New Registrars and GPs Archives | South Western Sydney PHN

18 February 2025

As Mardi Gras approaches, it’s important for clinicians to stay informed about the latest mpox updates, including vaccination, testing and post exposure prevention.

Vaccination is recommended for all gay and bisexual men as well as men who have sex with men, their sexual partners and sex workers.

NSW Health offers a range of information and resources designed to provide optimal care for your patients to keep them, and the community, safe.

Vaccination

Recommendation: NSW Health recommends vaccination for all gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men (MSM), their sexual partners and sex workers
Selected NSW clinics offer vaccination—encourage eligible individuals to quickly book an appointment today.

Testing

As part of the Mpox update for clinicians, testing should be conducted for gay, bisexual, and MSM with symptoms, regardless of vaccination status, travel history, or history of mpox. Request an MPOX PCR from anogenital ulcers or a rectal swab in men with proctitis
Consider Mpox in sexual partners of gay, bisexual and MSM, sex workers, and their partners, regardless of gender if they have compatible symptoms
For further testing and management guidance, refer to the STI Guidelines

Post-Exposure Vaccination (PEPV)

If an individual has been in contact with someone who has mpox and is not fully vaccinated, post-exposure preventative vaccination (PEPV) can be administered within 14 days to reduce the severity of the disease
For guidance, call 1300 066 055 or visit post-exposure preventative vaccination (PEPV) for mpox

Stay safe and informed

For more details on how to protect your patients and the community, visit the Mpox Information Hub or ACON
Translated mpox factsheets are available in multiple languages for your patients
If your patient needs support in their language, call the Translating and Interpreting Service on 13 14 50.

NSW Health has also seen a recent rise in the number of gonorrhoea cases – for further testing and management guidelines, refer to the Gonorrhoea Guidelines.

09 July 2024

The RACGP has updated the infection prevention and control (IPC) guidelines for general practices and other office-based and community-based practices undergoing accreditation or reaccreditation.

Potentially infectious microorganisms are prevalent in healthcare settings, so infection prevention and control measures aim to minimise the number present in the practice environment and prevent their transmission.

The updated guidelines work in conjunction with the requirements already in place and offer additional assistance with planning and implementing high standards for infection prevention and control.

Additional details for practices have also been added to help meet existing requirements.

The guidelines were developed and reviewed by experts in the fields of infectious diseases, microbiology and infection prevention and control, as well as doctors, practice nurses and practice managers.

Practices aren’t accredited against the IPC guidelines but may refer to them in relevant criteria in the Standards for General Practices (5^th edition).

The RACGP has developed a series of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to address common issues which are presented to the standards team.

The FAQs expand on the current standards for reprocessing in office-based practices – AS 5369 – Reprocessing of reusable medical devices and other devices in health and non-health related facilities – which was published in December 2023.

RACGP – Infection prevention and control guidelines

23 April 2024

Domestic and family violence (DFV) is common with one in three women subjected to DFV worldwide. However, there are significant barriers to help-seeking by survivors, and identification of DFV by health providers.

The RACGP is holding the Overcoming barriers for addressing domestic and family violence (DFV) webinar to give participants an understanding of the barriers faced by both survivors and health practitioners, and how these may be overcome.

The webinar, on Tuesday, 7 May from 12.30pm to 1.15pm, will also outline the expectations survivors have from health practitioners and a model for health practitioners’ readiness to address DFV.

The Safer Families Centre has developed a clinical audit CPD activity for GPs on Intimate Partner Violence Identification (IPV) and initial response which complements the Overcoming barriers for addressing domestic and family violence webinar.

The activity aims to provide a better understanding of IPV and how to identify and ask patients about it.

GPs will also strengthen their capacity to identify barriers to asking about IPV and how to overcome those barriers. The activity also attracts up to 10 RACGP CPD hours for GPs.

