22 March 2023
If you’re looking for support in managing your child’s weight, ask your GP for a referral to the Growing Healthy Kids Service, a SWSPHN and South Western Sydney Local Health District partnership which aims to reduce overweight and obesity in children aged two to 17 years.
Through the service, psychologists, dietitians, exercise physiologists, paediatricians, paediatric endocrinologists and social workers, work with the child’s family on a multidisciplinary approach to weight management.
The program offers four to six months of appointments designed around the child’s needs and goals.
Families are offered one of three inter-related pathways:
- An intensive weight management program (six individual and three group sessions), including parent/ child education sessions and multi-disciplinary clinic appointment sessions, and medical assessment.
- A dietitian only service (three clinic appointments and three group sessions), including parent/ child education sessions and a lifestyle assessment.
- An additional endocrinology service is available for those children identified during medical assessment by the GHK paediatrician.
Visit the Growing Health Kids website for the referral criteria.
21 March 2023
General practices are encouraged to take steps to improve childhood immunisation uptake.
In South Western Sydney, the overall childhood immunisation rate is still more than 90 per cent, however it has dropped below 95 per cent in a number of LGAs.
GPs are encouraged to review their clinical software to identify children who are overdue for immunisations and issue recalls.
To do this, you can use the 10A Report walkthrough available on the SWSPHN website.
POLAR is also a useful tool for general practice to identify children who are missing scheduled vaccines at a certain age in your practice. General practices can follow the POLAR Immunisation Walkthrough to identify patients aged one to two years old who may be missing their first dose of MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) and Meningococcal ACWY.
A wealth of information about the importance childhood immunisation is also available on the SWSPHN website.
Visit this page – Continuous Quality Improvement in Childhood Immunisation
09 March 2023
Registrations are open for The Education Hub’s paediatric health online education program for GPs.
The program includes: monthly live interactive webinars (recordings available); an online chat forum; resources; and feedback to support your practice in paediatric healthcare.
The next live webinar will be held tomorrow (Thursday, 16 March) from 6.30pm to 7.30pm. Dr Rod Phillips will present the webinar: Vascular Birthmarks and Infantile Haemangiomas.
The program costs $275 and all course materials can be accessed until 16 February 2024.
Register for the program
For more information, email education.hub@rch.org.au
09 March 2023
Connecting the Dots for Healthy Beginnings is providing a series of free RACGP-accredited early childhood nutrition webinars which have been developed for health professionals, including general practitioners, nurses and allied health professionals.
Connecting the Dots is a national early childhood nutrition service funded by the Australian Government and delivered in partnership with Karitane and the Healthy Beginnings research team at Sydney Local Health District.
An accredited practising dietitian and child and family health nurse educator or GP will deliver the webinars, including:
- How to support parents with starting solids – Thursday, 30 March, 7pm to 8pm.
Register here
- Supporting children with fussy eating behaviours (case studies) – Wednesday, 12 April, 7pm to 8pm.
Register here
In addition to the professional webinars, the service offers separate parenting webinars which may be of interest to your patients.
Access the parenting webinars
07 March 2023
Multilingualism has been linked with numerous benefits for children and families.
Children may learn multiple languages simultaneously and may show a preference for one language.
Receptive language skills are key in determining if speech pathology intervention is required for multilingual children.
The limited amount of exposure to languages because of the COVID-19 lockdowns may have directly impacted language acquisition, and the trajectory of language development for multilingual children could differ from monolingual children.
Early referral to speech pathology is critical if a child is having difficulty with understanding and following verbal information in their primary language.
Where and how to refer
Resources for Multilingual Homes
Webinar: The Benefits of Multilingualism
Interview: Teaching multiple languages to under fives
Expert in the field of multilingualism
16 February 2023
One in in four children in South Western Sydney are at risk of delayed fine motor skills.
Since COVID-19 lockdowns, many children who had reduced opportunities to attend early childhood education are presenting with delayed skills.
