Topic: COVID-19

Below is a link to the South Western Sydney Local Health District’s infographic of COVID-19 cases, testing and sources of infection across SWS for Monday, 11 May.

To download the infographic

The Consumers Health Forum of Australia (CHF) has new consumer representation opportunities available.

Please see below:

 

National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce – Guideline Leadership Group

As part of the National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce, the Australian Living Evidence Consortium is developing living Australian guidelines for the clinical care of people with COVID-19. The current version of the guidelines is available at https://covid19evidence.net.au/ and new and revised recommendations are being produced each week.

This is a world-leading effort to translate research into practice in a complex health area that is evolving rapidly. The Taskforce brings together relevant peak clinical bodies within Australia and is linked with international evidence review efforts. The guidelines team is led by Dr Britta Tendal based at Cochrane Australia, Monash University and is overseen by a 20+ member Guideline Leadership Group which provides strategic direction to the guideline development program. The two successful applicants will:

• Provide strategic consumer input into the guideline development program. This could include contributing to selection of clinical questions to be addressed, decisions about current or emerging issues relevant to healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic, strategic conversations about the focus of guideline development activity, and other aligned topics
• Co-chair an online panel of consumers, jointly convened by the Consumers Health Forum of Australia, for 1.5 to 2 hours once a fortnight, at a time to be determined, and act as a bridge between the Consumer Panel and the Guidelines Leadership Group
• Be familiar and confident with conversations about research evidence and health care
• Have some understanding of the role of clinical guidelines and how they are developed
• Have significant experience contributing to high level strategic conversations
• Be available immediately and for the next 6 months
• Enjoy a fast-paced, environment, addressing vital clinical questions with very tight timelines
• Be confident using online meeting platforms like Zoom and with receiving documentation via email, etc.

Patient or family experience relevant to COVID-19 (for example intensive or critical care, or pneumonia, or other serious acute respiratory illness) would be an additional benefit.

The appointment is for a 6-month term starting 14 May 2020.  The work will consist of weekly 1-hour long online meetings (currently conducted on Monday evenings 6pm to 7pm) and pre-reading papers provided 2 to 3 days before the meetings. Please note that sitting fees, will be paid for this work.

CHF invites expressions of interest from consumer representatives by close of business on 12 May 2020.  Interested consumer representatives will need to:

• Complete a CHF nomination form available online at https://chf.org.au/representation/forms/consumer-representative-nomination-form
• Attach a letter of endorsement from a supporting health consumer organisation and/or provide sound demonstration of your links with a consumer base. This information ensures that consumer representatives are accountable to consumers. Please note that the health consumer group need not be a CHF member. This process ensures consumer representatives are placed with the confidence of consumers and have in place a consultative base enabling reps to draw from and report to consumers
• Attach a short CV (no longer than two pages) in pdf format which may be forwarded on to the Taskforce.

Please contact Ghislaine Martin on 02 6273 5444 or via email at g.martin@chf.org.au should you have any queries.

Expressions of interest close at COB on 12 May 2020

 

National COVID19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce – Consumer Panel

As part of the National COVID19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce, the Australian Living Evidence Consortium is developing living Australian guidelines for the clinical care of people with COVID-19. The current version of the guidelines is available at https://covid19evidence.net.au/ and new and revised recommendations are being produced each week.

This is a world-leading effort to translate research into practice in a complex health area that is evolving rapidly. The Taskforce brings together relevant peak clinical bodies within Australia and is linked with international evidence review efforts. The guidelines team is led by Dr Britta Tendal based at Cochrane Australia, Monash University and is overseen by a Guidelines Leadership Group which provides strategic direction to the guideline development program. The Guidelines Leadership Group includes two consumer representatives.

