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One of the great rewards of working with women experiencing diabetes in pregnancy is seeing (& occasionally holding)
the results of a well managed pregnancy. It’s a team effort – GP, Mum to be, Dietician & I (and often Specialist Obstetricians and other Allied Health professionals).
I see the educational process in being extremely important in giving expecting GDM (Gestational Diabetes Mellitus)
Mum’s:
1. The most relevant information on their condition
2. Technical Skills
3. Strategies to aid a positive result – diet, physical activity, nutrition AND
4. Lots of support and TLC (Tender Loving Care).
It’s satisfying to see women with diabetes in pregnancy, empowered and confident.
Monthly clinics are running smoothly in all surgeries including Tower Medical. It is good to be back at Tower as the GP
Network Clinic room is being heavily utilized by the team managing the “Butt Out” Program and it’s hard to get a “look in”.
Many thanks to Keryn Wydra, Practice Manager at Tower for being patient and helping me nut out the logistics of getting
clinic up and running there once more.
As you may have seen in the newspaper recently, the GEGP Network collaborated with NDSS & Diabetes WA to bring
|the CookSmart, Shopsmart & Virtual Super Market Tours to the Networks boardroom & Coles Supermarket in May. This
was received positively, and I hope that we will run a couple more in the second half of this year. Stay tuned for dates.
Diabetes Week (12th – 18th July) was a great opportunity to get the word out about Diabetes. Again this year, I was
resourcing the William Grundt Library to set up a display where relevant books and information can be made available
to the wider public. Thanks to librarian Lenore’s hard work, the display always generates lots of attention.
Helen O’Sullivan — Diabetes Educato
The first three months of my position as the dietitian at the GP Network has been very eventful. Since commencing this
position at the beginning of April, the number of referrals into the dietetic program has significantly increased. During the
month of April, 16 patients underwent dietetic consultations, compared to June, whereby 70 patients underwent dietetic
consults.
The patients are generally seen at their local GP’s surgery during full day dietetic clinics. Due to the increasing number
of referrals, the number of days per month at each of the surgeries is also beginning to increase. Patients who cannot
attend the specified clinic days have the alternative option of attending a consultation at the GP Network on most Fridays
of the month.
My first dietetic outreach clinic was conducted in May and included clinic days at both Leonora and Laverton Hospitals.
Bi-monthly clinic days have been organized in Leonora and Laverton and the next outreach clinic will be conducted late
in July.
The More Allied Health Services (MAHS) Manager at the GP Network (Helen Robinson) is currently liaising with
representatives from the Goldfields St. Ives mining company to organise promotion at the Kambalda mine site. The
promotion days will be utilized to highlight the numerous free health services provided by the Network (e.g. Dietitian,
Diabetes Educator and Smoking Cessation Officer) and that these services can be accessed by employees of Goldfields
St. Ives simply by obtaining a referral from their GP. It is also hoped that referrals from the mining company will increase
the feasibility of conducting the Reset Your Life (Lifestyle Modification Program), since many of the mine’s employees
will fit the program’s selection criteria.
Katie Northam - Dietitian
PANVAX H1N1 Vaccine Rollout
As of 30 September 2009, the distribution and provision of the PANVAX H1N1 vaccine has begun.
For more information please visit the Public Health website for further information on:
- Order forms for latex free syringes
- Statements on latex - DoHA
- H1N1 vaccination consent forms
- Administration guidelines of the vaccine
- ATAGI advice regarding the use of influenza vaccines containing Thiomersal
- Information fact sheets, posters, brochures and more…. www.public.health.wa.gov.au
If you have any further queries regarding the PANVAX vaccine, please contact the Immunisation project officer.
**REMINDER**
As of the 1st May 2009 the Western Australian (WA) Department of Health implemented two changes in the vaccine brands distributed for use in the funded childhood immunisation schedule.
Changes include:
- Rotarix (GSK- 2 dose course) changed to RotaTeq (CSL - 3 dose course) see below:
• Infants must commence the course by 12 weeks of age
• There is no catch-up component to the program
• The course consists of three doses of the vaccine, given with other scheduled vaccines at two,
four and six months of age
• RotaTeq can be safely given with all other childhood vaccines and does not interfere with the
immune response to other vaccines
• Premature babies can be safely vaccinated according to birth age.
- Infanrix-IPV (GSK) – 4 year booster changed to Quadracel (Sanofi Pasteur)
All GPs should have received the letter from the Department of Health, regarding the change in the WA schedule and the details of interchange-ability and dosage requirements. If you did not receive the letter please contact Lynda (Immunisation Project Officer – details below) to forward you the relevant information.
For any queries, suggestions of education workshops or resource requests, please contact the Immunisation project officer, Lynda Murgatroyd on: 9021 6610 or email: lmurgatroyd@gegpnetwork.org.au
Aged Care Access Initiative (ACAI)
Little Sisters of the Poor and Edward Collick Aged Care facilities have had their first two podiatry visits under the ACAI program.
The feedback was very positive and residents and staff are all looking forward to his following visit.
Esperance and Laverton aged Care facilities both identified Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy as shortfalls. Finding feasible services locally has been challenging to say the least. Progress has however been made and either one or both services will have been provided to these facilities by the time we go to press.
Good news is that the ACAI program funding has been extended into the 09/10 year and GEGPN will again be able to source other Allied Heath Services that are identified as shortfalls within our Aged Care facilities.
GPs who visit RACFs are encouraged to notify the Project Officer (Lynda Murgatroyd), should they identify any Allied Health Services that appear to have an unmet shortfall.
For any queries or resource requests, please contact the Aged Care project officer, Lynda Murgatroyd via PH: 9021 6610 OR Email: lmurgatroyd@gegpnetwork.org.au
The Butt Outt (Nicotine Addiction Treatment) program has been up and running now for 8 weeks. We currently have 54
clients registered on the books .
