Australian Capital Territory COVID-19 updates

• Public health contact: 
  ACT Health Communicable Disease Control (CDC) Section, can be contacted (02) 5124 9213 during business hours, or 0409 185 412 after hours. There is no requirement to notify CDC of patients who are undergoing COVID-19 testing. However, clinicians are welcome to discuss any case with CDC at any time.
• ACT Health key links:
  • Current testing criteria
  • Latest updates
  • Respiratory clinics
• Serious Shortage Medicine Substitution Notices – ACT
  Therapeutic Goods Administration has published a Serious Shortage Substitution Notices (SSSN) as well as a web statement regarding the shortage of Estradot (estradiol) patches.
  This Notice is automatically adopted in the ACT for the duration of the public health emergency, to enable substitution by pharmacists in accordance with the Notice. Options are also being considered for the ACT to adopt the TGA SSSN scheme in the longer term. Information about the ACT’s adoption of the TGA SSSN scheme can be found on the ACT Health website.
• Updated alert from the ACT Chief Health Officer regarding interstate COVID-19 outbreaks – 20 August 2020
  Key points:
  • There is sustained community transmission of COVID-19 in Victoria. In addition, several public locations in New South Wales, predominantly in Sydney, have recently been linked to COVID-19 cases.
  • Anyone (other than ACT residents) travelling into the ACT from Victoria will be denied entry unless they are granted an exemption. Anyone entering the ACT from Victoria must quarantine until 14 days after leaving Victoria.
  • Anyone who has been in Greater Sydney in the last 14 days should not visit or work in a high-risk setting for 14 days after leaving these areas.
  Read full advice.
• PBS changes from 1 August 2020:
  • Non-small cell lung cancer
  • Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis 
• Updated public health advice for high-risk settings and health professionals regarding interstate COVID-19 outbreaks
  The advice update suggest that people who have been in Greeted Sydney and Newcastle in the last 14 days should not visit or work in a high-risk setting for 14 days after leaving these areas. Read more.
• Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) has released a revised Statement on recommendations for managing health risk as COVID-19 measures lift – 9 July 2020
• Key information for general practitioners:
  • The statement presents an approach to assessing and managing an individual’s risk of developing severe COVID-19 illness should they contract the disease. It can be accessed on the AHPPC page of the Australian Government Department of Health website.
  • The statement is accompanied by a guide for general practitioners to inform discussions with patients around individual risk related to COVID-19 as the pandemic evolves.
  • The AHPPC has also published the following resources:
    • A template to assist individuals to develop a COVID-19 action plan, which can be used in conjunction with the guide for general practitioners when discussing COVID-19 related health risk with patients.
    • A tool to help people make COVIDsafe decisions about work, transport, and social activities in the COVID-19 pandemic (Living well in the COVID-19 pandemic).
• Updated information from the ACT Chief Health Officer regarding COVID-19 – 15 June 2020
• ACT Health released two updates on 15 June 2020:
  • COVID-19: Updated Information for GPs and Community Health Practitioners.
  • Information for someone who is being tested for COVID-19.
• Updates to the ACT Controlled Medicines Prescribing Standards
  The Prescribing Standards establish conditions and criteria under which a prescriber may be approved to prescribe a controlled medicine in the ACT under the Medicines, Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Regulation 2008. Read more.
• Shortage of metformin modified-release 500 mg
  The TGA has published its first Serious Shortage Medicines Substitution Notice for metformin modified release tablets. Read more.
• Preparing in case of medicines shortages
  ACT Chief Health Officer’s has made a decision to adopt the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s protocol for medicines shortages during the COVID-19 emergency. Read the letter to practitioners and ACT CHO standing order.
• Telehealth Prescribing – ACT
  Electronic prescriptions are enabled by ACT legislation. To find out more read information for prescribers and pharmacists or FAQs page.
• MASK order forms
  MASKS are available via your local PHN. Apply here.

 

Join the RACGP NSW&ACT Facebook group to chat with your colleagues and stay up to date.

