Message from the CEO
Scanning the outcomes of the AIHW’s latest report on potentially preventable hospitalisations (PPHs) shows that the health gap may have widened for people living in remote areas and areas of socioeconomic disadvantage (for an overview, take a look at this fact sheet). Heart failure, COPD and type 2 diabetes accounted for half of PPHs for chronic conditions. Clearly, the current policies and programs in place to improve health care in the community are not effective for Australia’s most disadvantaged.
Identifying reasons for this lack of progress is less clear however. PPHs are often used as a measure of the effectiveness of health care in the community, where higher rates may suggest a lack of timely, accessible primary health care. But PPHs may tell us more about hospital processes than the availability of healthcare in the community, since the report indicates that changes to hospital coding standards and clinical practices, and differences in admission policies, can artificially affect rates of PPH for some conditions.
The report also points to sociodemographic factors, health and behavioural characteristics as better indicators of geographic variation in PPHs than access to primary care practitioners (For further details, see the full report). Note however that the scientific papers used to verify this statement define primary care providers as GPs. This shouldn’t surprise us, and highlights that allied health professionals continue to be largely ignored in primary health care.
To our regular readers, identifying solutions takes us down a well-trodden path. There is a wealth of evidence to support the effectiveness of allied health interventions in the management of chronic disease (see SARRAH’s report on the economic impact of allied health interventions as an example). Undertaking a broad sweep of the available data to identify where allied health services exist would appear to make good economic sense. To do this will require a synthesis of information from a number of sources, including MBS items, non-admitted patient data from hospital services, NDIS service data, private health insurance and workers compensation data. Even so, this information will not shed light on unmet need, and specifically the needs of our most vulnerable populations.
Nonetheless, knowing who is at greatest risk of a PPH may assist with the allocation of resources across the health and social services sectors in order to reduce the increasing burden on individuals and hospitals. The health system must do things differently to improve the health outcomes for disadvantaged groups, because to do more of the same risks the health gap widening further.
Have a great weekend,
Cath
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Revised Mandatory Notifications Guidelines
On Friday 7 February, the National Boards and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) published advanced copies of the revised Guidelines: Mandatory notifications about registered health practitioners and Guidelines: Mandatory notifications about registered students to provide information about how to meet mandatory notification requirements.
The guidelines aim to help practitioners, employers and education providers understand who must make a mandatory notification about a registered health practitioner or registered student and when. It is expected to commence in early March 2020.
The amendments changed the reporting obligations for treating practitioners by establishing a new, higher risk threshold for treating practitioners to report impairment, intoxication or practice that significantly departs from accepted standards. This further limits the circumstances for treating practitioners to make mandatory notifications. These changes aim to give practitioners confidence to seek help for health conditions if they need it, while continuing to prevent the risk of harm to the public.
As there are only limited circumstances when a mandatory notification can be made about a student, separate guidelines for notifications about students and practitioners have been developed.
More information can be found here.
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Other News
1 in 15 hospitalisations could be prevented through early health interventions. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has released a report outlining your likelihood of having a preventable hospitalisation varies by where you live, and your individual circumstances. The report, Disparities in potentially preventable hospitalisations across Australia 2012-13 to 2017-18, shows that 748,000 (1 in 15 or 6.6%) hospital admissions were classified as potentially preventable in 2017-18. Nationally, the rate of potentially preventable hospitalisations in 2017-18 was around 2,800 per 100,000 people. Rates were highest in the Northern Territory (around 5,800 per 100,000), and lowest in the Australian Capital Territory (around 2,150 per 100,000).
10 -16 February is Smart Eating Week and dietitians across the country will be hosting a range of initiatives, encouraging and equipping their communities with the skills to make healthier food choices. Accredited Practising Dietitians (APDs) solidify themselves as the go-to health professionals in nutrition. Smart Eating Week is all about building healthier communities, through better health choices. With APDs running a range of events across the country, myth busting food labels to help Australians become supermarket superstars, is a focus for the week.
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SARRAH Webinars 2020
SARRAH is excited to announce a series of engaging webinars for March, April and May. All SARRAH members have access to free tickets to the webinar as a part of their membership perks (contact sarrah@sarrah.org.au for the promo codes).
Allied Health Rural Generalist Pathway - Service Outcomes and Learnings from Teams in QLD, NSW and TAS
Thursday 19 March 12pm (AEST)
The Allied Health Rural Generalist Pathway is an integrated service, workforce and training initiative that has been implemented by a range of health services across Australia. The goal of implementing the pathway is to improve health outcomes for rural and remote consumers through increasing access to a highly skilled allied health workforce and enhancing opportunities for multi-disciplinary care in rural healthcare teams. This webinar will include a series of short presentations from rural generalist trainees who have recently completed a stage of the pathway in their organisation. Trainees will discuss their experiences of the rural generalist pathway and present the outcomes of service development projects undertaken as part of their training. Further information about the Webinar can be found on this flyer.
Tickets to access this free Webinar can be found here.
