Free Health Literacy Course

MNCLHD Showcases Leading Better Value Care Initiatives

In March, the Mid North Coast Local Health District (MNCLHD) held a webinar to showcase a range of initiatives providing value-based care to North Coast residents. The case studies presented on the night were: Osteoporosis Refracture Prevention Clinic (Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour) High Risk Foot Service (Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour) The Knee and

Ballina Respiratory Clinic — Casual Staff Openings

Due to increased testing demand in the Ballina and Byron Shires, the Ballina Respiratory Clinic is seeking expressions of interest for staff to undertake casual shifts. Positions are available for: GPs Registered Nurses Admin staff Pathology Collection Officers The clinic provides an essential service supporting our community by assessing and testing people with mild to

General Practices Prepare for Possible Outbreak

With a COVID-19 case now identified in the Northern Rivers, it is timely for general practices to review their COVID-19 patient care and practice management. HealthPathways offers a number of comprehensive pathways to support general practice: COVID-19 Practice Management COVID-19 Initial assessment and management COVID-19 Ongoing Assessment and Management COVID-19 Referrals COVID-19 MBS Items COVID-19

Aged Care COVID-19 Vaccination Update

This week we have received dates for all residential aged care facilities (RACFs) in the region starting on 19 April and finishing mid June. Please check in with your RACF colleagues for dates. 12 RACFs in the region have started their vaccination programs, and at the end of this week 10 will be completed. Clarifying

Mid North Coast GPs Now Receiving Hospital Notifications for COVID-19 Vaccines

As part of the Mid North Coast Local Health District (MNCLHD) Admission and Discharge Notification Pilot (ADN), general practitioners will now start to receive notifications when their patients receive a COVID-19 vaccine from an LHD Covax clinic. The ADN has been running since September 2020. Notifications are being sent to patient-nominated GPs when a patient

Contact Tracing Underway in Byron Bay, Plus New COVID-19 Testing Centres

Queensland Health has advised that two people who have now tested positive to COVID-19 attended a number of venues in the Byron Bay area from Friday 26 March to Sunday 28 March before returning to Queensland. Urgent investigations and contact tracing are underway. Anyone who was in Byron Bay area on the relevant dates is

Phase 1b Vaccination Rollout — Week 1 Wrap Up

General practices, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services and GP-led respiratory clinics have begun vaccinating North Coast residents as the Phase 1b COVID-19 vaccination rollout program got underway this week. People across the region have been eager to learn more and book an appointment with their GP. We know our practices have been inundated with calls.

COVID-19 Vaccines Are Free For Everyone, Including Pre-Vaccine Assessment

The Australian Government is committed to offering every person in Australia access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines at no cost. There are 16 new MBS items now available to assess patient suitability to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Assessments must be bulk billed and patients should not be asked to pay a gap fee. Co-claiming

Receiving COVID-19 Vaccine Deliveries

As general practices commence their COVID-19 vaccinations and severe weather and flooding affect our region, vaccine delivery and rollout logistics continue to be a challenge. This is a friendly reminder of what to check when receiving and accepting COVID-19 vaccine deliveries. Please check the following: Review the box packaging, check for signs of damage or

Updates to Disaster Management HealthPathways

The Disaster Management HealthPathways have been updated to reflect the current flood disaster response. Disaster Management – General Practice Response Updated to include: Emergency information about NSW flood evacuation orders How to access the free Healthy North Coast GP Telehealth service to support people in evacuation centres How to access disaster relief recovery payments for

Immunisation Community of Practice Rolls Out Webinar #2

Healthy North Coast is thrilled to welcome nearly 200 North Coast clinicians who have registered to stay up to date with vaccination news through our Immunisation Community of Practice (CoP). Participants in the CoP will be invited to dial in to monthly webinars — short, informative sessions on a range of different immunisation topics. All sessions will