Upcoming webinars

• TBA

View previous webinars

• ACT Health and Capital Health Network COVID 19 Management in Primary Care update webinar – Recorded Tuesday 26 May 2020
• ACT Health and Capital Health Network COVID 19 Management in Primary Care – Recorded 8 April 2020
• ACT Health and Capital Health Network hosted a COVID-19 Primary Care Update webinar – Recorded 4 March 2020

Podcasts

RACGP has an ongoing series of COVID-19 podcasts to assist you to keep up to date. Most of them are 5–10 minutes long,  you can listen to them anytime. Whilst those podcasts are NSW focused much of the information will be applicable in ACT.

Practice THAT! is the RACGP NSW&ACT series of podcasts developed to support practice managers in their support of general practitioners. Each Practice THAT! episode provides Practice Managers with expert information and practical advice. Latest episodes:

• PRODA and HPOS #2 with Penny Taylor – Recorded 03 September 2020
• PRODA and HPOS with Penny Taylor – Uploaded 4 September 2020
• Disaster management with Jodie Meaker – Recorded 31 August 2020
• PEP with Dr Rebecca Stewart – Recorded 28 August 2020

View all Practice THAT podcasts

Just a GP explores the layered complexities of General Practice through topical discussions about leadership, quality in clinical practice, self-care and wellbeing and GP research. Latest episodes:

• Pioneering paradigm shifts with passion with Dr Pamela Douglas – Uploaded 21 September 2020
• Enhancing financial health & bringing avatars into the business of GP with Dr Todd Cameron – Uploaded 26 August 2020
• Empowering women with contraception choices with Professor Danielle Mazza – Uploaded 30 July 2020
• A living library of resources with Dr Louise Stone – Uploaded 24 July 2020
• Merging niche interests, writing fantasy novels and preventing burnout with Dr Chris Timms – Uploaded 17 July 2020

View all Just a GP podcasts

Articles

• Financial assistance for practices
• BMJ article – Video consultations for COVID-19 – Published 12 March 2020

RACGP NSW&ACT

Phone: (02) 9886 4700 

Email: nswact.faculty@racgp.org.au

Join the RACGP NSW&ACT Facebook group to chat with your colleagues and stay up to date

 

ANU Quick COVID Clinician Survey Summary  – Series 8
ANU conducts a series of survey on regular basis on COVID. Series 8 focused on impacts of COVID-19 and associated public health measures for vulnerable patients. To view all previous reports, please visit ANU website. To participate in series 9, which will focus on identifying missed care opportunities and potential impacts of missed care for patients, please take the survey. The survey is live until 11.00 pm on Thursday 24 September 2020.

ACT Free Wellbeing Calls Service – uploaded 9 September 2020
A new service available to Canberra-based patients who would benefit from check-in or wellbeing calls from a friendly Red Cross volunteer. Calls are available in various languages and are an important way to help people maintain connection and wellbeing, especially during COVID-19. Patients can contact the services on (02) 6234 7630 between 8.00 am – 4.00 pm Monday – Friday. Read more.

TGA update
TGA has published two Serious Shortage Substitution Notices as well as a web statement regarding ongoing shortages of medicines containing olmesartan or prazosin as the sole active ingredient.

Electronic Prescriptions – meeting the needs of patients in the ACT
The Pharmacy Guild of Australia ACT Branch is working with the RACGP and the Australian Digital Health Agency to ensure that community pharmacies in the ACT are established as a community of interest in this early testing phase of electronic prescriptions. Read more.

Free online courses on communicating COVID-19
The University of Melbourne have developed an online course with the Doherty Institute on COVID-19. It is delivered via a series of eight tutorials with the first one available online now. It is FREE and whilst primarily designed for clinicians in primary care and hospital-based settings, it also has a broader secondary audience of pharmacists, nursing and allied health staff, aged care workers, and disability care workers. Enrol here.

Winnunga Health Service
Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Services has collected the most important information about COVID-19 for their clients on their website. 

PIP information
Temporary increases to incentive payments for general practices due to COVID-19 are available. These incentive payments will increase support for bulk billed services and ensure patients keep access to essential face-to-face care. Find out more.