More Allied Health Services (MAHS)

The Mackay Division has run a successful More Allied Health Services Program since 2001. Employing a Psychologist and engaging a Dietitian on a contract basis, services are delivered to Sarina, Proserpine, Cannonvale( Whitsunday's), Mirani and Glenden. Over 600 referrals are received per year. A focus of the program has been assisting GP's in care plan preparation and attending case conferences regarding referred patients. This approach has proven to be very popular with rural doctors and has seen great benefits for rural patients.

BOiMH Mackay Community Counselling Service. (MCCS)

In 2004, the Division employed a second full time Clinical Psychologist to assist in the delivery of the Better Outcomes in Mental Health Program. This in conjunction with the already successful MAHS program has strengthened mental health services across the region. Again, the Division has focused on streamlining referral and communication processes for GP's wishing to refer patients.

Bowel Cancer Screening Pilot Program (BCSPP)

• Mackay is one of the three sites chosen for the Australian Government initiated Pilot Program assessing the feasibility, acceptability and cost effectiveness of a national bowel cancer screening pilot program using faecal occult blood testing (FOBT). The other two sites are parts of metropolitan Melbourne and Adelaide.
• The Pilot program was launched in Mackay in November 2002. Eligible participants (those aged between 55-74 and living in nominated postcodes) have alphabetically been sent FOBTs to their home with an invitation to undertake the screening test. The final mail-out of the kits and invitations will be in May 2004.
• In Mackay, the local roll-out of the program has been overseen by an Implementation group chaired by the Mackay Division of General Practice which has representation from Queensland Health, GPs, ATSI health services, Queensland Cancer Fund, DoHA and consumers.

Technical Support Service

The Technical Support Service is a user pays service provided by the Division. This service has been established since 2002 to:

• Assist practices in implementing computerised management systems.
• Assist practices in maintaining their computerised systems.
• Increase data integrity and security within practices.
• Provide technical support and assistance to other health professionals to aid them in their Information Management.
• Improve the confidence of computer users in general practices.
• Improve the computer skills of practice staff and GPs.
• Provide PC education and training to health professionals.
• Assist practice staff to effectively use the Internet and Email.
• Assist in the further integration of informatics with other programs in the Division. 

Locum Service

The Mackay Division has operated a locum service for the past 9 years which provides locum relief for all GPs within the divisional area.

Rural HealthLine

Rural HealthLine is a nurse triage phone service designed to offer people living in rural and remote communities access to quality after-hours medical support. Based at the Mater Private After Hours Service in Mackay, Rural HealthLine is a joint initiative of the Mackay Division of General Practice, The Mackay Mater Misericordiae Hospital and the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing. Rural HealthLine is staffed by dedicated Registered Nurses and supported by rostered GPs.

Mater Private After Hours Service

The Division provides administrative support for the Mater Private After Hours Service which operates after hours and all weekend from the Mater Misericordiae Hospital and utilises rostered GPs.

 Quality Use of Medicines

• Home Medication Reviews (HMR)
  • HMR is a service provided to patients living at home in the community. The goal of HMR is to maximise an individual patient's benefit from their medication regimen, accomplished through a team approach involving the GP and the patients preferred community pharmacy, with the patient as the central focus. The DMMR program operates under the directive of the Program Advisory Group which is comprised of community and private pharmacists, Queensland Pharmacy Guild representatives, GPs, Blue Nursing Services and consumer groups.
• Enhanced Divisional Quality Use of Medicines (EDQUM)
  • The Division is a pilot participant in the EDQUM program looking at quality prescribing in antibiotics, statins and PPIs through divisional data collection and ongoing GP participation in education and peer group activities.
  • The Primary Health Care Initiative established by the Division is a component of EDQUM and aims to assist GPs in patient management by providing dietetic referrals for patients with obesity and co-morbid chronic conditions requiring drug intervention. The initiative will also address antibiotic prescribing in common cold as a community education component.
• Quality Indicators is a clinical audit program developed in response to the need for accurate data to validate and inform Division activities in quality use of medicines.
• NPS Facilitator - The key role of NPS is to provide unbiased and evidenced-based advise about quality prescribing and quality use of medicines on a variety of therapeutic topics. The list of therapeutic topics being delivered from the Mackay Division of General Practice in the past three years have included:
  • Antibiotics
  • Depression
  • Hormone Replacement Therapy
  • Hypertension
  • Type 2 Diabetes
  • Heart Failure 

Immunisation

The Division continually supports GPs in the Mackay region with data and information on the childhood vaccination schedule, communicable diseases and local immunisation issues including Q Fever. Practices are supported with data cleaning and cold chain visits and there is a regular page devoted to Immunisation in the monthly Divisional newsletter - Whitsunday Passages. Practices in the region are fully supported in maintaining and improving national immunisation benchmarks.

Practice Support

The Practice Support Program aims to assist practices through:

• practice staff professional development;
• technical support;
• specialist upskilling sessions;
• accreditation support;
• chronic disease management support;
• PIP/SIP information and updates;
• business upskilling and streamlining of practice systems.

Practice Nurse and Practice Manager networks are key components of the Practice Support Program.

Continuing Professional Development

The Division has an active CPD program developed around annual GP Needs survey, current national initiatives and community needs. A minimum of ten divisional CPD events are held each year which incorporate a range of learning formats including peer group meetings, clinical audits, skills based learning and specialist presentations. The Division has an active Evidence Based Medicine GP Peer Group which meets monthly and receives RACGP Small Group Learning points.

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