Month: July 2025

ACCHOs continue to lead the way in managing ARF, RHD, and syphilis in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and are critical in ensuring continuity of care despite supply challenges in benzathine benzylpenicillin. On 24 July Thursday, NSW Health issued a GP Alert due to the ongoing manufacturing shortage for benzathine benzylpenicillin (Bicillin L-A) and the approved S19A alternatives within Australia. 

In response to this shortage, recommendations include conserving the above medications to use for: 

• treatment of ARF;  
• secondary prophylaxis against RHD;  
• treatment of group A streptococcal infections among patients where there are concerns about their adherence to oral antibiotics; and  
• treatment of syphilis in pregnancy.  

There is also a new recommendation that where not contraindicated, oral doxycycline is to be used for the treatment of syphilis in non-pregnant patients and their sexual contacts.

Follow-up of these patients will be required to ensure symptom resolution and serological response as demonstrated by a 4-fold drop in RPR titre within 12 months. Details are outlined in the Australian STI Management Guidelines. Further assistance with managing syphilis in your clinics, is available through the  Sexual Health InfoLink (SHIL) on 1800 451 624, Monday-Friday 9am-7pm. 

If clinics are unable to access benzathine benzylpenicillin for their ARF/RHD patients, refer to the ARF/RHD Guidelines for alternative management options or contact the NSW ARF/RHD Register on (02) 9391 9195 or NSWH-RHD@health.nsw.gov.au 

 

The AH&MRC are still able to provide Covid/Flu Rapid Antigen Tests to member services. If your service is interested, please complete this Request Form. 

We understand that there has been some delay with dispatching from our supplier and we do apologise. However, we’ve been advised that any outstanding orders will be dispatched this week. 

We hope these RATs have been useful in the management of your patients with respiratory symptoms by providing early identification of COVID-19 and FLU.

NSW Health have advised us of the significant increase in orders for Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) through the State Vaccine Centre for our ACCHOs which protects patients with the flu from suffering more severe disease.  

We know this winter has been tough, with a significant burden of respiratory illnesses and acknowledge the ongoing work by services to respond to these challenges to support the health of the community  

Hopefully the warmer months aren’t too far away. In the meantime, keep up the good work and if you need any advice or support don’t hesitate to contact us at publichealth@ahmrc.org,au 

The new Chronic Wounds Consumables Scheme (CWCS) can support ACCHOs in continuing to care for people with diabetes who have a chronic wound and are: 

• A First Nations person aged 50 years or over, or 
• Any person aged 65 years or over. 

Most ACCHOs are already providing wound care to these patients and covering the cost of dressings. Under this new scheme, eligible patients will be able to receive dressings at no cost, helping to reduce the financial burden on services and support ongoing care.  

NB: Patients are not eligible if they receive wound care through any of the following:  

• NDIS; Department of Veterans’ Affairs; Residential aged care homes; Home Care Packages; Public/community wound clinics; Hospitals (post-op or outpatient care) 

Health Professional Eligibility  

To register and use the CWCS portal, health professionals must: 

1. Be one of the following: 

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner 
• Medical Practitioner in primary care setting  
• Registered Nurse or Nurse Practitioner 
• Podiatrist 

2. Complete Best Practice Chronic Wound Care training
3. Have: 

• An individual Provider Digital Access (PRODA) account 
• Access to Health Professional Online Services (HPOS) 
• Linked HPOS to PRODA 
• A valid provider code 

Health professionals who work in a remote area and who do not have internet access can access the scheme via a dedicated CWCS phone line.  

Medicare items can also be claimed for wound care as summarised in this table:  

For further information and resources: 

Go to Chronic Wound Consumables Scheme (CWCS) – eLearning – Health Professional Education Resources – for more information, including steps on how to access the CWCS portal. 

Go to Health Professional Education Resources – if you need help to create a PRODA account or need assistance in using PRODA and HPOS. 

Please reach out to the compliance team cqi@ahmrc.org.au if you need any assistance accessing or using PRODA or HPOS 

The Australasian Diabetes in Pregnancy Society (ADIPS) has released their latest consensus recommendations for the screening, diagnosis and classification of gestational diabetes (GDM), the changes aim to focus care where it is needed the most.

Under the new guidelines, GDM is diagnosed if any one of the following criteria is met during a glucose tolerance test: 

• Fasting plasma glucose (FPG):≥5.3–6.9 mmol/L
• 1-hour plasma glucose (1hPG): ≥10.6 mmol/L
• 2-hour plasma glucose (2hPG): ≥9.0–11.0 mmol/L

All women (without diabetes already detected in the current pregnancy) should be advised to undergo a 75 g two‐hour POGTT at 24–28 weeks’ gestation.

The updated diagnostic criteria aim to better focus care on women and babies at higher risk of complications, while minimising unnecessary interventions for those at lower risk. These changes are also intended to ease the burden on healthcare providers and services. 

Implementation will take place over the coming months. ACCHO midwives, AHPs, and GPs are encouraged to review the changes, so they can provide the latest advice to pregnant women in their care.

FAQs:

• For Health Professionals
• For Patients