What is a WorkHealth check?

It’s a voluntary health screening within the workplace.

Screening includes the completion of a WorkHealth questionnaire to determine:

• Demographics
• General classification of work activity
• Lifestyle – nutrition, alcohol, physical activity, smoking
• General health and medical history (CVD/diabetes/risk factors)
• Measurements – waist circumference, blood pressure, non-fasting cholesterol and blood glucose test, AUSDRISK

Participants also get a lifestyle booklet which includes the worker’s measurements and an indication if GP follow-up is required. Fact sheets are also available for participants.

Who is providing WorkHealth Checks?

Health screening is performed by health professionals.

All endorsed service providers are required to complete a competency-based training program developed for WorkHealth and delivered in partnership with RMIT University.

Ballarat District Nursing and Healthcare are providing the service within our region.

Impact on General Practice

This health screening service does not prevent general practitioners from providing MBS health assessments. In fact, patients may attend the practice having self-identified as requiring a health assessment.

When this occurs GPs are encouraged to perform the following health assessments:

• Aged 40-45; if no MBS health assessment in the past 3 years, and scored 12+ on AUSDRISK, perform diabetes risk assessment for 40-49
• Aged 45-49; if no MBS health assessment in the past 3 years, and is at risk of developing a chronic disease (not just diabetes), perform 45-49 year old health assessment

Workplaces representing all types and sizes have invited BDNH to perform the health screening. The demand has been, and continues to be, constant since the program began in March 2010.

Are you interested in hosting or attending a program?

Pathways forward

Referral to LIFE

Employees are encouraged to see their GP for all follow-up advice/referral to a lifestyle modification program. When referring to LIFE please use BDDGP referral gateway via ARGUS or fax to 5331 5754.

Employees aged 40-49 wishing to be referred into a LIFE program must do so via their GP (see above).

All other adult (18+) employees who have scored 12+ on AusDrisk can complete the survey and self-refer into the program.

LIFE Delivery Formats:

• Local group events: upcoming groups are entered onto our events calendar and prefixed with “prevention”
• Telephone coaching delivered by Kinect Australia

Life!Online

Available here. Delivery of the Life! program online for people scoring 6+ on the site’s electronic AusDrisk tool. More information next month.

More information

I’m available for individual or practice visits to discuss LIFE information, referral pathways (including appropriate health assessments), and practice system development to identify eligible patients (Case Finding Funding available to practices to assist in this work).

Call me on 5331 6300 or email tanyag@bddgp.org.

Our 2010 AGM and members’ dinner has been confirmed for Wednesday 20th October at Craigs Hotel.

Dr Hayman increased indigenous access to mainstream general practice at Inala from 12 patients in 1994 to over 3500 today. Dr Hayman is not only a qualified general practitioner, he is also a qualified physician. He has a Masters in Public Health and has written eighteen publications on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.

Dr Hayman has won nine health awards, and is a board member of the Australian Indigenous Doctors Association in Canberra for which he was the foundation secretary.

He is a committee member for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, for the Royal Australian College of Physicians and has a ministerial appointment in the Department of Health and Ageing in Canberra. He has received fifteen grants for health improvement and research in Indigenous Australians.

Dr Hayman IS closing the gap. He has improved control of diabetes, improved immunisation rates, is training doctors in indigenous health and also recruiting indigenous doctors.

Invitations and associated documentation will be distributed to each member & partner in due course, so in the meantime please mark the date in your diary.

The booklet provides information on:

• symptom control
• pain management
• drug charts
• notes on the ‘Living Well Discussion’ with patients

Other features include a list of resource organisations and the Grampians region palliative care services.

The high quality content, usability and construction of the booklet has made this booklet very attractive to all those that have viewed it and we are very pleased to announce that Palliative Care Australia is now looking at this resource for national publication.

Distribution of the booklet to the GPs was completed during August and copies will be distributed to aged care facilities and nursing homes for use of visiting doctors and nursing staff.

For further information or additional copies contact me on 5331 6303 or trishs@bddgp.org.au.

He is keen to consult at other busy clinic venues in Ballarat by arrangement.

Service details

Eligible patients: anyone
Medicare registered: yes
Cost: Free for DVA & Medicare CDM referrals; Private – $95/hr, $55/30min
Bulk bill: yes
Require same day payment: yes
Gap: for private patients (may be claimable via private health insurance)
Hours: Alternate Thursdays & Fridays at Springs Medical Clinic (5348 2227), Ballarat Community Health – Cooinda (5338 4500)

Referrals

Argus: no
VSRF: no
Phone: 5426 4912
Fax #: 5426 4913
Postal address: 31 Margaret St, Macedon VIC 3440
Reports returned by: fax report after initial dietetic assessment & education

About Malcolm

Most clients Malcolm assists seeking help through Medicare CDM referrals have blood pressure, lipid, cardiovascular, diabetes related conditions. He helps various clients with gastro-intestinal disturbances – which may involve functional, food intolerances or allergic nutritional issues.

He has grad certs in sports and paediatric nutrition and dietetics which broadens the areas of special interest to more client needs.

