your practice – please contact the Primary Sense team on primarysense@nqphn.com.au or (07) 4034 0300.

Community members, healthcare professionals, politicians, and sector representatives are being encouraged to take a survey and help shape healthcare outcomes and access to vital services in their region. 

North Queensland residents can have their say on local healthcare as part of the Joint Regional Needs Assessment (JRNA) online survey. 

Information collected through the short survey, which is now open and closes on 16 August 2024, will help to develop North Queensland’s first JRNA, a collaboration between Northern Queensland Primary Health Network (NQPHN), and Torres and Cape, Cairns and Hinterland, Townsville, and Mackay Hospital and Health Services (HHSs). 

NQPHN Chief Executive Officer Sean Rooney said it was important for the community to have their say on their region's healthcare. 

"People's experiences matter and information gathered from the survey will help improve access to better healthcare in North Queensland communities,” Mr Rooney said. 

“We want to learn more about the health needs that are impacting people living and working in North Queensland, and understand where there may be health needs and gaps in services to ultimately improve healthcare resourcing and service delivery.” 

The JRNA is a requirement from the Commonwealth and State Governments, and is essential for planning better health services and achieving improved outcomes for northern Queensland residents. 

"We are proud to partner with all four Hospital and Health Services in North Queensland on this joint health needs assessment, which we know will help North Queenslanders live happier, healthier, longer lives,” Mr Rooney said.  

Cairns and Hinterland HHS Chief Executive Leena Singh described the assessment as a “temperature check” of health services across the region. 

“We hold regular consultative forums for our consumers across our region and this type of survey will complement the information we receive from various groups,” she said. 

“I would encourage everyone to complete the survey to assist us in understanding the additional health needs our community requires for us to ensure it is captured in our future planning.  

“Health affects everyone across the full life spectrum and it is important for us to continually check in with our community to ensure the needs of Far North Queenslanders are met, and that we are incorporating that into any future investment decisions.” 

Torres and Cape HHS Chief Executive Rex O’Rourke said planning for the future health needs of communities in Cape York, the Northern Peninsula Area (NPA), and the Torres Strait was vital. 

“Our populations are expanding, and they include a very high percentage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with significant needs, as well as an increasingly ageing and socio-economically disadvantaged population,” Mr O'Rourke said. 

“To improve health outcomes for our communities, we all need to work together to ensure we have the services in place to meet current and emerging needs.” 

Townsville HHS Chief Executive Kieran Keyes said community feedback was an essential part of designing future services that met the needs of North Queenslanders.    

“There is no one in a better position to tell us what works and what needs to improve than the communities we serve,” he said. 

“I strongly believe healthcare is better, stronger, and safer when we involve our patients, consumers, and community in the design of our services.   

“I want to encourage all North Queenslanders to have their say to help us work together to shape the region’s future healthcare services.” 

The JRNA will supersede the NQPHN Health Needs Assessment (HNA). 

To help shape health care that’s suited to your community's needs, take the 10-minute online survey here. 

More information on the JRNA can be found on the NQPHN website at www.nqphn.com.au/JRNA