The Fragile Forgotten - The Experience of Providing and Receiving Services Under the NDIS in Rural Australia
Dr Luke Wakely
Tuesday 7 April 12pm (AEST)
Dr Luke Wakely is a senior lecturer in physiotherapy at the University of Newcastle Department of Rural Health. As an APA titled paediatric physiotherapist with 20 years of clinical experience in rural Australia, he is passionate about addressing health inequity for rural communities in particular children and their families. His research focuses on the parenting of children with health issues or disability and the particular needs of rural families. Further information about the Webinar can be found on this flyer.
Tickets to access this Webinar can be found here.
Investigating Successful Rural and Remote Health Workforce Retention Improvement Approaches in Canada and Other Far-Northern Countries Targeting Social Connection and Belonging of Newcomer Health Professionals and Grow-Your-Own Workforce Strategies: Findings From My 2019 Churchill Fellowship Trip
Dr Cath Cosgrave
Thursday 14 May 6:30pm (AEST)
Dr Cosgrave is a social scientist with internationally recognised expertise in rural health workforce (recruitment and retention). Her research specialisation is rural health workforce recruitment and retention of nursing and allied health professionals; sub-specialisations include early-career and health professionals from non-rural backgrounds. In 2018, Dr Cosgrave was awarded a Churchill Fellowship, to visit rural and remote communities in Canada to investigate community-led and engaged health workforce development approaches for the psychosocial needs of newcomer health workers. Since completing her PhD in 2016, she has been working as a research fellow at the University of Melbourne, Department of Rural Health and as an independent management consultant in rural health services and workforce planning. Dr Cosgrave has developed a ‘Whole-of-Person Retention Improvement Framework’ outlining supports for improving job and life satisfaction. Dr Cosgrave has recently completed a two-year partnership project with two rural Victorian public-health services working to support improved retention of their allied health workforce; she is currently writing up the study. Further information about the webinar can be found on this flyer.
Tickets to access this Webinar can be found here.
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Links for Health Professionals Supporting Health Care in Bushfire Affected Communities
Volunteering Opportunities
The Federal Government has put in place emergency protocols to expedite the process of getting GPs and allied health professionals to bushfire-affected communities where they are needed most.
The Department of Health and Department of Human Services will prioritise all applications from health professionals who want to work in bushfire-affected communities. Allied health professionals can work at a new practice for up to two weeks using their existing Medicare provider number.
Health professionals wishing to offer support to bushfire affected areas should contact their relevant Rural Workforce Agency (RWA):
People wishing to provide supplies and assistance are advised to direct their enquiries to the relevant state government. Financial donations are preferred at this point, as services have been overwhelmed with donated clothing and household goods. Donations can be directed to the relevant organisation in their state:
- The Victorian Bushfire Appeal;
- The NSW Fire Service; or
- The State Emergency Relief Fund (SA)
Emerging Minds: Community Trauma Toolkit
This toolkit contains resources to help and support adults and children before, during, and after a disaster or traumatic event. It will help you understand some of the impacts of disaster and how you can help lessen these impacts.
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#SARRAH2020
SARRAH 2020 National Rural and Remote Allied Health Conference
The Organising Committee is delighted to present the SARRAH 2020 National Rural and Remote Allied Health Conference.
Hosted by SARRAH since 1995, this biennial conference is for all involved in regional, rural and remote allied health.
The Organising Committee invites you to Townsville
- to hear a range of eminent speakers,
- to join us as we share stories to shape the future success for remote, rural and regional allied health, and
- to celebrate 25 years of SARRAH networking, advocacy and events.
We look forward to sharing our beautiful city with you in 2020.
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Current Job Vacancies
There are currently no job vacancies available.
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Upcoming Events and conferences
| FEBRUARY 2020 |
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eHealth@Sydney 2020
11th February, 2020
The University of Sydney
Charles Perkins Centre, Lecture Theatre
John Hopkins Dr, Camperdown NSW 2006
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Universities Australia Conference 2020
25-27 February 2020
National Convention Centre in Canberra
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| MARCH 2020 |
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Child & Adolescent Mental Health Conference
30 March - 1 April 2020
Mantra Legends, Gold Coast
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2020 New Zealand Mental Health Conference
16th - 17th March 2020
Christchurch, New Zealand
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WA Rural Health Conference 2020
21- 22 March 2020
Pan Pacific Perth
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| MAY 2020 |
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SPA 2020 National Conference
24 – 27 May 2020
Darwin Convention Centre, NT
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7th Rural and Remote Health Scientific Symposium:
Shaping the future
25-26 May 2020
Alice Springs Convention Centre, NT
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| JUNE 2020 |
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Associations Forum National Conference
22-23 June 2020
Royal International Convention Centre, Brisbane
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OT Exchange 2020
22-23 June 2020
Crown Promenade Melbourne
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| JULY 2020 |
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21st International Mental Health Conference
29-31 July 2020
RACV Royal Pines Resort, Gold Coast, QLD
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HIC 2020
27-29 July 2020
Brisbane, QLD
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| AUGUST 2020 |
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The 2020 Workplace Mental Health Symposium
31 August-1 September 2020
Hilton, Brisbane, QLD1
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| OCTOBER 2020 |
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38th CRANAplus Conference
14-16 October 2020
QT, Canberra, ACT
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