Download audit activity/template

02 April 2024

SWSPHN Chief Executive Officer, Dr Keith McDonald PhD, will be among the keynote speakers at the next Sydney South West GP Link Breaking Down the Silos event at Rydges Campbelltown, on Tuesday, 30 April, from 6pm to 9pm.

GPs and non-GP specialists are invited to the next in the series of networking dinner meetings, which will focus on Poverty and the Socioeconomic Determinants of Health.

Other keynote speakers will include:

South Western Sydney Local Health District Chief Executive Sonia Marshall
Macarthur MP and paediatrician, Dr Mike Freelander MP
GP and Chair of the RACGP Specific Interest Group, Dr Tim Senior
RACGP NSW and ACT Chair Rebekah Hoffman
NSW Ministry of Health, Office of the Chief Health Officer, Senior Medical Advisors, Dr Jan Fizzell / Dr Sarah Khanlari

There is no cost to attend.

Find out more/register

02 April 2024

Health professionals are advised medicines and herbal supplements containing the herb Withania somnifera may cause adverse events in some people.

This includes sudden and potentially severe gastrointestinal symptoms in some people and, in very rare cases, may be associated with liver injury.

When treating patients who are presenting with symptoms of liver injury, you should consider whether a complementary medicine could be involved.

Use of medicines or herbal supplements containing Withania somnifera should be avoided in patients with existing or previous liver pathologies.

Find out more

22 January 2024

The Statewide Intellectual Disability Mental Health Outreach Service is providing education and training sessions for health professionals to improve their confidence, clinical knowledge and expertise in providing mental healthcare to people with an intellectual disability.

The ECHO program offers practical advice and clinical teaching, using a combination of brief lecture-based presentations and participant-led case discussions, with opportunities for participants to present their own clinical cases and receive specialist team feedback.

Weekly sessions are held via Zoom.

Registrations are open for the next two series.

Find out more/register

15 January 2024

The Medical Costs Finder can help your patients who need to see a private health specialist.

At the point of referral, the Medical Costs Finder website can help patients:

find the typical costs for common private health treatments in different locations across Australia
understand and plan for the costs of private treatment early in the journey
access tips to confidently discuss medical costs with a specialist

Read this guide for GPs when making referrals to medical specialists to help your patients make better informed decisions.

Find out more about the Medical Costs Finder.

Patient resources:

So, you need to see a specialist?
A guide to out-of-pocket medical costs – helping you plan for the cost of medical treatment – Also translated into Arabic, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese.
A guide for patients – choosing a specialist

31 October 2023

Healthcare providers play a vital role in road and public passenger safety by assessing the fitness to drive of bus drivers.

Transport for NSW has provided guidance for healthcare providers following changes to the way bus driver applications are processed and assessed.

All Bus Driver Authority applicants must pass a commercial medical fitness exam before they can submit their application.

Patients seeking to become a bus driver must be assessed at the ‘commercial’ medical standard under the Assessing Fitness to Drive (Austroads) guidelines.

When completing a bus driver medical assessment online, it is critical for the patient that you select ‘commercial’ standard drop down, and tick the radio box ‘Is this medical for the purpose of driving a public passenger vehicle’.

Please submit Fitness to Drive forms online via your practice management software or a secure web platform.

This provides an improved experience for patients as they receive a real-time assessment response (in-person or via telehealth).

Visit the NSW Government website for more information on the online Fitness to Drive medical assessment.

24 October 2023

“A Churchill Fellowship offers Australian citizens a life-changing opportunity to travel overseas for four to eight weeks to learn more about a topic or issue that they are passionate about.”

Dr Tim Senior (pictured above), a GP at Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation in Campbelltown, has been awarded a Churchill Fellowship to travel to and study general practice in deprived areas in the United Kingdom for two months.

He is confident the information he will bring back has the potential to improve primary care in disadvantaged Australian communities.

“The Fellowship will be highly relevant as many of the challenges and joys encountered by GPs in deprived communities in the UK are the same as those encountered in South Western Sydney,” Dr Senior said.