We are implementing the use of a CO monitor (smokerlysers) and Spirometry to assist in the health assessment and
client progress throughout the 12 week course.
Topics discussed at individual consultations include:
- Receptors and nicotine addiction—why and how clients become addicted to smoking
- Respiratory system—how is works and the effects of smoking on the lungs.
- Cardiovascular system—how it works and the affects of CO in the blood stream
- Discussions on pharmacotherapy’s and how they can assist in smoking cessation. Emphasises is on ability to stop smoking with clients experiencing NO withdrawals.
Client progress will be monitored and reported back to GPs via GoldHealth.
Additional activities
In conjunction with GWHCC, the Fresh Start course will commence in August for women who wish to stop smoking in
a all female group environment.
Smoking facts
- Average age for clients wishing to stop smoking is 42 yrs with the highest number of smokers being in their 30’s.
- Champix acts on Alpha 4 and Beta 2 receptors only. If clients have different receptors, alternative pharmacotherapy’s need to be discussed.
- Smokers have more female children.
Michelle Howrie - Nicotine Addiction Program Coordinator
Vishal Sharma - Nicotine Addiction Program Officer
- The SEHR scores a century!
The SEHR has just surpassed a major milestone with just over 160 patients registered on the system. This increase
has been largely due to a combination of ongoing GP user training and the implementation of the facility for practice
nurses to register patients. User training will continue to be carried out at participating sites and I am confident that
we will see an exponential increase in patient numbers as this process unfolds. There are also 98 GP’s, practice
nurses and allied health professionals registered as providers in the SEHR.
Medical Director 3 has been installed on the GoldHealth laptops at Esperance Hospital and these laptops are
connected to the SEHR. This means that any patient who is registered in the SEHR will be able to have their
record instantly accessed by the attending GP at the hospital by using one of the GoldHealth laptops located
in the Emergency Department, Theater and Maternity ward.
The Communicare interface is now complete and fully functional at Ngangganawili Health Services in Wiluna, with
2 out of the 3 Doctors trained and currently registering patients in the SEHR. This is a major breakthrough as it is
the first AMS to be connected to the SEHR and effectively paves the way for other AMS’s using Communicare to
connect to the SEHR. Bega Garnbirringu has converted to Communicare and have been connected to the SEHR,
GP training will commence in November. Discussions are also underway with Ngaanyatjarra Health Services in the
hope of getting them connected to the SEHR and ultimately providing an improved continuum of care for patients
who travel between Kalgoorlie and the Ngaanyatjarra Lands.
The Practix interface development and testing is now complete (thanks to the assistance of Tower Medical Centre)
and has been installed at Tower Medical Centre and Plaza Medical Centre, with Doctors due to undergo user training
shortly. This now means that the GEGPN is now in a position to offer any practice using Medical Director, Communicare
or Practix connectivity to the SEHR.
Discussions with IP systems have resulted in a revised pricing structure that will translate into savings for all participating
sites. Details of the new packages will be distributed to practices shortly
Clive Holt - Manager, GoldHealth Network & Shared Electonic Health Record
It continues to be a busy year in the youth sector. A school holiday program, Miss Independent, was developed and
delivered in partnership with the youth sexual health worker at Population Health. Miss Independent was delivered over
the school holidays during April in Laverton and targeted young girls aged 12 – 17 years. Miss Independent increased
knowledge and awareness about sexual and mental health as well as encouraging young girls to access services
available in Laverton. A follow up Miss Independent will take place during July school holidays which will include nutrition
education as well. The attendance to Miss Independent is approximately 10 young girls as they generally are limited to
what activities are available during the holidays.
Then it was down to Esperance in early June where Time To ‘Teen’ Up was delivered to the year 7 students at Esperance
Primary School and at Nelson Primary School. In total approximately 120 students engaged in Time To ‘Teen’ Up and
were involved in interactive workshop based activities which increased their knowledge and awareness about mental health
and wellbeing of young people making the transition to adolescence. From providing students with mental health education
it improves their ability to identify and engage in a mentally healthy lifestyle. The students had lots of questions regarding
the topics and were actively involved in all discussions and activities.
The ‘Taste’ Program will be facilitated at Crossroads Youth Crisis Accommodation over a 6 week period which will
commence at the end of July. There is always good involvement and participation from the young people at Crossroads
and they engage actively with the healthy eating and nutrition education that is provided. The young people who attended
the ‘Taste’ Program generally vary from 15yrs – 23yrs.
It continues to be busy in the youth sector as the year progresses and I envision that Youth Health will continue to
progress and expand within the Goldfields region. Please do not hesitate to contact me regarding Youth Health as I
am open to ideas, suggestions and comments!
Michelle Howrie
Health Programs Coordinator
What has been happening in the Lurrtjurringa Lan area in the middle of the West Australian outback?
o Podiatry visits occur once every 4 weeks in Laverton and the surrounding communities. It was a busy day for David
Whitelaw’s clinics at Mt Margaret Aboriginal Community with 11 clients having their ‘Jinna’ checked in June. In May,
Cosmo Newberry Aboriginal Community, seven clients were seen.
o The Dietitian, Katie Northam saw seven clients in Laverton in May. There has been a period when Laverton did not
have a visiting Dietician however; Katie has now scheduled regular visits to the area. We look forward to seeing Kate
on her visits in Laverton.
o Rural and Remote Mental Team continue to provide an excellent service to Laverton and the surrounding communities
with new clients and follow up appointments for exciting clients
I would like to add that it is always great to work alongside the GEGPN team that is committed to help improve Indigenous
health.
Michael Smith - Lurrtjurringa Lan Project Officer
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