Author: Ashleigh Brissett
BreastScreen NSW mobile vans on tour
BreastScreen NSW mobile vans are visiting over 200 locations across NSW, bringing this important service to women in their communities. 🚌
Find out when a van is coming your way – visit the link here or call 13 20 50.
View the breast screening for Aboriginal women factsheet.
Make time to stay healthy poster.
Public Consultation: Updated Australian ACS Guideline Draft
Public consultation for the updated draft of the Australian clinical guideline for diagnosing and managing acute coronary syndromes (ACS) is now open!
The National Heart Foundation of Australia and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand invite you to provide your feedback on the updated draft of the Australian clinical guideline for diagnosing and managing acute coronary syndromes (ACS). The guideline provides evidence-based recommendations for health professionals on screening, preventing, diagnosing, and managing ACS.
Public consultation is an important part of the guideline development process and can improve a guideline’s quality, legitimacy and its acceptability to end users and the public. To ensure the guideline is of the highest quality, and meets the needs of both health professionals and people with ACS, we encourage health organisations, health professionals, and the broader community to provide feedback.
Click here to access the guideline and provide feedback.
The guideline public consultation period will be open from Friday 27 September 2024 to Monday 28 October 2024. There will be no extensions beyond this timeframe.
If you have any technical difficulties providing your feedback, please contact ACSpublicconsultation@heartfoundation.org.au (please note that we will not be responding to any feedback on the draft guideline through this email).
New Interactive Healthy Homes Factsheets
The Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet has produced a suite of new interactive resources for Environmental Health Practitioners and clinicians to use with their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients and clients.
The My healthy home: home health factsheet series aims to provide simple, clear actions to take in each room of the home to prevent illness and the spread of disease. The factsheets were developed in consultation with Nirrumbuk Environmental Health and Services and with guidance from the Expert Reference Panel for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Environmental Health (ERPATSIEH).
The factsheets take a strengths-based approach by outlining some of the issues in the home environment that can affect health and providing practical advice to prevent illness. They use plain language and icons for accessibility and can be downloaded as separate room-based factsheets, or all together as a ‘workbook’, which also includes some simple instructions for making cleaning products at home.
The interactive factsheet PDFs can be used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people on their computers or printed out and stuck on the fridge for easy access to information that will help users keep their homes and their families healthy. Users can fill out the details of their local environmental health services on the back of each factsheet, and they are encouraged to contact these services for a variety of home health issues listed on the back page of each factsheet.
Click here to view the My healthy home: home health factsheet series.
Call to action: sign the petition to build a healthier future for rural Australia
The National Rural Health Alliance has submitted a petition to the Australian Parliament calling for a 10-year National Rural Health Strategy including a schedule to the next National Health Reform Agreement embedding rural and remote policy and funded priorities for action.
Nearly 30 percent of Australians living and working outside of cities are being denied the basic human right to health and are dying younger than their urban counterparts. Rural Australians bring in two-thirds of Australia’s export earnings, 50 per cent of tourism income and produce over 90 per cent of Australia’s food. Yet, each year governments spend $848 less on the health of a person living rurally than someone who lives in the city.
The Alliance underscores that rural health has been neglected in policy, budgets and priority settings for too long and that Commonwealth and State investments are neither coordinated nor sustained.
We call on all Australians to help build a healthier future for rural Australia by signing the petition.
Seeking Aboriginal Community Controlled Health sector experiences for research into current use of the Blue Book
NSW Health are developing a digital version of the child personal health record known as the Blue Book, which will allow families who are caring for children aged 0-5 years to use the Blue Book on a computer or mobile device. On behalf of NSW Health, the Design Team at eHealth NSW are undertaking research with health care providers, parents and carers to find out more about how and when they use (and don’t use) the Blue Book, and how a digital option might work for them. The research will involve interviews and workshops with a range of stakeholders.
They will use this information to develop a document that describes the current use and pain points for the Blue Book, and the potential value of a digital solution. The project team will also use the information to guide future engagements as they move into the design and configuration stage of the project.
What we are asking from you:
We are particularly looking to fill gaps in previous research and are seeking your assistance to identify an ACCHO clinicians who works with the families of children aged 0-5 years, to participate in a one hour virtual interview at a mutually convenient time.
Find out more details about what is involved.
Work shouldn’t hurt: new resources to prevent strains and sprains
SafeWork NSW has a new webinar series to help NSW businesses prevent musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), the most common work-related injuries and illnesses.
Also known as sprains and strains, MSDs make up more than half of all serious workers’ compensation claims in NSW. Every day 63 workers suffer a serious MSD.
Watch the three-part webinar series to learn more about preventing musculoskeletal disorders in your workplace.
Webinar 1: Understanding musculoskeletal disorders
In this webinar we cover the fundamentals of musculoskeletal disorders.
You’ll learn about:
- what MSDs are
- common causes and the main factors leading to MSDs
- the impact of MSDs on workers and businesses.
Watch the Understanding musculoskeletal disorders webinar
Webinar 2: Legal duties to consider when managing musculoskeletal disorder risks
In this webinar we cover the work health and safety laws to consider when managing the risk of MSDs in the workplace.
You’ll learn about:
- work health and safety law to manage the risk of MSDs
- legal obligations for employers and workers.
Watch the Legal duties to consider when managing musculoskeletal disorder risks webinar
Webinar 3: Managing the risk of musculoskeletal disorders
In this webinar we cover how to manage MSD risks in the workplace using a systematic approach, including the risk management process.
