Primary Health

Retaining a clinical perspective in macro level changes

By Australian Health Journal — 2 weeks ago

Dr Shona Sundaraj BAppSc (Phty), MBBS, FRACGP, MBA is Group Medical Director at Medibank, bringing over two decades of clinical and systems experience to strategy, research and stakeholder engagement. She leads the Medibank Better Health Research Hub and Chairs the Health Research Governance Committee, guiding stakeholder engagement, competitive grant rounds and partnerships with universities, translational research centres and peak bodies to support evidence based improvement in care.

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Sydney North Neighbourhood Health Hubs to approach health and welfare in holistic way

By Australian Health Journal — 5 months ago

Many people struggle to access the right care at the right time, leading to gaps, delays, and confusion when navigating the health system. By fostering collaboration and integration, the Wellbeing Collaborative will support a primary care system that works better together, making it easier for individuals to receive early intervention and preventative care. By working together and in partnership, Sydney North Health Network aim to create more connected, accessible, and person-centred services that address key health challenges locally, including chronic illness, mental health, aged care, alcohol and other drugs (AOD), and suicide prevention.

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Early detection & surveillance guides for pancreatic cancer

By Australian Health Journal — 7 months ago

Pancreatic cancer remains one of Australia’s deadliest cancers, with five-year survival rates hovering at just 14%, with little improvement over several decades. Often called the ‘silent killer’, the disease frequently presents with minimal or vague symptoms, resulting in late diagnoses and poor outcomes. Pancare Foundation is leading the rollout of new clinical resources and surveillance guides to support healthcare professionals in identifying at-risk patients and promoting early detection.

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Upskilling & empowering Health Professionals to support preconception to pre-school level health

By Australian Health Journal — 1 year ago

A new podcast series, developed by Health and Wellbeing Queensland, is designed to upskill and empower health professionals in their support of parents from preconception through to the pre-school years.

Clinician’s Guide to the First 2000 Days follows the success of Health and Wellbeing Queensland’s first podcast series Clinician’s Guide to Healthy Kids, launched in 2023. Both focus on supporting health professionals to have effective conversations on positive health behaviours.

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Peak body in child and family services urges prioritising healthcare for kids in care

By Australian Health Journal — 1 year ago

The Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare (the Centre) is calling on the Australian Government to prioritise healthcare access for children in out-of-home care.

“We have many amazing young people in care with huge potential, but they’re not set up for success,” said Deb Tsorbaris, CEO “Young people and workers tell us that access to health and education assessments is a huge disadvantage.”

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Strengthening Evidence Through Health Research Where Most People Access Healthcare

By Australian Health Journal — 1 year ago

In February 2025, the Australian Government committed over $22 million for primary care research, including $5.2m awarded to Professor Michael Kidd, Director of the International Centre for Future Health Systems at UNSW and recently appointed Australia’s Chief Medical Officer, to lead the establishment of one of the largest research collaborations in Australia focused on improving primary care.

The Royal Australian College of GPs says a new national multidisciplinary consortium for primary care research is a positive step forward to improve patient care.

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Clinical research integrates with GP and Pharmacist workflows to supplement practice revenue

By Australian Health Journal — 2 years ago

Clinical trials are crucial to the development of evidence-based preventative medicines. In addition, participation in clinical trials can also provide patients with opportunities to access new treatments.

“Clinical trials are at the heart of medical advances which look into new ways to treat, prevent, or detect disease. Volunteers often do so to help contribute to advancing scientific research, knowing that they are participating in the hope of helping future generations,” said Charlotte Bradshaw, CEO and Founder to Evrima Technologies.

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Updated handbook on chronic kidney disease management in primary care

By Australian Health Journal — 2 years ago

Kidney Health Australia’s latest kidney disease guide for primary care practitioners is expected to be pivotal in slowing down the rates of kidney failure, which have doubled in the past 20 years and if left unchecked will grow by a further 42% by 2030, according to the health charity.

With specific reference to new kidney treatments and culturally safe kidney care for First Nations Australians, the 5th edition of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Management in Primary Care handbook, known as the ‘kidney bible’, is a significant step-up in enabling earlier diagnosis of kidney disease for GPs and other front-line healthcare professionals.

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Intervention in hearing loss for patients

By Australian Health Journal — 2 years ago

In her role as an audiologist and trainer, Lauren McNee emphasises the urgency of addressing sudden hearing loss, highlighting the time-sensitive nature of available treatment options. She advises healthcare professionals, including GPs, pharmacists, primary care nurses and specialists, to remain vigilant for subtle signs of hearing loss in their patients. Such signs may include difficulty following prescription guidelines, miscommunication during conversations, or non-verbal cues like a tilt of the head or asking for repetitions.

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Australasian College of Paramedicine makes case for multi-disciplinary care

By Australian Health Journal — 2 years ago

Despite being seen primarily as emergency responders, paramedics have long been providing care in the primary care space. As such, their increased involvement in primary and urgent care is a natural progression that can lead to improved health outcomes for communities. Urgent care clinics, which treat non-life-threatening injuries and illnesses, have been a recent introduction. However, when these clinics were initially proposed, paramedics were left out of the opportunity, despite being experts in urgent, acute, unplanned, and unscheduled care. They work in these types of situations every day in the ambulance service and should be utilised in these clinics to improve patient outcomes. Working as part of multidisciplinary teams with doctors and nurses can further enhance the outcomes for local communities.

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