Murray PHN eNews #99 | Australia’s health report card

Australia is generally a healthy nation but there are some key areas where we could do better, according to the latest report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). The two-yearly report card,  Australia's Health 2018,  was launched this week by the Hon. Greg Hunt MP, Minister for Health.

The report shows that Australia sits squarely in the best third of OECD countries when it comes to life expectancy, with girls born in 2016 likely to live 84.6 years, while boys can expect to live to 80.4 years.

Fewer of us are smoking or putting ourselves at risk from long-term alcohol use than in the past. More of our children have been immunised and we're doing well in terms of preventing avoidable deaths.

At an individual level, we're feeling the effects of these good results, with more than 4 in every 5 Australians grading their own health to be at least "good" if not "very good" or "excelllent".

But with a population that is living longer, we are now experiencing higher rates of chronic and age-related conditions. For example, we know that older Australians use a higher proportion of hospital and other health services and 75 per cent of all PBS medicines were dispensed to people aged 50 and over. With  health spending continuing to rise - reaching $170 billion in 2015-16 and outstripping population growth - we see the important role our health system plays in both prevention and treatment.

Half of Australians have a common chronic health condition, such as diabetes, heart disease, a mental illness, or cancer. Importantly, almost a quarter of us have two or more of these conditions, often making our experiences of health and healthcare particularly complex.

Many chronic health conditions share common preventable risk factors, such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and not getting enough exercise - in fact, around one-third of our nation's "disease burden" is due to preventable risk factors.

To read the report, click here.

Aboriginal cultural safety training for the AOD sector
Murray PHN is excited to be  partnering  with the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) to bring free two-day cultural safety training sessions to health professionals, who deliver  alcohol and other drug (AOD) services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients.The training aims to develop a skilled workforce who are better equipped to self-reflect on own practice, tailor engagement strategies, understand guiding principles for  co-occurring mental health and drug and alcohol issues for Aboriginal people and to understand socio-emotional wellbeing and recovery frameworks.

RSVP to attend an event closest to you  and note places are limited are for mainstream  general practice staff, alcohol and other drugs workers, mental health workers, housing workers, community and health workers, psychologists and  social workers who deliver services to people experiencing AOD substance misuse:

PSA testing for Prostate Cancer videos
In Victoria, all six PHNs are working together to promote the adoption of the prostate cancer Optimal Care Pathway (OCP) into primary health. Patient and health professional resources supporting this OCP  can be found on our website, in addition to three new videos:

Are you NDIS ready?

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is one of the largest social and economic reforms in Australia since the introduction of Medicare in the 1970s. It replaces an old disability system that was unfair and inefficient with a new system that is world-leading, equitable and sustainable.

The NDIS has been gradually rolling out across Australia and is already providing support to more than 33,000 people with disability in Victoria and 160,000 Australians nationally (Q3 2017/18 data).

From 1 July 2018, an additional 150,000 Australians across the country may now be eligible to access the NDIS.
In Victoria the NDIS is being rolled out by area. People can apply to join the NDIS up to six months before it becomes available where they live. Go to the Victorian page  of the NDIS website to find out more.

Those who are currently receiving disability support services from State Government will be contacted as the NDIS becomes available in their area. Otherwise to join the NDIS, an application must:

• meet residency requirements;
• be for a person aged under 65 at the time they apply to access the NDIS; and
• demonstrate that person has a permanent disability that affects their everyday life.

If you or someone you know would like to become a participant of the NDIS, the first step is for the person or their guardian (including carer or nominee), to complete an Access Request Form. This form can be obtained by contacting NDIA on
1800 800 110.