May 2001

CONTENTS

General Practitioner Register Update
New Staff at GPDV
Collaboration in Immunisation
Co-ordinated Care Trials for Victoria
Information Management in Primary Care Workshop
DHS Nurse Practitioner Demonstration Projects
Psychiatric Aspects/Shared Care Forum
Rural Health Week
Coming Events

General Practitioner Register Update:
Twenty-five Victorian hospitals have now signed the agreement with GPDV regarding the conditions of use of the General Practice Register. The registry is only to be used for the transfer of patient information. While other agencies have expressed interest in accessing the General Practice Register GPDV policy is that we will give priority to hospital access to start with and only begin to consider other access when hospital use is well established. The hospitals which have signed the agreement are:

• Austin and Repatriation
• Medical Centre
• Barwon Health - The Geelong Hospital
• Bethlehem Hospital Inc
• Broadmeadows Health Service
• Djerriwarrh Health Services
• Hepburn Health Services
• Kyabram and District Memorial Community Hospital
• Maryborough District Health Service
• Mercy Hospital for Women
• Moyne Health Services
• Mt Alexander Hospital
• Nathalia District Hospital
• Robinvale District Health Services
• Rural Northwest Health
• St Vincent & Mercy Private Hospital
• St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne
• Swan Hill District Hospital
• The Angliss Health Service
• The Queen Elizabeth Centre
• Timboon and District Healthcare Service
• Tweddle Child and Family Health Service
• Wangaratta District Base Hospital
• Western Hospital
• Womens and Childrens Hospital
• Yarrawonga District Health Service

New Staff at GPDV
GPDV is pleased to welcome Belinda Caldwell to our team as the Immunisation and Public Health Project Officer. Her background includes 2 years at Whitehorse Division of General Practice as the Member Services Program Officer with a particular emphasis on immunisation and accreditation matters. Most divisions will know Belinda through her work with developing the ACIR data cleaning database which was redeveloped with GPDV for statewide use. Belinda also brings to the position 4 years as the Doutta Galla Community Health Service Immunisation Coordinator.

The main component of her position with GPDV is to provide support advice and co-ordination for the immunisation initiatives of divisions and

• to contribute to our increasing focus on the benefits of GPs taking up public health issues.
• within the context of the current emphasis on the population health role of GPs, to assist divisions to respond appropriately to public health issues.

Collaboration in Immunisation
Notification has been received that the General Practice Immunisation Incentives (GPII) program will continue. However at this time there is no information available about which components will be funded to which level. GPDV has written to the Minister for Health reiterating the very valuable role that divisions have played in immunisation, particularly in recent times with the introduction of the new schedule and data cleaning.

In Victoria DHS have recently initiated a regional data quality officer program to work with local government and divisions to further improve the quality of the immunisation data available in Victoria. To build on this initiative the Department of Human Services (DHS), the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) and GPDV are sponsoring a state-wide forum entitled "Collaboration in Immunisation" for Health Managers and Immunisation Co-ordinators in Divisions and Local Government. Topics will include ACIR data cleaning issues, strategies to reach under-immunised children, future vaccine schedules, and risk communication to concerned parents.

This forum will be held on Friday June 22nd at the William Angliss Conference Centre in Melbourne. For further information please contact Belinda Caldwell on (03) 9341 5212.

Co-ordinated Care Trials for Victoria
Two Victorian Co-ordinated Care Trials are in active negotiation phase. The Co-ordinated Healthcare consortium includes catchments served by Inner East Melbourne, North-East Valley, Northern, North West Melbourne, Western, Westgate, and Melbourne divisions.

South East Melbourne Coordinated Care trial consortium includes catchments served by Central Bayside, Dandenong, Greater South East, Monash, and Shebrook/Pakenham divisions.

Information Management in Primary Care Workshop
On 4 May GPDV hosted this workshop in Melbourne with over 80 participants. The morning session included the Victorian launch and demonstration of the Eyre Care Software for Enhanced Primary Care, produced by Pfizer in conjunction with the Eyre Peninsula Division in South Australia. This software is designed specifically to facilitate the usage of the new MBS items by general practitioners. It will be distributed free of charge to all GPs. Divisions have been invited to provide the training on this software.

The first afternoon session focussed on who can do what to develop an EPC– friendly practice. Division speakers included representatives from Monash, Dandenong, and Whitehorse divisions who demonstrated emerging models of thinking and practice among GPs in considering and using the assessment and the careplanning items. The second afternoon session examined the linkages between GPs and Primary Care Partnerships both in the broad sense, and in an example emerging in two divisions in north eastern Victoria.

If you would like more information about the workshop please contact Rosemary Fenech, EPC Coordinator on r.fenech@gpdv.com.au .

DHS Nurse Practitioner Demonstration Projects
DHS has selected 11 Expressions of Interest for Nurse Practitioner Demonstration Projects to proceed to the next stage of drafting full project applications. Victorian divisions are involved in 5 of these 11 projects, and are the lead agency in two of the projects selected for further work.

Psychiatric Aspects/Shared Care Forum
16 & 17 June
Saville on Russell, 222 Russell Street, Melbourne

This conference is convened by the RACGP, RANZCP and GPDV and aims to:

• provide a forum for GPs, psychiatrists, divisional staff and allied mental health providers to meet and discuss issues of primary mental health care
• provide practical CME for all GPs to upskill in "psychiatric aspects" of general practice.

The program offers a mix of CME seminars and workshops around psychopharmacology, the role of DSM 4 in clinical practice, comorbidity and dual diagnosis, and models of supervision for clinical and general practice. In addition, there are seminars focussed on current mental health issues, such as EPC item numbers and mental health practice, the role of divisions in a regionalised training program, shared care, and the funding of GP training in mental health.

The conference is an excellent opportunity for GPs and divisional staff to keep informed of current developments in the primary mental health care field.

Rural Health Week
As part of Rural Health Week 2001, RWAV is convening the Victorian Rural General Practice Conference on 25- 27 May 2001 at Lorne. The conference theme is Rural Practice in the 21st Century, and includes the changing gender mix in rural practice and improving the teamwork in rural health. To obtain a copy of the program contact Veeraja Uppal at RWAV on (03) 9349 4899.

VHA is convening the second Victorian Rural & Remote Allied Health Professionals Conference, titled 'Effective Rural Practice'. The conference focuses on building partnerships and relationships, better practice models, professional development and IT. It will be held in Ballarat on 25-27 May. To obtain a copy of the program or find out about local and regional activities planned for rural health week contact Jenny Ginnane at VHA on (03) 9696 2799 or the Website www.rural-health.org.au/week2001.

Coming Events

Improving your AGM & Annual Report, Negotiation & Representation Skills
(the next in the Board Governance series) Sat 19 May. Places are limited. Contact: Helen Threlfall, GPDV, (03) 9341 5200.

Victorian Divisions Forum - A piece of the Pie: How the GP MoU works
Sun 20 May. Contact: Adina Hamilton, GPDV, (03) 9341 5221

2001 General Practice and Primary Health Care Research Conference
31-May to 5-June, Adelaide. More information can be found at www.flinders.edu.au

National Divisions Summit on GP Financing
ADGP will sponsor a National Divisions Summit on GP Financing to be held on Friday 15 June in Melbourne.

Some Health Weeks and Days for May