Mandatory reporting changes: New resources available
Amendments to the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law are expected to start in March 2020 and will apply to all states and territories, except Western Australia.
The amendments will change the reporting obligations for treating practitioners by establishing a higher risk threshold to report impairment, intoxication or practice that significantly departs from accepted standards. These changes aim to give practitioners confidence to seek help for health conditions if they need it.
The RACGP has worked with Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) to develop new guidelines, which provide information about how to meet mandatory notifications requirements.
These, and other supporting resources, are available on the AHPRA website.
PageAssist now available on the GPMHSC website
The General Practice Mental Health Standards Collaboration (GPMHSC) website has a new tool that allows online users to better isolate and see menu items for better navigation.
PageAssist gives visitors the opportunity to modify the way they access online content, helping to make it a more user-friendly experience. The page was designed to assist with accessibility issues some people in the community face while navigating websites. These include people with disability, people with poor eyesight and the elderly.
You can access PageAssist by visiting the GPMHSC website. Click on the ‘Monsido’ icon located on the bottom right of the webpage to get started.
RACGP Practice essentials webinar series – My Health Record: an update webinar
My Health Record, Australia's shared electronic health record system, moved to an opt-out model in January 2019. This resulted in every Australian known to Medicare or the Department of Veterans Affairs having a My Health Record created unless they opted out.
Join us, one year on, as we provide an overview and update on the system, discuss the impact of the transition to an opt-out model, system changes that have occurred since the transition, and what your practice needs to consider if participating in My Health Record.
Two sessions are available in February:
- Wednesday 26 February, 8.30–9.30 pm AEDT
- Thursday 27 February, 1.00–2.00 pm AEDT
Visit the RACGP website to register and view previous webinar recordings. This education is a CPD-accredited activity worth two points under the RACGP CPD Program.
Medical Research Future Fund: Expressions of interest now open
The Federal Department of Health is seeking interest from a range of stakeholders to assist with grant review and assessment processes for a number of 2019–20 Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) grant opportunities administered by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).
MRFF grant assessments have a strong focus on impact and value, with a particular focus on collaborative and translational research. It utilises grant assessment processes that embrace diverse perspectives, including alternative disciplines, industry, healthcare and consumer experience.
The Department of Health is interested in hearing from RACGP members with translation, implementation, and a health and medical consumer focus, who can demonstrate experience and/or expertise in the following areas:
- Translation of research into clinical practice
- Commercialisation of health research
- Transdisciplinary research, eg collaboration and/or engagement between researchers, consumers, patient groups, those involved in health service delivery and industry
- International research projects, including clinical trials
It is not essential to have a research qualification to contribute to MRFF grant assessment.
Interested members can register their details on the NHMRC website.
‘Get the Facts’ – launch of the 2020 Childhood Immunisation Education Campaign
The Department of Health has launched the next phase of the Childhood Immunisation Education Campaign — ‘Get the Facts’ — to encourage Australian parents and carers to get their kids vaccinated.
The campaign focuses on:
- the importance of vaccinating on time
- the protection vaccination provides
- addressing concerns around vaccine safety.
National and state childhood immunisation coverage rates are close to the 95% target for children at five years of age; however, there are still areas with lower coverage and some children are receiving their vaccinations later than recommended.
The eight-week campaign will run nationally on television for the first time, supported by a range of online channels.
You can download posters, brochures and videos from the Childhood Immunisation Education Campaign website.