‘AHHA-NRHA-AML Alliance Rural Policy Forum’
Supporting rural Medicare Locals
Sunday, 7 April 2013, 9.45am – 3pm
Supporting rural Medicare Locals, focussed on some of the challenges faced by Medicare Locals that have a majority of their population in rural and remote areas.
Supported by the Australian Medicare Local Alliance (AMLA) as well as the Australian Healthcare and Hospital Association (AHHA) and the National Rural Health Alliance (NRHA), this was an opportunity for people directly involved with the 26 rural Medicare Locals to consider their common challenges in governance, funding and operation – including after-hours services.
Different perspectives were presented, including those of rural Local Health or Hospital Networks, and MPSs. The program allowed for interactive panel sessions as well as smaller workshop groups to distil the key issues to take forward.
‘Medicines in the Bush’ Pharmaceutical Society of Australia
Sunday, 7 April 2013, 10.30am – 3.30pm
The effective management of medicines in rural and remote settings can be challenging for patients and healthcare professionals.
This thought provoking, informative pre-conference workshop discussed the use of medicines in palliative care and chronic disease, multi-disciplinary teams and health professional prescribing. It was attended by rural health professionals interested in medication management and prescribing, including doctors, pharmacists, Aboriginal Health Workers, nurses, and allied health professionals.
‘Dealing with Depression: Mental Health Skills Training’ Black Dog Institute
Sunday, 7 April 2013, 8.30am – 3.45pm
Suitable for GPs, GP Registrars, psychologists, social workers and mental health nurses.
Program outline: Dealing with Depression was a highly interactive program that aimed to provide general practitioners with a practical framework for diagnosing and managing depression. The program used case based learning to explore the key challenges for GPs caring for patients with depression and to devise effective strategies to address these. For more information and accreditation details see flyer.
Presenter: Dr Jan Orman, MBBS, M PsychMed. Educator and GP Services Consultant to the Black Dog Institute.
‘Writing for Publication Workshop’ Australian Journal of Rural Health
Sunday, 7 April 2013, 1.00pm – 3.45pm
Presenters: Editorial team of the Australian Journal of Rural Health
This workshop was designed for writers interested in publishing papers in a peer reviewed journal. The workshop focused on strengthening writers’ skills to review and re-work their own work to ensure that it meets the standards required for peer review prior to publication.
‘ACHSM/FHL Rural Health Leadership Workshop’
The difficult rural health leadership conversations we need to have
Sunday, 7 April 2013, 11.00 am – 3.00pm
This was a call to action all rural health leaders, young and old, to join in a session to engage in the difficult conversations needed in order to address the issues currently facing health leaders and managers working in rural and remote settings.
We know that there are discrepancies between managing and funding health services in major city environments and country areas. We also know that there is incredible energy and enthusiasm for change. What effect has the health reform efforts had over the last few years on wellbeing in rural and remote areas?
The Australasian College of Health Service Management joined forces with the Future Health Leaders to deliver this timely workshop on key aspects of rural health management. Led by various experts, it covered the difficult conversations and helped to provide solutions to better health management in rural and remote settings.
- Download program
‘RACGP - Using the eHealth record system to add value to clinical consultations’
Sunday, 7 April 2013, 12.00pm – 3pm
This seminar dealt with the basics of the eHealth record system including:
- practical ways to include the eHealth records in your clinical workflow
- what and when to upload
- how to create and maintain a high quality shared health summary.
Suitable for General Practitioners, Practice Managers, Practice Nurses and Practice Staff. Approval pending by the RACGP QI&CPD Program in the 2011–2013 triennium for 4 Category 2 points. This program is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing. For information on other seminar dates for ‘Using the eHealth record system to add value to clinical consultations’ please visit www.racgp.org.au/ehealthrecords.
Improving career pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in the health workforce: challenges and lessons learned in Australia and elsewhere.
Flinders University and the Lowitja Institute
Sunday, 7 April 2013, – 1pm – 3pm
This workshop provided an update on the “Flexible pathways for an Aboriginal health workforce project” and allowed participants to make a contribution to the next stages of the research. The project aims to develop strategies to provide more and more flexible health career pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The workshop will be interactive, initially focussing on what it means to be ‘flexible’, and then on uncovering innovative strategies from the health and other sectors in Australia and elsewhere, and finally on proposing new strategies that can be ‘reality’ tested during the remaining year of the project.
Presenter Kim O’Donnell is a Research Associate in Health Care Management and a Dr Public Health student at Flinders University with a teaching background in urban and remote settings. She will will discuss her Doctorate of Public Health which contributes in one specific area; the ways that governments and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) work with each other. It investigates relationships of (mis)trust between governments and ACCHOs and the impact these relationships have on accountability, problem solving and decision making in the delivery of comprehensive primary health care with and to Australia’s First Peoples.
This work aligns with The Lowitja Institute’s Research Program Three – to provide evidence for health system policy and administration reform and improve capacity to implement programs effectively.
Kim is a Malyangapa/Barkindji woman from Western NSW who has extensive understanding and experience working with Australia’s First Peoples in health, education and governance. Her particular interest is in health system governance and design with Aboriginal community controlled organisations. She is also a Community Program Leader with The Lowitja Institute.