Bowel Cancer Screening
Bowel cancer screening saves lives. It is the best way of detecting bowel cancer early, because the disease often develops without symptoms.
As a healthcare professional, you play a critical role in encouraging patients to take part in screening!
GPs influence their patients, can identify why they aren’t screening, and encourage them to do the test. Once people start screening, 80% will re-screen when they’re next invited.
Read more about how to help patients overcome barriers to bowel screening in the following resource:
For more information, visit the Cancer Council website
2023 Awareness Days Calendar
We’ve put together an awareness days calendar to highlight important days and events which you may wish to celebrate or participate in within your Practice.
You can download the calendar for January to June below:
Clinical Guidelines:
https://wiki.cancer.org.au/australia/Guidelines:Melanoma
Skin Cancer Guidelines:
https://www.cancer.org.au/health-professionals/clinical-practice-guidelines/skin-cancer
Education:
https://melanoma.org.au/for-clinicians/melanoma-education-portal/
Clinical Trials:
https://melanoma.org.au/research/clinical-trials/
Risk Calculators:
https://melanoma.org.au/for-clinicians/risk-calculators/
Patient Resources:
Melanoma Institute Guides: https://melanoma.org.au/for-clinicians/resources-for-patients/
Cancer Council fact sheets: https://www.cancercouncil.com.au/melanoma/
- Rape and Domestic Violence Services Australia
- Australian Medical Association Family Violence Toolkit for GPs
- Royal Australian Council of General Practice (RACGP) Clinical Practice Guidelines on Family and Intimate Partner Violence
- Violence Abuse and Neglect Services in the Far West Local Health District
- Far West Local Health District Child Protection Counselling Service
- Far West Local Health District Sexual Assault and Domestic Family Violence Service
- Far West Local Health District New Street Information Brochure
- Far West Local Health District New Street Information for Referrers
- Far West Local Health District Sexual Assault & Domestic Violence Service Referral Form
- Immunisation – Australian Government Department of Health
- Free Catch up vaccinations for people with medical risk factors, refugees and humanitarian entrants (all ages)
- National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS)
- NSW Health Immunisation Programs
- School-based human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for children aged 12 to 13
Australian Immunisation Handbook
National Immunisation Catch-up Calculator
The National Immunisation Catch-up Calculator (NICC) is now available and is based on the Australian National Immunisation Program (NIP) recommendations for Australian immunisation schedules.
The Calculator does not provide recommendations for individuals with Medical at Risk conditions where additional boosters may be recommended.
Users should always exercise their own independent skill or judgment or seek additional professional advice before relying on the information provided for clinical decision making.
The Calculator can be accessed via the Australian Immunisation Handbook website.
- National Vaccine Storage Guidelines: Strive for 5
- NSW Health Cold Chain Toolkit
- Vaccine Storage and Cold Chain Management
- Vaccine Storage and Cold Chain Management Policy
- Quality Auditing Reporting System (QARS)
- Vaccine Cooler Temperature Chart
- How to order vaccines online
- Receiving a vaccine delivery
Cold Chain Breach
- Isolate / quarantine vaccines – keep refrigerated and do not use
- Contact your local public health unit (PHU) on 1300 066 055
- Complete the Cold Chain Breach Reporting Form and email to PHU; include data logger readings and the chart of min/max monitoring (am & pm).
National Immunisation Program for all Indigenous people (NIP – funded vaccines) from 1 July 2020
ATAGI clinical advice on changes to vaccine recommendations and funding for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from 1 July 2020 (attached). Changes relate to:
- Meningococcal B (Men B) vaccine (Bexsero®)
- Meningococcal ACWY (MenACWY) vaccine (Nimenrix®)
- 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (13vPCV, Prevenar 13®)
- 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (23vPPV, Pneumovax 23®)
PRODA AIR
- Australian immunisation register (AIR)
- AIR vaccination provider transition from authentication file to PRODA
- Sample Medicare provider call to action letter
- PRODA education for health professionals eLearning program
- AIR education for vaccination providers
- Enhancing data quality of vaccination encounters recorded in practice software and on AIR
Resources
- Managing anaphylaxis
- Avoiding shoulder injury related to vaccine administration
- Common side effects following immunisation for NIP Vaccines
- Save the Date to vaccinate app
- Questions about vaccination – answers to many common questions
- Australian Academy of Science 2016, The science of immunisation/Questions & Answers
Emergency Preparedness
- NSW Health 2020 Infectious disease alerts
- RACGP Practice Management – Emergencies and Pandemics fact sheets
- NSW Health Seasonal Influenza
- Pandemic Influenza Department of Health
Immunisation Education and CPD online modules
- HETI Vaccine Storage and Cold Chain Management online training module (certificate)
- NCIRS Sharing Knowledge About Immunisation (SKAI) e-learning module
- NCIRS for health professionals including Seminar / Webinar Series
- RACGP webinars
- The Australian Academy of Science – videos
- PRODA education for health professionals eLearning program
- AIR education for vaccination providers
- APNA Immunisation in the General Practice Setting (free for members)
- Online courses for immunisation service providers – Queensland Health
- Australian College of Nursing: Immunisation for Health Practitioners
- APNA An Orientation for Nurses New to General Practice (free for members)
Q Fever
- The Australian Immunisation Handbook Q Fever
- ACRRM GP Q fever online module
- The Australian Q Fever Register
Yellow Fever
- Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine
- ACRRM GP Yellow fever vaccination course online module
- Department of Health
- National Guidelines for Yellow Fever Vaccination Centres and Providers
- NSW Health Update for yellow fever vaccination centres and providers
Tuberculosis
PIP Quality Improvement Measures
PEN CS Training Guide:
https://www.pencs.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Pen-CS-PIP-QI-Training-Guide-2019-1.pdf
To be eligible to receive a PIP QI payment general practices must:
- be eligible to claim PIPs – be accredited or registered for accreditation
- register for the PIP QI Incentive through Health Professional Online Services (HPOS) from 1 August 2019
- electronically submit data to Western NSW Primary Health Network – WNSW PHN has elected to use PEN CAT tool for practices to submit data
- undertake continuous quality improvement activities in partnership with WNSW PHN
Improvement Measures – Influenza Immunisation PEN CS Recipes
- Proportion of patients aged 65 and over who were immunised against influenza
- Proportion of patients with diabetes who were immunised against influenza
- Proportion of patients with COPD who were immunised against influenza
PEN CS Webinars
- Rural Youth Mental Health service information and referral form
- Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)
- Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association (APNA)
- Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia
- Practice Nurse Incentive Program (PNIP)
- NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association
- Australian College of Nursing
- Medicare – Department of Human Services
- Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) Online
- Keep Them Safe – A Shared Approach to Child Wellbeing
- Australian Association of Practice Management (AAPM)