His trip will focus on Deep End GP networks in Scotland, Ireland and England, where GPs serve the most disadvantaged communities. GPs at the Deep End work collectively, sharing learning on projects involving advocacy, service development, research/evidence, and professional development.

“Each group has developed from the ground up in their local communities and developed different ideas I want to learn from,” Dr Senior said.

“Some groups focus on how GPs can be supported, some on advocacy about policy in working in areas of poverty, some groups are involved in GP research networks, and some have done some interesting work in specific GP registrar training for working in deprived communities.

“The GPs at the Deep End groups have the most advanced thinking and action in tackling these problems from a GP perspective, rather than a public health perspective. It’s this range of ideas and experiences that can change what we do in Australia.”

Dr Senior said he first encountered the work of the GPs at the Deep End in 2011.

“What struck me was how similar their work was to my work in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. Obviously, there were differences … however, much of the work was also influenced by poverty.”

Dr Senior said his career in general practice, including 18 years at Tharawal, had always involved working in low-income communities.

“I’m proud of being a GP, and very much aware of the importance of primary care – patient-centred, accessible to all, coordinated, multidisciplinary and life-long – for population health and the health of communities. GPs are experts in patient-centred care, multimorbidity, complexity, early diagnosis and in understanding local context.”

“It’s important everyone has access to this type of care, and those who need this care most and have the most to benefit, are those who can least afford to pay for it,” he said.

Dr Senior said one of the things he hoped to learn through his Fellowship was if local Deep End GP groups would be useful in Australia.

“I imagine they would provide methods of peer support, though I think they would look very different in Australia to the UK because of the interaction with rural and remote health and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health in Australia,” he said.

“We’ve set up a specific interest group in poverty and health at the RACGP, which may function as a national network – RACGP members can join this right now.”

Dr Senior said his Fellowship experiences would inform his work through the RACGP and at Tharawal.

“I’ll also be writing about my experiences and what I learn – and producing a report for the Churchill Trust, which will be freely available. I’m also very happy to speak to people formally and informally, to help them implement any areas they are interested in locally,” he said.

Dr Senior’s passion and drive to assist the disadvantaged comes, in no small part, from his own background.

His GP training was in Sheffield, England, working in deprived communities after the collapse of the mining and steel-working industry in the 1980s.

“I’ve been fortunate in the opportunities I’ve had, though my parents and grandparents came from Methodist Yorkshire working-class families that struggled for money – but always had a social conscience,” he said.

“I’ve been very influenced by that upbringing, feeling that I should use my skills where they are most needed.”

Dr Senior is a member of Asthma Australia’s Professional Advisory Council.

Besides his role at Tharawal, he is also a clinical senior lecturer at Western Sydney University and the Medical Advisor of the RACGP Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health. He also founded the Environmental Impacts in General Practice network in the RACGP NFSI.

07 July 2023

The Centre for Alcohol and Other Drugs, NSW Ministry of Health, is seeking GPs to participate in paid online focus groups about GP engagement with the Opioid Treatment Program (OTP).

The OPT provides life-saving treatment to people living with opioid dependence. The aim of these focus groups is to gather a diverse range of perspectives from GPs who have had experience or are interested in engaging with the OTP.

Eligibility

If you are…

A GP primarily working in general practice, AND
Have an interest in the OTP, OR
You are already prescribing OTP medication for up to five patients

the centre wants to hear from you!

How to Register

The centre will be conducting four, one-hour, online focus groups at the times listed below:

6pm, Monday, 17 July
7.30pm, Tuesday, 18 July
7.30am, Thursday, 20 July
12pm, Friday 21 July

Click here to register. You will then receive a calendar invitation confirming your attendance.

Payment

GPs who participate will be paid at the rate of $120 for the hour. Participation is limited to one focus group per person.

Confidentiality

Please note: participation in the focus groups is confidential, and all data collected will be anonymised and used solely for research purposes.

For more information about this project, contact Kristina.Gavrilovic@health.nsw.gov.au

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Topic: New Registrars and GPs