A Consumer Panel, co-convened by the Consumers Health Forum of Australia and the Taskforce, is being formed to advise the Guidelines Leadership Group. It will be co-chaired by the Guidelines Leadership Group consumer representatives. Eight experienced consumer representatives will provide strategic consumer advice to the guideline development program, including contributing ideas for clinical questions to be addressed, views on high priority topics, and feedback on guideline recommendations as they are developed. Successful applicants will:

• Be familiar and confident with conversations about research evidence and health care
• Be available immediately and for the next 6 months
• Be confident using online meeting platforms like Zoom, and with receiving documentation via email, etc.

Patient experience relevant to COVID-19 (for example intensive or critical care, or pneumonia, or other serious acute respiratory illness) or guideline development would be an additional benefit.

The appointment is for a 6-month term starting 14 May 2020.  The work will consist of fortnightly 2-hour long online meetings and pre-reading papers provided 2 to 3 days before the meetings. Please note that sitting fees, will be paid for this work.

CHF invites expressions of interest from consumer representatives by close of business on 12 May 2020.  Interested consumer representatives will need to:

• Complete a CHF nomination form available online at https://chf.org.au/representation/forms/consumer-representative-nomination-form
• Attach a letter of endorsement from a supporting health consumer organisation and/or provide sound demonstration of your links with a consumer base. This information ensures that consumer representatives are accountable to consumers. Please note that the health consumer group need not be a CHF member. This process ensures consumer representatives are placed with the confidence of consumers and have in place a consultative base enabling reps to draw from and report to consumers
• Attach a short CV (no longer than two pages) in pdf format which may be forwarded on to the Taskforce.

Please contact Ghislaine Martin on 02 6273 5444 or via email at g.martin@chf.org.au  should you have any queries.

Expressions of interest close at COB on 12 May 2020

 

Department of Health – Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) 

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) provides advice to the Minister for Health on the Immunise Australia Program and other related issues. 

ATAGI advises the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee on matters relating to the ongoing strength of evidence pertaining to existing, new and emerging vaccines in relation to their effectiveness and use in Australian populations. It produces the Australian Immunisation Handbook for the approval of the National Health and Medical Research Council. ATAGI consults with the National Immunisation Committee (NIC) on the content and format of the Australian Immunisation Handbook and implementation strategies. It also consults with the Communicable Diseases Network Australian (CDNA) and Expert Advisory Committees of the Therapeutic Goods Administration on matters relating to the implementation of immunisation policies, procedures and vaccine safety.  

ATAGI provides evidence based advice on immunisation policies, programs and priorities to the Australian Government Minister for Health. The work of the Group includes: 

• providing technical input to policy development through epidemiological reviews, promotion of research, and assessment of the evidence for vaccination programs 
• providing advice to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee in fulfilling its functions as set out in the National Health Act 1953, with respect to vaccines 
• producing the Australian Immunisation Handbook, meeting requirements set out by the NHMRC 
• providing technical advice to support effective implementation and communication of the NIP 
• identifying knowledge gaps and provide advice to national funding bodies on priorities for research to inform immunisation policy.  

Further information about ATAGI is provided in the ‘Policies and procedures for the administration and governance of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation’, available at https://beta.health.gov.au/resources/publications/policies-and-procedures-for-the-administration-and-governance-of-atagi  

CHF thanks consumer representative, Debra Petrys, for her work over many years in providing a consumer perspective to this important work.   

The appointment is for a 3-year term from June 2020 to June 2023.  The final decision on the appointment will be at the discretion of the Minister for Health, the Hon Greg Hunt MP. Mrs Petrys’ term is not due to end until June 2021, facilitating a one-year transition period between Mrs Petrys and the new consumer representative and allow a smooth handover.  The work consists of 6 meetings a year, 4 of the meetings are full-day face to face in Canberra and 2 are half day teleconferences.  Please note that the Department of Health will cover travel costs and sitting fees for this work. 

