The evening was attended by representatives from THHS, Charters Towers Regional Council, and Charters Towers healthcare providers and community members commemorating the momentous milestone.

The program has been running for more than four years and has been re-funded by Queensland Government for three more years. It is designed to help Queenslanders stay well and lessen their risk of developing conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

Eligible individuals explore topics such as nutrition, physical activity, understanding their personal risk of developing health conditions, and how to make healthier choices a part of everyday life. With the support of trained health professionals, individuals develop an action plan, whether their goal is to get more active, eat better, stress less, or lose weight; the focus is on building a step-by-step plan to help you achieve your goals over time.

Program eligibility

Adults over 18 years with:

• an Australian type 2 diabetes risk assessment (AUSDRISK) score greater than or equal to 12 
• absolute Cardiovascular risk of greater than or equal to 15 per cent 
• a blood pressure (BP) reading of greater than or equal to 160/100.
• waist circumference 88cm plus for women (or 80cm plus for women of Asian descent) or 102cm plus for men (or 90cm plus for men of Asian descent)
• pre-existing conditions, including a history of gestational diabetes mellitus, pre-diabetes, familial hypercholesterolemia, diagnosed with high blood pressure or high blood cholesterol.

Now primary care professionals can refer patients using the available referral template in Medical Director and Best Practice software – look for the “My Health for Life Referral” form. Alternatively, health professionals can advise patients to self-refer by completing an online health check by calling 137 475 (13 RISK).

For more information, visit the My health for life website or contact your PHN practice support team.

The focus of the virtual symposium was the ABC of Health Literacy—how people understand information about health and health care and how they act on it. The event highlighted the need for health professionals to support consumers to build their health literacy, with keynote speakers providing practical solutions and insights.

Professor Donald Nutbeam outlined the fundamental relationship between participation in education, literacy, and health outcomes, with individuals with lower levels of literacy being generally less responsive to health education, less likely to use disease prevention services and medicines as intended, and less likely to successfully manage chronic disease. By reviewing how we communicate health advice and information, Professor Nutbeam shared that it is possible to improve health literacy and health outcomes of the community.

Professor Nutbeam proposed improving health literacy by: 

• using simplified text and pictures in written communication (plain language) 
• applying shared decision-making techniques  
• helping people to learn (teach-back methodologies)  
• reducing barriers in accessing health services.

Behavioural Scientist Doctor Julie Ayre from the Sydney Health Literacy Lab introduced healthcare professionals to The SHeLL Editor, a free tool designed to support practitioners to provide better care to patients with unmet general literacy and health literacy needs.

Writing in plain language doesn’t come naturally for most of us, with Doctor Ayre reporting that an examination of COVID-19 public information materials showed an average reading level of year 12. However, she suggested we need to be working towards providing information and materials at a year eight reading level to meet the needs of health consumers. 

The SHeLL Editor was created to support healthcare providers with producing materials that reflect and meet the needs of the average reading level of the population by assessing and modifying text to an appropriate reading level.

The Editor provides prompts on the language used in the text analysed, providing objective and immediate feedback regarding the grade score reading level, readability, complexity, and the use of passive voice. The Editor providers users with suggestions on how to simplify text, using the CDC Health Thesaurus to offer simpler medical terms. The scope of use for the Editor includes patient education materials, signs, and posters for use in primary care clinics, social media content, and any other information or health advice produced for consumers.

The SHeLL Editor is free to access, with a tutorial available the first time the Editor is launched. 

To learn more or access The SHeLL Editor, visit https://sydneyhealthliteracylab.org.au/the-shell-editor/

Facilitated by Queensland Health and attended by representatives from across the Queensland health sector, the senate meeting saw discussion on how to look at healthcare differently and explored how healthcare can be better delivered to communities into the future.

The key themes investigated during the senate meeting included funding, workforce, infrastructure, sustainability, health system performance during COVID, continuity of care, keeping the patient at the centre of care, GP and primary care provider engagement, and better integration with Hospital and Health Services (HHSs).

Northern Queensland Primary Health Network (NQPHN) Executive Director Health System Integration and Innovation Karin Barron attended on behalf of NQPHN.

“Attending the senate meetings allows NQPHN to work with the sector and explore how NQPHN can better support primary healthcare providers into the future” said Karin.

The Queensland Clinical Senate represents clinicians from across the health system and provides strategic advice and leadership on system-wide issues affecting the quality, affordability, and efficient delivery of patient care within Queensland.

More information about the Queensland Clinical Senate can be found online here.

The purpose of the pilot is to provide secondary students who may otherwise face barriers to receiving timely and appropriate healthcare with free access to a GP at school. Providing this service will have a positive impact on students’ health and wellbeing and their readiness and ability to engage at school.

Schools have been invited to apply to participate in the pilot through an Expression of Interest (EOI) that opened on 12 July. As part of their application, schools will need to demonstrate that they have engaged with a suitable GP who is willing and able to provide GP service in the school.

To learn more about the Student Wellbeing Package, visit: https://education.qld.gov.au/students/student-health-safety-wellbeing/student-wellbeing-package