Murray PHN eNews #72 | Investing in primary care across Murray

 


Edition 72  | Investing in primary care across Murray PHN

 
New partnership helping  patients shape local services
We are excited to be working with the University of Melbourne on an innovative, experience-based co-design project, which  will help us determine how to improve primary mental health care for people living with severe mental illness.
We will be working with clients, carers, Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program (MHNIP) providers, GPs and other mental health stakeholders to ensure future services in our region are accessible, targeted, evidence-based and shaped by the people who use these services.
Applied ethicist Dr Victoria Palmer, a Senior Research Fellow in the mental health program at The University of Melbourne, said that the voices of consumers, carers and staff  in regional and rural areas were not always heard in system reforms.
"Murray PHN has taken up the challenge of embedding consumers and carers at the heart of service design and improvement for mental health reforms," Dr Palmer said.
You can learn more about the co-design project here.  The partnership team met in Bendigo last week. Pictured: Murray PHN team members  Cath Butler,  AOD coordinator, Mim Dineen,  Mental Health Systems Coordinator,  Anne Somerville,  Executive Director Systems and Innovation Development, Jodie Rasmussen,  PIR Project Coordinator and Melissa Knight, Manager Mental Health. University of Melbourne team members Roxanne Kritharidis  Co-design Administration and  Coordination,  Dr Victoria Palmer  Senior Research Fellow, and  Wayne Weavell,  Co-Design Researcher.
 
Investing in primary care across Murray PHN
Health services and providers in our region are invited to attend industry briefings  on our approach to commissioning and  the first wave of investment to support optimal care for patients with chronic conditions.    Briefings begin  from 5 June and the formal Request for Proposal process will roll out from Monday 19 June 2017.
For full details and the opportunity to register for a briefing event  click here
 

More patients to get mental health screening opportunities

Murray PHN has partnered  with the Black Dog Institute to roll out an innovative digital mental health "check up"  service in 10 GP practices across the Murray region.  The stepped care model is based on a person-centred approach, aiming to increase early intervention and prevention of mental health issues, providing the right care, in the right place, at the right time.
Using computer tablets in each GPs waiting room, patients will complete a short, voluntary survey that gives them an instant assessment of their mental health. The application emails that assessment directly to the patient with a range of targeted self-help resources, and to the patients GP, with treatment suggestions where necessary.
Expressions of interest are now being sought from practices in our region through the TenderSearch portal until 24 May, 2017.  For full details, including how to submit an EOI click here.

New suicide prevention sites
The Federal Government has asked Murray PHN to commission suicide prevention planning and activities in our region. Our aim is to support local communities to plan for and deliver place-based approaches to suicide prevention, based on the best evidence-based approaches available.
Suicide is a result of an accumulation of risk factors, and intervention can happen at multiple points in each person at risk.
Successful suicide prevention needs  a systems approach involving healthcare and community professionals and organisations, along with government and non-government agencies.
We are launching programs in our communities of highest need and currently have an open tender opportunity for the local government areas of  Mansfield and Mt Alexander.   Tenders close  Friday 26 May.
Click here to link to the tender portal TenderSearch.

World Family Doctor Day 19 May  mental health      health workforce  

World Family Doctor Day acknowledges the contributions that family doctors play in delivering personal, comprehensive and continuing health care for their patients. Murray PHN would like to thank  all GPs who care for  patients  in our region.
WONCA has chosen depression as this year's theme, as stigma can stop people seeking help.  They hope to encourage people to  keep talking about mental health and  to seek help  in starting the healing process. Doctors themselves can be at risk of depression and must also remember to seek help  when  needed.
The RACGP's  General Practice Mental Health Standards Collaboration  (GPMHSC) strives to ensure optimal mental health for the Australian population through  quality GP education  in mental health, and offers a range of GP resources and training opportunities  Today RACGP  is running a campaign asking GPs to share a photo of themselves holding up a statistic about depression on Twitter or Facebook using #LetsTalk and/or  #WFDD2017.
WONCA is an acronym comprising the first five initials of the World Organization of National Colleges, Academies and Academic Associations of General Practitioners/Family Physicians. WONCA's short name is World Organization of Family Doctors.Women more vulnerable to some of our biggest killers    chronic disease    

The World Health Organisation estimates that 80 per cent of vascular disease, stroke and dementia are preventable and studies suggest lifestyle modification can help. The University of Melbourne has recently completed the Healthy Ageing Project, a study of over 20,000 women. They report that around 80 per cent are not eating enough fruit and vegetables, 70 per cent are not getting enough weekly physical activity and more than half are overweight. Click here for more details.

Helping Victorian hospitals and health services to support healthy populations    population health  

Hospitals and health services play a central role in getting us back on our feet when we are sick or injured. They can also play a big role in keeping us healthy and well for the long term. With support from the Department of Health and Human Services, Alfred Health will now be helping other Victorian hospitals and health services to support healthy populations. Click here for more details.

Free hepatitis B vaccinations for all Aboriginal Victorians  Aboriginal health  

Aboriginal Victorians experience disproportionately higher rates of hepatitis B than non-Aboriginal Victorians. To address this, the Victorian Government is providing  free hepatitis B vaccination to all Aboriginal Victorians, with no restriction.  This provision will be in addition to the free hepatitis B vaccination already in place for the household contacts and sexual partners of people living with hepatitis B, people who inject drugs or who are on opioid substitution therapy, people living with hepatitis C or HIV, men who have sex with men and prisoners (or those who initiated vaccination whilst in prison).  Click here  for order forms. Click here for reporting information. Click here for information for consumers.

Murray PHN CPD events

Additional  event topics in the full Murray PHN CPD calendar  include: chronic pain, infection control, hepatitis B and C, paediatrics, suicide prevention, mental health first aid, risk management, grief, triage, CPR and  dual diagnosis.

Murray PHN Tenders
You must be registered for TenderSearch to apply for Murray PHN tenders. Registration is free. To see all tenders and to register click here.

  • AOD Brief Intervention in Primary Care - closing 22 May
  • StepCare in General Practice Project - closing 24 May
  • Suicide Prevention - A systems approach - closing 26 May

Regional news

Government news

Reports and data

Resources

External events and CPD

Careers and career opportunities

Surveys, studies and research

Grants and funding

My Health Record

Evaluation of the My Health Record participation trialsIn 2016, four participation trials were conducted to compare different participation arrangements in the My Health Record system including:

  • opt out for individual participation in Northern Queensland and the Nepean Blue Mountains region of New South Wales
  • innovative approaches under the current opt in arrangements in Western Australia and Ballarat.

The purpose of the trials was to test consumer reaction to different participation arrangements and healthcare provider use once the majority of their patients had a record. The Department of Health engaged an independent evaluator to assess the outcomes of the trials. The Final Evaluation Report will inform the Government's consideration of the future direction of the My Health Record system.

The My Health Record Participation Trials Evaluation Report is now available here. While the trials delivered significant learnings to Government, the publication of this report does not signify a decision of government, and any changes to future participation arrangements such as opt out are still subject to Government consideration.

Copyright © 2017 Murray PHN, All rights reserved.
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this newsletter is accurate. Information in this  newsletter  may be duplicated in other media with due  acknowledgement  of the originating sources. Murray PHN does not  necessarily  endorse products and/or  services  advertised in this publication.Murray PHN gratefully acknowledges the financial and other support from the Australian Government Department of Health.
Murray PHN ABN  92 156 423 755

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