Hospital Discharge Summaries, More Important Than Ever

The current COVID-19 situation is placing enormous pressure on global health systems. Now more than ever, strong communication processes that help to optimise continuity of care and information flows within the health system are critical. While it may not be the single solution to all our communication improvement needs, the Service Registration Assistant (SRA) platform

HealthPathways: An Essential Tool

By Dr Renee Strazzari We hear often that the COVID-19 pandemic and its global impact is unprecedented. It’s true that fundamentally COVID-19 has changed the whole health care ballgame and with so many changes it can be hard to keep up. That’s why I strongly encourage healthcare professionals to take advantage of the Mid and

Recruitment Opportunities for Casual Workforce to Boost COVID-19 Response

The Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSLWHD) is bolstering its workforce in response to COVID-19. A range of casual positions are now being advertised for nurses, allied health professionals, security, cleaners and wardsperson roles. NNSLWHD Chief Executive Wayne Jones said the district is encouraging anyone who has experience to come forward and apply. “We have

Revised Case Definition

On 7 April, the NSW case definition was revised. Key changes include: NSW specific testing criteria has been revised to clarify testing for patients who self-identify as Aboriginal and have fever or respiratory symptoms, instead of only those who live in remote Aboriginal communities. High risk setting epidemiological criteria revised to clarify that in certain

COVID-19 and Employment Law

PwC Australia has prepared material for Primary Health Networks to offer to general practices. This information pack summarises employment law in the context of COVID-19. It gives a clear and succinct summary of your responsibilities when it comes to things like standing employees down or directing them to take leave. This may be helpful as

COVID-19 Business Planning Webinar

Our generous colleagues from the Murrumbidgee PHN, along with Medical Business Services‘ Riwka Hagen and Kim Poyner of Medicoach, have kindly agreed to share a segment of a longer webinar they held with GPs in Murrumbidgee last week. Riwka, an experienced practice manager and practice coach, goes through each of the forms of financial support and

Byron and Port Macquarie GPs and Pathologists Advised to Lower Testing Threshold

UPDATE 16/4: Port Macquarie has now been removed as an area for increased testing and surveillance. ORIGINAL STORY 7/4: The Public Health Unit has determined that Byron Bay and Port Macquarie are areas of interest with regards to COVID-19. While community transmission has not yet been confirmed, there are some cases with an unidentified link

Out of Hours On-Call Nursing Service for Acute Oncology Patients

A triage clinic has been set up to assist Mid North Coast Cancer Institute patients (medical oncology, haematology and radiation oncology) in their care during the COVID-19 pandemic. This will help to expedite care and avoid any possible emergency department presentations. The clinic is for any issues and side effects relating to treatment. Hours of

Pulmonary Physiotherapy Risks

The NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation has prepared advice regarding physiotherapy interventions that generate aerosolised droplets. These interventions should only be considered during the pandemic if they are deemed essential and all infection control guidelines can be met. Download a flyer for more information. Visit our COVID-19 page for the latest information.

How to Prepare for and Implement Telehealth: Critical Success Factors for Clinicians

The COVID-19 pandemic has meant that we have had to step away from ‘business as usual’ in primary care and find alternative ways to share information and communicate. In this webinar, Australian GP Dr Amandeep Hansra and UK GP Dr David Triska will share their experiences of implementing telehealth (phone, online and video consultations) and

Webinar for Mental Health Practitioners

The next COVID-19 Response Update for Mental Health Practitioners is scheduled for tomorrow (Wednesday 8 April) from 11:00 to 11:30 am. Presented by: Professor Michael Kidd AM, Principal Medical Advisor – Department of Health Christine Morgan, CEO – National Mental Health Commission Mark Roddam, First Assistant Secretary of the Mental Health Division – Department of

New Video With Dr Peter Silberberg

At a time when people are seeking trustworthy information, factual advice from local GPs is invaluable. Dr Peter Silberberg from Lennox Head sat down with us to answer more COVID-19 questions in our latest community video. Thank you, Dr Silberberg, for helping us to keep the public informed. Check out the video below, or download