You’ll learn about:
- how to manage the risk of MSDs in your workplace
- practical ways to identify and control MSD risks.
Watch the Managing the risk of musculoskeletal disorders webinar
Upcoming Webinars
Navigating Mpox and Doxy-PEP- RACGP Webinar
Date: Monday 30 September
Time: 7:30- 8:30PM AEST
As Mpox cases continue to increase, the RACGP is holding a webinar on Navigating Mpox and Doxy-PEP in your practice. This session will cover the current epidemiology, clinical management and the latest on vaccination recommendations, post-exposure preventive measures and contact tracing.
It will also explore the role of doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis (doxy-PEP) in reducing bacterial sexual health infections (STIs) and its implications for antimicrobial resistance.
This one-hour webinar is open to all ACCHO staff who want to stay informed on Mpox and learn effective strategies for managing STIs in their practice.
To register or find out more, please click here.
Eye Health 2024 Webinar
Date: Wednesday 9th October
Time: 1:00pm – 2:00pm
NACCHOs Maternal and Child Health team are supporting the Eye Health and Children Webinar.
QUT experts Dr. Shelley Hopkins, Optometrist and Dr. Ann Webber, Clinical Educator – Paediatric Optometrist will look at:
- Vision tests for children in the maternal child health and 715 health checks
- Practical tips for performing these tests on infants and young children
- An overview of various school vision screening programs
Register for the event here .
Helping Mob Live Healthy and Prevent Cancer- NSW Health Webinar
Date: Tuesday 22 October
Time: 12:00PM – 1:00PM AEST
The Cancer Institute NSW is holding a practical Lunch & Learn session on using the Helping Mob Live Healthy and Prevent Cancer Toolkit, specially designed for people working in Aboriginal health.
This session will help build confidence and expertise to better educate our communities about:
- Cancer screening programs
- Healthy living
- Quitting smoking
- Accessing support services
This one-hour webinar is open to all ACCHO staff who are interested in learning how to make healthy living and cancer prevention a part of our everyday conversations with our communities.
To register or find out more about the webinar, click here.
A hard copy printed pack of Toolkit resources is available as part of registration!
A Look Back at Winter Immunisation Efforts 2024
As the winter season ends, it is time to reflect on the remarkable efforts of our member services in providing immunisations to build the community’s immunity for winter in 2024. We hope that each of you successfully implemented initiatives that worked well in your communities.
This year, we were able to assist 18 member services providing grant funding to enhance their immunisation programs. We aim to continually seek ongoing opportunities to support your organisations and to explore how we can further assist your efforts.
According to NCIRS reports, there have been noticeable and consistent improvements in vaccination uptake among Aboriginal communities across all age groups. However, the reported data often fails to capture the tremendous contributions that ACCHS continues to make for our communities.
Whether or not you received a specific grant, we would love to hear about the immunisation activities and the innovative strategies that worked best in your area. We are also keen to hear about the barriers you encountered, and suggestions on how AH&MRC can provide support.
If you like to share your story, please email us at publichealth@ahmrc.org.au. Alternatively, you can complete the short survey through the link below:
Immunisation Activities – 2024 Winter Season
The survey was created for grant recipients however we are happy for ACCHS to complete the survey to share your experience and feedback any suggestions as to how we may be able to help your ongoing immunisation efforts.
Exciting Developments in the National Lung Cancer Screening Program (NLCSP)
In a significant stride towards combating lung cancer, the upcoming National Lung Cancer Screening Program (NLCSP) is set to launch in July 2025.
This initiative was the main topic at the recent monthly AH&MRC Updates meeting, where NSW ACCHOs had the opportunity to hear from guest presenters from Heart of Australia and NACCHO about the program’s rollout.
Mobile CT Scanners on the Move
Heart of Australia shared updates on the proposed sites for mobile CT scanners, which will play a crucial role in the NLCSP. They detailed the screening route planning and engagement activities, describing the equity lens they are trying to apply to determine these sites. This approach is aimed at ensuring the screening services reach communities most in need.
Valuable Insights from ACCHO Leaders
A big thank you goes out to the ACCHO CEOs who attended the consultation meeting. Your feedback given to the presenters and the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care who were also in attendance, is instrumental in shaping the decisions regarding the mobile screening sites in NSW.
Eligibility for the NLCSP
The rollout of the NLCSP will involve engaging with NSW ACCHOs to discuss smoking and vaping behaviours being seen in your communities. These are key factors in determining eligibility for lung cancer screening. To better understand these behaviours, the AH&MRC’s Public Health Team is developing a survey to assess the impact of recent vaping legislation changes on community smoking and vaping habits. Stay tuned for more updates!
Addressing Training and Resource Gaps
The AH&MRC Member Engagement team is also conducting a gap analysis to identify training and resource needs related to smoking and vaping cessation among healthcare workers in ACCHOs. AH&MRC aims to ensure that our member services workforce have access to the training they need to support the community through the rollout of the NLCSP. For further information, please see “What do ACCHOs need to support community members on their QUIT journey?”
Further Opportunity for Input from NSW ACCHOs
NACCHO is seeking input from ACCHOs on resources being developed for the NLCSP and broader cancer screening discussions. If you have insights or wish to discuss further, please reach out to Sarah.McDermott@naccho.org.au.