CHF invites expressions of interest from experienced consumer representatives for possible appointment by midnight AEST on Sunday 17 May 2020. Interested consumer representatives will need to: 

• Complete a CHF nomination form available online at https://chf.org.au/representation/forms/consumer-representative-nomination-form  

• Attach a letter of endorsement from a supporting health consumer organisation and/or provide sound demonstration of your links with a consumer base. This information ensures that consumer representatives are accountable to consumers. Please note that the health consumer group need not be a CHF member. This process ensures consumer representatives are placed with the confidence of consumers and have in place a consultative base enabling reps to draw from and report to consumers 
• Attach a short CV (no longer than two pages) in pdf format which may be forwarded to the Department. 

Please contact Ghislaine Martin on 02 6273 5444 or via email at g.martin@chf.org.au should you have any queries. 

Expressions of interest close at midnight AEST on Sunday 17 May 2020

 

Western Australian Department of Health – National Goals of Care Collaborative Steering Committee   

The Australian Digital Health Agency (the Agency) is partnering with the Western Australian Department of Health to establish and lead the National Goals of Care Collaborative (the Collaborative). The national project (National Goals of Care Collaborative) aims to make Advance Care Planning (ACP) and Goals of Care (GoC) documents useful and accessible to health care professionals across Australia, through the use of the My Health Record System. As part of the project, the Department of Health Western Australia will demonstrate the benefits of safe and secure sharing of Goals of Care clinical documents in My Health Record in several health services in Western Australia (WA). The National Goals of Care Collaborative Steering Committee will lead the ACP and GoPC MHR Project nationally, to ensure Project outcomes align with national initiatives and include interjurisdictional benefits.    

The National Goals of Care Collaborative Steering Committee will:  

• set national priorities for the Project and identify synergies in other jurisdictions  
• monitor the Project to ensure benefits are being identified, measured and reported  
• act as the national recommendation body to the Agency on ACP and GoC integration into MHR  
• develop and ratify an Advanced Care Planning My Health Record National Guideline document, guiding consumers and clinicians on key topics related to the process of developing, interpreting, implementing and sharing ACP and GoC documentation through MHR  
• support the principles of co-design between consumer and clinical domains, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) / Digital stakeholders 
• facilitate engagement into jurisdictional organisations and champion Project recommendations for ACP and GoC integration into MHR nationally  
• review any proposed changes to scope, budget and milestones and escalate to the Agency as required.  

The National Goals of Care Collaborative Steering Committee members are responsible for providing a national perspective on the Project and ensure project outcomes align with national initiatives and include interjurisdictional benefits. The members’ responsibilities are to:  

• provide advice to the National Goals of Care Collaborative ACP GoC MHR Project Team in relation to jurisdictional differences that need to be considered in project outcomes that could impact national adoption   
• advise on and facilitate engagement into jurisdictional organisations, providing contacts and proactively removing barriers to stakeholder engagement  
• support and promote the Project goals nationally and / or within their own jurisdiction  
• advise on external or other jurisdictional activities that may have interdependencies with the Project.   

The Collaborative will include representatives from all states and territories and will focus on making Advance Care Planning (ACP) and Goals of Care (GoC) documents useful and accessible to health care providers across Australia. The membership includes a mixture of both clinicians and departmental health staff. The Deputy Chair of the Committee is the CEO of Health Consumers’ Council WA.  

The appointment will run from 28 May 2020 to 30 June 2020 with the possibility of the work being extended to June 2021.  The work will consist of monthly teleconferences with the first meeting expected to take place on Thursday 28 May 2020.  Please note that the Department of Health Western Australia will pay sitting fees at remuneration tribunal rates for this important work. 

CHF invites expressions of interest from consumer representatives with experience and/or an interest in both digital health and advance care planning/end of life issues by midnight AEST on Sunday 17 May 2020. Interested consumer representatives will need to: 

• Complete a CHF nomination form available online at https://chf.org.au/representation/forms/consumer-representative-nomination-form 

• Attach a letter of endorsement from a supporting health consumer organisation and/or provide sound demonstration of your links with a consumer base. This information ensures that consumer representatives are accountable to consumers. Please note that the health consumer group need not be a CHF member. This process ensures consumer representatives are placed with the confidence of consumers and have in place a consultative base enabling reps to draw from and report to consumers 
• Attach a short CV (no longer than two pages) in pdf format which may be forwarded to the Western Australian Department of Health.     