• Private practice 1996 to present
• HACC dietician Inner South CHC in City of Port Phillip
• Clinic & visiting clients in SRSs, boarding houses, their homes etc
• Community dietician Darebin CHC
• Dietician for Restoring Health joint program with Darebin CHC & St Vincent’s Hospital – for clients with heart failure, lung diseases, diabetes – who were having unplanned emergency department attendances
• Group educations & mainly home visits to help clients make effective use of their personal food environment
• Lectures nutrition part time at La Trobe Uni
• Practices privately in Bundoora & Thomastown
• MND, BSc, Grad Certs Sports & Paediatric Nutrition & Dietetics

About Melissa

Special interests: diabetes, weight management, coeliac disease, IBS, hyperlipidaemia, aged care.

Credentials: BAppSci(Hons), Grad Dip Hlth Sci (Hum Nut), PhD, BAppSci (Nutrition and Dietetics), accredited dietitian, nutritionist, fitness instructor and personal trainer

Experience: fitness instructor and personal trainer for 10 years, nutritionist for 9 years, dietitian for 4 years, research for 8 years

Service details

Eligible patients: anyone
Medicare registered: yes
Cost: long consult $82.15 ($58.85 seniors concession), short consult $58.85 ($50.05 seniors concession)
Bulk bill: yes
Require same day payment: yes
Gap: n/a
Hours: 6 days, evening appointments available

Referrals

Argus: no
VSRF: no
Phone: 5338 8313
Fax #: 5338 8375
Postal address: 402 Macarthur St Ballarat 3350
Reports returned by: mail

1. Expect to see them soon

In fact, some of you might have already seen them. The BHS Emergency Department is sending out EDSs to some GPs now, and will increase the number sent in the future.

2. Not every visit to emergency will trigger an EDS

The treating doctor will decide whether to send an EDS to the patient’s GP. Please note that the usual forms of communication between BHS ED and the GP will remain.

3. Faxes for stragglers

BHS’s system will spit out an Argus EDS wherever possible. If the patient’s GP doesn’t use Argus, a fax will be sent instead.

4. Patient nominates the practice

If a GP works in more than one practice, the EDS will be sent to the practice nominated by the patient.

Need help?

If you have any questions, contact Jannine Rigby at the GP Liaison Unit on 5320 6676.

The John Flynn Placement Program (JFPP) — managed by the ACRRM — is an Australian Government funded initiative to attract more doctors to rural and remote Australian communities.

Students who develop bonds and friendships within a community are more likely to return to that or to a similar community as future qualified medical practitioners.

GP rewards

• Satisfaction of passing on your expertise and understanding of rural/remote medicine
• Opportunity to play a vital role in addressing the rural medical crisis
• $300 (+GST) per week per student
• ACRRM PDP and RACGP QA&CPD points for teaching medical students

Invaluable practice managers

• Alert doctors to the importance of the JFPP and support their participation
• Refer the ACRRM JFPP team to local community organisations, for student support
• Are welcome to apply to participate as Community Contacts @ $175 per week during placements

Unique community placement program

• Responsibility is shared between the mentor and a community representative, who supports the student socially during placements
• The program is focused on student enjoyment of your community and the opportunity to develop a bond with its people
• Placements are not designed to provide the same level of clinical training as university accredited clinical attachments

To find out more

Email ACRRM jfpp@acrrm.org.au, or click here to fill out an application form. More information on Mentoring is available on our website.

Be part of training the next generation of rural doctors.

The film chosen was Animal Kingdom, a recent Australian release which focused on Melbourne’s gangland wars, looking from the criminal’s perspective.

The movie was confronting at times, but brilliantly acted and was a topic for much discussion afterwards.

The new Regent Gold Class with the informal wining and dining area is an excellent venue for such events, and I would encourage other GPs and partners who were unable to attend to consider coming to the next one.

Any suggestions for possible movies in the future would be gratefully accepted.

Dr Colin Crook, Jo Curkpatrick and Dr Frank Marton

Dr Kathryn Oliver, Dr Jill Ramsey and Bridie Roper

Dr Cathy Gibney, Melissa Broadway, Thomas Crook and Susan Crook

A few months after launching the hotline, we published the information online.

The hotline has remained steady at around 45 calls a month. The web page has really taken off! Usage has increased at an average of 20 visits per month, reaching a peak in June this year of 468 visitors. That’s a lot of saved phone calls.

I wonder what other benefits might be accruing from this service? Are your staff more satisfied with their jobs because they are fielding less calls from people they cannot help? Are those GPs listed as taking new patients filling their books more quickly, or staying fuller than would otherwise be the case? I would be interested to hear your views.

It’s worth noting how patients use the internet to find doctors. The Need-a-GP page was found by Googling phrases such as;

• doctors taking new patients ballarat
• need a gp in ballarat
• gp doctors ballarat locations
• doctors accepting patients ballarat
• doctor clinic ballarat

Need-a-GP hotline

GP Psych Support provides specialist advice in drug & alcohol psychiatry, child & adolescent psychiatry as well as perinatal psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry and general psychiatry.

You can provide patient information by;

• submitting a web query
• calling 1800 200 588
• sending a completed fax back form to 1800 012 422

GP Psych Support is managed by the RACGP, although you do not have to be a member to use the service.

To register with GP Psych Support, please call 1800 200 588 or visit www.psychsupport.com.au.