The importance of fine motor skills
Fine motor skills allow children to participate in play, self-care and school-based tasks.
Early intervention services can maximise outcomes for children who may be having difficulty learning these skills.
Fine motor skills include:
- Hand and finger strength
- Hand preference
- Using two hands together
- Hand-eye coordination
- Object and pencil grasp
- Cutting skills
- Drawing and handwriting skills
Screen and refer
Every appointment is an opportunity to screen a child’s fine motor skills.
It is more important than ever to refer to occupational therapy early as waiting times in both public and private services have increased since the COVID-19 lockdowns.
How to identify a fine motor delay
Quick checklist by age
Occupational therapy
Where and how to refer
02 February 2023
The Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network (SCHN) has transitioned to a digital referral system for all new outpatient referrals at Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick and Children’s Hospital at Westmead.
If you are sending a referral to outpatients at SCHN, please use Consultmed in preference to fax or paper referrals. Create a free and secure account at www.consultmed.co to get started. You will be able to track your referrals and receive advice and guidance regarding the management of your patients.
Find out more
Integrations with practice management software (eg BP, MD) are currently in progress and the SCHN will inform you when this is available. Until then, this digital system offers a streamlined way to refer your patients to SCHN for specialist advice and management.
Every major department at SCHN will be onboarded over the next few weeks.
Download the Quick Reference Guide
Download the Axe the Fax flyer
30 January 2023
The Youth Health Forum is hosting an online masterclass presented by Jennifer Doggett on Thursday 9 February, 1pm to 3.30pm, on the Australian health system. The forum is an opportunity for young people aged 18 to 30 who are interested in developing a foundational understanding of how our health system works.
Find out more
14 December 2022
The Cancer Institute NSW has launched a new campaign to encourage younger people, aged 18 to 24 years in NSW, to protect their skin from UV radiation.
This group is particularly at risk as they are less likely to protect their skin from the sun than the general population.
The campaign’s key messages are:
- Melanoma is the most common cancer among young Australians
- If you could see UV radiation, you would protect your skin
- Be prepared before you go outdoors
- Protect your skin in five simple ways: Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek, and Slide
The campaign demonstrates the scale and danger of UV rays by depicting them as illuminated ‘Arrows’ hurtling down from above, transforming it into a tangible and ever-present threat.
Protect yourself from skin cancer:
Find out more
14 December 2022
The Go4Fun healthy lifestyle program for families and children aged seven to 13 is returning at seven locations across South Western Sydney in Term 1, from Monday, 30 January 2023.
You can register by phoning 1800 780 900 or visiting go4fun.com.au.
Enrolments are being accepted up until Friday, 10 February 2023.
- A new program location will also launch in Term 1, at Appin Community Hall on Thursdays from 4pm to 6pm. Download the flyer
What is Go4Fun?
Go4Fun is a free program for children aged seven to 13 who are above a healthy weight, and their families. Trained health and community professionals like dietitians and exercise physiologists run the program which is a fun way to build self-esteem and learn about eating well, staying active and living a healthy life.
Go4Fun takes place during school terms, usually after school. Sessions run once a week for two hours, during a 10-week period. A parent or carer must come to every session.
Find out more about what's involved
Aboriginal Go4Fun
Aboriginal Go4Fun was developed in partnership with Aboriginal communities and is delivered by local Aboriginal organisations together with NSW Health. The program encourages the whole community to join in.
Aboriginal Go4Fun includes:
- Aboriginal support staff
- Traditional Indigenous games
- Tailored resources
Find out more about Aboriginal Go4Fun
Go4Fun online
Go4Fun Online is perfect for families that can’t make it to our face-to-face program, but still want to make health changes to their lifestyle.
Go4Fun Online runs over 10 weeks and includes:
- Weekly online activity sessions
- Weekly phone coaching with a health professional
- Resources and prizes
- Our online community where you can chat to other families in the program
- Email and text message support
Find out more about Go4Fun online