Please contact Ghislaine Martin on 02 6273 5444 or at g.martin@chf.org.au should you have any queries. 

 Expressions of interest close at midnight AEST on Sunday 17 May 2020 

 

The University of Sydney – Opioid Deprescribing Guideline Development Group

The University of Sydney requires a consumer representative to join their Opioid Deprescribing Guideline Development Group. Overprescribing of prescription opioid analgesics is acknowledged to be a major international public health problem. There is a well-recognised need to mitigate inappropriate use of prescription opioids and related harm. Current prescribing guidelines provide advice regarding initiation of treatment and rarely address monitoring or medication discontinuation, or, where they do, provide inadequate cessation guidance and support. As such, novel opioid cessation approaches are needed to ensure appropriate opioid use.

The Opioid Deprescribing Guideline Development Group has been established to develop evidence-based deprescribing guidelines for opioid analgesics and a pilot strategy for the implementation of opioid deprescribing guidelines.  Members of the Group will need to:

• Attend meetings on an as-needed basis
• Contribute to guideline development and implementation
• Understand and adhere to agreed methods of communication, document generation and review

The appointment is for an 18-month term from 27 May 2020 to December 2021.  The work consists of 4 meetings which will be conducted face-to-face and/or via tele/videoconference.  The next meeting is anticipated to take place on Wednesday 27 May 2020. Please note that sitting fees, travel, accommodation and related expenses will be paid by the Opioid Deprescribing Guideline Research Group at the University of Sydney.

Applications to join the Opioid Deprescribing Guideline Development Group are currently open until midnight AEST on Sunday 17 May 2020. To apply, please email the following to PhD Candidate, Aili Langford, at the University of Sydney at aili.langford@sydney.edu.au:

• An outline of your skills, insights and experience as a consumer representative, listing particular committee work being involved with prescription medicines.
• A CV in pdf format

Please contact the Aili Langford on 0428 566 658 should you have any queries.

Expressions of interest close at midnight AEST on Sunday 17 May 2020

The actions we take to slow the spread of COVID-19 can also stop the spread of influenza and other viruses.

With the flu season approaching and the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) a concern, everyone is encouraged to take every precaution to protect against the flu.

Good hygiene is one of the most important ways to help prevent colds and flu.

 

Good hygiene includes:

• Washing your hands regularly and properly with soap and water, particularly after touching your nose or mouth, and before handling food (Watch Hunter and Piper show you how it’s done).
• Sneezing and coughing into your elbow or tissues, then throwing them away immediately and washing your hands.
• Cleaning surfaces such as your keyboard, telephone and door handles regularly to get rid of germs.
• Not sharing cups, plates and cutlery.
• Where you can, avoid sharing towels with other people and throw disposable tissues and paper towels in the bin immediately after using them.

 

Other ways to help prevent flu can include:

• Stay home when you’re sick.
• Annual flu vaccination.

5 convenient truths about the flu and the flu vaccine

10 tips to fight the flu

Go to healthdirect for more information about colds and flu

UPDATE – 18 MAY Seasonal influenza vaccinations are now available and everyone – especially those in vulnerable groups or age brackets – is encouraged to talk to their GP or pharmacist to arrange a flu shot.

This year it’s even more important to be vigilant about the flu because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

While there is not yet a vaccine or effective treatment for COVID-19, vaccination provides defence against the seasonal flu and will reduce the risk of a dangerous double-up of flu and coronavirus – both diseases affecting the respiratory system.

Expert medical advice is that everyone aged six months and over should be vaccinated against influenza this year, and every year, to protect themselves and others in the community.

