CRANAplus

4 days ago

CEO's Weekly Update 18th August 2017

Dear CRANAplus Members and Stakeholders,

This month the Health Council of COAG (the gathering of Federal, State and Territory Health Ministers), approved a Digital Health Strategy for Australia – “Safe, seamless and secure: evolving health and care to meet the needs of modern Australia.” (goo.gl/HPz7ar)

Their comments following the announcement included. “The strategy has identified the priority areas that form the basis of Australia’s vision for digital health. It will build on Australia’s existing leadership in digital health care and support consumers and clinicians to put the consumer at the centre of their health care and provide choice, control, and transparency.”

I’m sure we all agree the benefits of having high quality digital health systems across rural and remote Australia are clear and a high priority. Thereby helping us to ensure better accessibility, consistency, transferability, integration and clinical safety and speed, all while having the patient in control at the centre of their care.

By the end of 2018 all Australians will have a My Health Record (goo.gl/i49XpW), as we move from an opt-in to an opt-out process, currently 5 Million of us have already created our own records. You may remember it previously referred to as the PCEHR (personally controlled electronic health record). By 2022 all health professionals will have the ability to contribute and use health information in My Health Record on behalf of their patients, including medications, allergies, past medical history, investigations etc.

The seven strategic priorities include:
1. Health information that is available whenever and wherever it is needed
2. Health information that can be exchanged securely
3.High-quality data with a commonly understood meaning that can be used with confidence
4. Better availability and access to prescriptions and medicines information
5. Digitally-enabled models of care that improve accessibility, quality, safety and efficiency
6. A workforce confidently using digital health technologies to deliver health and care
7. A thriving digital health industry delivering world-class innovation

The strategy was developed by the Australian Digital Health Agency (goo.gl/ntuRM8) and we are very pleased to have their General Manager of Strategy, Dr Kim Webber, as an invited speaker at the 2017 CRANAplus Conference in Broome. (www.cranaconference.com/speakers)

Cheers
Christopher Cliffe CEO ... See MoreSee Less

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CRANAplus

2 weeks ago

CEO's Weekly Update - 11th August 2017

Dear CRANAplus Members and Stakeholders,

CRANAplus through its position paper (goo.gl/U7gH3N) has publicly committed to celebrating sexual and gender diversity, upholding the LGBTI communities’ right to not be discriminated against and to positively influence attitudes and behaviours in this regard.

The principles of human rights and equality are the foundations for social justice and marriage equality is seen by many in our society as an important social justice issue. An issue that many believe has little impact on anyone except the LGBTI community, their families and friends.
Our Patron Michael Kirby, former high court judge and renowned human rights expert has provided his comments (goo.gl/JRnPD7) on the current position of the government in regards to the legitimacy and risks associated with a ‘postal’ public vote on marriage equality.

We know that in remote and rural Australia there is a significant LGBTI community and a public debate that is hurtful and will likely increase feelings of marginalisation, exclusion and isolation for many. Some useful resources for you or your patients include:

CRANAplus Bush Support Services - for the remote health workforce and their families: 1800 805 391 (crana.org.au/support)

Out & Online (ages 18-25) – online help for same-gender attracted youth (www.outandonline.org.au/)

QLife (counselling and referral service for LGBTI people) – call 1800 184 527 or chat online (qlife.org.au/)

beyondblue (for anyone feeling depressed or anxious) – call 1300 224 636 or chat online (www.beyondblue.org.au/)

headspace (mental health service for ages 12-25) – call 1800 650 890 or chat online (www.headspace.org.au/)

Lifeline (support for anyone having a personal crisis) – call 13 11 14 or chat online (www.lifeline.org.au/)

Suicide Call Back Service (for anyone thinking about suicide) – call 1300 659 467 (www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au/)

PFLAG – Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (www.pflag.org/)

Should the current proposal to conduct a postal public vote proceed, the challenges to participate for remote Australians must be considered, or our voices in this unprecedented process will not be heard. Overcoming the issues of timely local mail delivery, English literacy, and cultural appropriateness in remote Australia will be no easy feat!

A gentle reminder that nominations for the vacant positions on our Board of Directors must be received prior to Saturday, 19th August 2017. (goo.gl/cSrzaS)

As Sunday is the anniversary of Florence Nightingale's death in 1910, I’ll leave you to ponder an attributed quote from the great lady…”I have lived and slept in the same bed with English countesses and Prussian farm women... no woman has excited passions among women more than I have.”

Cheers,
Christopher Cliffe
Chief Executive Officer ... See MoreSee Less

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CRANAplus

3 weeks ago

CEO's Weekly Update - 4th August 2017

Dear CRANAplus Members and Stakeholders,

Our colleagues at the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) released its latest research paper entitled "Health care access, mental health and preventative health.” (goo.gl/iom7mB)

The report describes the results of an online survey of 454 remote and rural Australians conducted in early 2017, seeking their opinions on the three most important health issues impacting their communities and the three areas where money should be spent to improve health outcomes for their communities.

Dr Lara Bishop, Manager of Research and Policy at the RFDS said “the five most important issues identified by respondents were access to medical services; mental health; drugs and alcohol; cancer; and cardiovascular health. The areas of health that respondents identified money should be spent on included: access to medical services; mental health; health promotion and prevention activities; cancer; aged care; and travel and accommodation support for people needing to access health care outside of their community.”

All of our CRANAplus Managers will be spending next week in the CRANAplus Cairns office, working through our operational plans for the financial year. Like many other remote workplaces reliant on the phone, skype or emails to communicate with each other, we believe the investment in a few face-to-face gatherings a year is money well spent.

No matter how good our I.T. gets, nothing beats the building of fruitful professional relationships, the resolution of complex issues and the building of trust that occurs when we are given the opportunity to spend quality time in each other’s company.
Cheers,

Christopher Cliffe
Chief Executive Officer ... See MoreSee Less

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CRANAplus

3 weeks ago

It's your FINAL last chance to take advantage of our Early Bird Registration deals for this year's Conference which MUST END AT MIDNIGHT TONIGHT.
(We kid ya NOT!)
Don't delay - Register Now online at www.cranaconference.com ... See MoreSee Less

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CRANAplus

3 weeks ago

Early Bird Registration savings END TOMORROW NIGHT (Midnight on the 31st July) - Don't miss out (you won't be able to bear it!) REGISTER NOW at www.cranaconference.com ... See MoreSee Less

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