GPLink Update from the GPs at Royal North Shore
Issue 7 August 2024
In this edition we provide information about the fracture clinic, perioperative assessments, inflammatory bowel disease clinic, keeping well and independent clinic and childbirth/early parenting education.
GP referrals welcome at Royal North Shore Hospital fracture clinic The GPLO team has worked to clarify the fracture clinic referral criteria. Royal North Shore fracture clinic is open to GP referrals for patients with suspected or confirmed fractures. ED review is not required for review in the fracture clinic (unless this is clinically indicated). For adults, all fractures except the distal forearm and hand are seen; for children <16 years all fractures are seen. For adults with distal forearm and hand fractures, please contact the hand registrar via switch (9926 7111) to discuss booking into hand clinic. Referrals appropriate for the general fracture clinic are booked in the next available clinic. Clinics are run on weekdays. Advise the patient to bring any X-rays or scans (including reports) if imaging was not done within one of the Northern Sydney Local Health District hospitals, and hard copies of investigation results, to the appointment. Please see Non-urgent Orthopaedic Review HealthPathways for more information.
Digital peri-operative health assessment is live at Royal North Shore Hospital Royal North Shore Hospital has introduced a digital perioperative optimisation pathway from June 3rd. Patients now receive a text message from RNSH Surgery requesting they complete an electronic health assessment within two weeks of being added to the surgical waitlist. Depending on their risk factors and survey results, patients will be sent personalised information from the Perioperative Medicine Survey to prepare them for surgery. Patients may also receive referrals to help proactively manage relevant risk factors prior to surgery, which may include a recommendation to book an appointment with their GP to address relevant risks. For further information, please contact Alanakay.Maky@health.nsw.gov.au or ThienKim.Nguyen1@health.nsw.gov.au
Re-invigoration of inflammatory bowel disease clinic There have been changes to the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) service at RNSH. Clinics will now occur weekly (previously fortnightly) and will be co-located with a colorectal clinic to allow multidisciplinary care. The clinic aims to provide comprehensive medical care for patients with an established diagnosis of IBD and we have developed referral criteria to reflect this. Specifically, the clinic will accept referrals for:
1. Patients with an established diagnosis of IBD, referred from a GP or other specialist for ongoing management.
2. Patient with suspected IBD following discharge from hospital and requiring urgent follow up.
3. Patients presenting to the emergency department with a flare of IBD, requiring swift follow up.
4. Patients highly likely to have a new diagnosis of IBD (significantly elevated calprotectin >120ug/g) in the absence of infection).
Referrals can be sent through the usual portal to the gastroenterology department at RNSH, or Nslhd-AccReferrals@health.nsw.gov.au, and will be triaged to the IBD clinic. Urgent referrals can go through our on-call registrar, paged through switch 9926 7111. Further contact details can be found at Gastroenterology and Hepatology Clinic Service-Royal North Shore Hospital-Northern Sydney Local Health District (nsw.gov.au)
Keeping well and independent program RACGP approved for CPD If your practice is involved in the Keeping Well and Independent Program (KWIP), or thinking about enrolling, the RACGP has approved this initiative for continuing professional development. Points are available for measuring outcomes and reviewing performance via self-log. A template is available via from the PHN team to assist you in completing your self-log.
If you would like more information on this more information can be found at KWIP Key Information and Practice Requirements, or contact Alison Jeffries from Sydney North Health Network via email ajefferies@snhn.org.au.
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No Substitute for Childbirth & Early Parenting Education
Last year there were 2702 attendances at the courses: the most popular one being the six-week evening Birthing and Parenting series. Sadly, the Breastfeeding sessions are often overlooked or forgotten about. “The Breastfeeding sessions are extremely valuable and highly recommended, as they can help set the postnatal period off to a really positive start,” explained Sue. “Understanding the process of breastfeeding and common issues in the first few weeks helps new mums to breastfeed longer, helping baby have the healthiest start to life.” If your practice or service has clients planning an expansion of their family, refer them to RNSH Childbirth & Early Parenting Education to experience the best labour and birth journey possible. Some classes can book out well in advance, so when referring families encourage them to book early.
The internet has changed the day to day lives of most people. Answers can be found to almost any question and communicating with others has never been easier. However, when it comes to learning about pregnancy, labour and birth, and early parenting, there’s no substitute for attending antenatal classes. Susan Baron has been helping coordinate Royal North Shore Hospital’s (RNSH) Childbirth and Early Parenting Education program for the past four years and running some of the courses for more than twenty. “Even if families have done research online or talked to other parents-to-be, it’s not the same as attending one of our courses,” said Sue. “We find that when people do the courses they can discuss information, clear-up conflicting advice, learn practical skills and ask questions from qualified health professionals such as our midwives, early childhood nurses and physiotherapists.” Parents-to-be also learn about the place where their baby will be born, plus meet and get support from other people having a baby at the same time. “It all helps women be active participants in their labour and birth journey and welcoming a newborn into the world a more enjoyable experience,” advised Sue.
For More Information visit nshp.com.au/ParentEd or email nslhd-Parented@health.nsw.gov.au
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Feedback
We aim to improve communication between the hospital and primary care; improve patient experience of outpatients and ensure patients arrive back at their GP with adequate information to plan their ongoing care. We welcome your feedback on this information about the clinics at Royal North Shore. Please let us know if the format or content can be adjusted to better communicate the services available at the hospital. Email: NSLHD-GPLO@health.nsw.gov.au
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GP Link | August 2024
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