Receiving a vaccination from April provides optimal protection in the peak period of influenza circulation, usually from June to September in most parts of Australia.

Flu shots are available for free under the National Immunisation Program for at risk patients who include:

• pregnant women at any stage of pregnancy;
• all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged six months and older;
• people aged 65 years and older;
• people aged six months and older with certain medical risk factors; and
• for the first time, all children aged between six months and five years.

It is important you call ahead to make a flu shot appointment to ensure your immunisation provider has the correct vaccine for you. It is also vital to respect any social distancing measures your local general practice has in place once you arrive at your appointment.

Source: Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt

Find more information about the flu:

Australian Department of Health

NSW Health

The NSW Government is asking individuals and businesses to take steps to prepare for a possible COVID-19 pandemic converging with winter flu in the coming months. 

Health Minister Brad Hazzard and Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said NSW Health has planned extensively for a pandemic and further strengthened its response since the SARS, MERS and H1N1 “swine flu” threats, but everyone plays a role in prevention. 

“Simple hygiene measures like regular hand washing, sneezing into your elbow and, most importantly, staying home when sick, will not only help ease ED presentations for flu but also support existing COVID-19 pandemic plans,” Mr Hazzard said. 

“Businesses also need to review their continuity plans now. Look at strategies for keeping workers safe with simple measures such as alcohol hand rub in the workplace, stress the importance of staying home when sick, and use technologies that allow people to work from home where necessary. 

“We also ask everyone to please see your GP for minor illnesses and injuries where possible, to ensure we keep our EDs for emergencies only, particularly as we head into the busy flu season.” 

Dr Chant said the emergence of community spread of COVID-19 in multiple countries outside mainland China demonstrates how quickly the virus can pass from person to person and, because it can present as mild disease, how preventing it’s spread can be challenging. 

“We know from managing past pandemics, including  influenza, that unless everyone is onboard from the start – government, business and the community – it makes our task that much harder,” Dr Chant said. 

“We have been prudently planning and regularly reviewing everything from ED and intensive care capacity, staff capacity and training and supplies of critical medical equipment to streamlining how we manage patients with acute respiratory illness. 

“While the few COVID-19 cases in NSW to date have been mild, the global spread of the virus, coupled with flu season fast approaching, means the situation for our hospitals could change quickly so we’re asking everyone to plan now.”

While the influenza vaccine won’t combat COVID-19, it will help reduce the severity and spread of flu. Face masks are not recommended for the general public unless you are unwell and masks should be saved for people to use when they are sick. 

Find out more

Download the media release 

Last updated: 10 March 2020

 

Information for Community members

HealthDirect – Coronavirus information, including how to isolate yourself 
 

NSW Health – Coronavirus FAQs
 

World Health Organisation (WHO) – Coronavirus Myth busters
 

NSW Health – resources in English, Chinese Simplified & Traditional 
 

NSW Health – resources in Arabic, Bahasa, Korean, Thai & Vietnamese 
 

NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service website 

 

Information for Primary Healthcare Providers

NSW Health – COVID-19 information
 

RACGP – Information on Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)
 

Australian Government Department of Health – Coronavirus (COVID-19) information
 

World Health Organisation (WHO) – Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) information
 

NSW dedicated coronavirus testing collection centre locations
 

Private pathology coronavirus collection centres in South Western Sydney
 

Infection prevention and control

 

Information for healthcare and residential care workers

• Australian Government Department of Health – Coronavirus (COVID-19) factsheet for healthcare and residential care workers

 

Media release – Brad Hazzard – Minister for Health and Medical Research 

 Community urged to help prevent Coronavirus – 27 February 2020

 

Information Helplines 

Coronavirus Health Information Line

Call this Australian Government Department of Health phone line if you are seeking information on novel coronavirus. The line operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

1800 020 080

 

healthdirect helpline

Call this number to speak to a registered nurse about your health concerns. The hotline is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

1800 022 222

https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/