UPSKILLING AND EMPOWERING HEALTH PROFESSIONALS TO SUPPORT PRECONCEPTION TO PRE-SCHOOL LEVEL HEALTH CARE Health and Wellbeing Queensland launches new podcast series with experts across allied health and primary care
With
Dr Robyn Littlewood, Chief Executive
Health and Wellbeing Queensland
Fiona Nave, Principal Lead & Advanced Practising Dietician
Health and Wellbeing Queensland
Dr Terri-Lynne South, GP, Accredited Practicing Dietitian
& Guest on Episode 1 Preconception healthcare
Dr Shelley Wilkinson, Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian
& Guest on Episode 1 Preconception healthcare
AUSTRALIAN HEALTH JOURNAL SEGMENT
Filmed in Brisbane | May 2025
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.
The podcast series is one of the ways Health and Wellbeing Queensland is supporting health professionals in delivering comprehensive, world-class healthcare.
‘The first 2000 days of life are critical for long-term development and prevention of chronic disease across the lifespan,’ said Dr Robyn Littlewood, Health and Wellbeing Queensland’s Chief Executive.
‘When children are supported with early, evidenced-based prevention initiatives during this critical and formative years, combined with health-promoting environments and ongoing care across the lifespan, this helps lay the foundation for life-long health and wellbeing, including reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes.
‘Health and Wellbeing Queensland has a key role in highlighting the importance of prevention during this critical time, raising awareness, and providing education and resources to support our Health Professional workforce.’
Delivered over nine episodes, Clinician’s Guide to the First 2000 Days is hosted by Queensland GP Dr Sam Manger.
Each episode, Dr Manger interviews two subject matter experts, with Accredited Practicing Dietitian Dr Shelley Wilkinson and GP Dr Terri-Lynne South, lending their expertise to episode one.
In addition to preconception care, the nine episodes also explore antenatal care, postnatal care for mothers and infants, and toddler growth and development.
The Clinician’s Guide to the First 2000 Days episodes can be listened on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Pandora, or your favourite podcast app.
Source: Adapted from Health and Wellbeing Queensland media release
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Being Part of the New Health Frontier
In November last year, the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport delivered its bipartisan report “The New Frontier: Delivering better health for all Australians” on the approval processes for new drugs and novel medical technologies in Australia.
Australian Health Journal spoke to some of the industry bodies who were part of the Inquiry, for their comments on the process, the report and hopes in the recommendations being implemented.
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Paediatric mental help for children of defence personnel, veterans and first responders
Dr Marg Rogers is a Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Education at University of New England (UNE) in Armidale, New South Wales. She is a prominent figure in early childhood education New South Wales, and is also a Post Doctoral Fellow at the Manna Institute, a mental health research organisation within the regional university network across Australia, that is building place based research capacity to improve the mental health of regional, rural and remote Australia.
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Continuity of Care under COVID-19
Series 3, Episode 1
Under the COVID-19 pandemic, the Australian Healthcare system has handled the public health crisis by monitoring and responding to challenges in supply chains, testing & tracing of new infections and stock piling of essential equipment.
The public has largely responded by practising social distancing, understanding how hand hygiene can spread contagion and recently installing the COVIDSafe mobile application. Public health messaging has been largely effective and literacy improve, to combat the dangers of misinformation.
To open up access to medical advice during the pandemic, in March the Australian government issued MBS item codes for telehealth consultations, for advanced practice nurses as well as GPs and other specialists.
According to AMA President Dr Tony Bartone, as of mid-May 2020, around 10 million Medicare-funded telehealth services have been provided, either over the phone or via video, a significant majority of which have been provided by GPs and other specialists since the Medicare telehealth items were introduced in March.
However in recent months, the health system has mounting concerns on:
- a reduction in general practice visits for testing, investigation or immunisation
- lower rates of elective procedures resuming since being halted
- reduction in laboratory testing
- reduction in treatments and diagnosis of chronic and acute conditions
- access to, and continuing to take medications
Those with pre-existing conditions have been urged to keep appointments and routine treatments to maintain their health.
Industry has taken action such as the newly formed Continuity of Care Collaboration (CCC). The 15 health organisations forming CCC are an Australian first national communication collaboration of Peak Bodies, Industry and Healthcare Organisations coming together to stress the importance for people to continue monitoring their health and maintaining their regular care.
This Australian Health Journal episode on the continuity of care was produced with commentary from the following health industry associations and organisations: APNA – Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association, RACGP, Medical Technology Association of Australia (MTAA), West Cessnock Medical Practice, Consumers Health Forum of Australia, Medicines Australia
