SCLMA President’s Message Dr Roger Faint · P: 5452 6511 W Meetins Convenor: Dr Aliia oren...

June 2020 NEWSLETTER 1

Telephone (07) 5443 6990 Email [email protected]

SCLMA President’s Message ......... Dr Roger Faint

The SCLMA thanks Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology for the

distribution of the monthly newsletter of the Sunshine

Coast Local Medical Association.

Australia has its international borders still closed and they will be so for some time, according to Greg Hunt, the Federal Health Minister.

Community transmission is now occurring in Melbourne, perhaps the beginning of the predicted second wave, with the very concerned WHO announcing a

minimum of over 9 million people infected world wide. It also appears likely that a vaccine for all in the world will be 2.5 years away and that an inability for countries to work constructively is a significant issue.

Norman Swan is also back on the ABC 7.30 report, so the situation must be concerning, perhaps grim.

I would like to thank the SCHHS CE Naomi Dwyer and her team plus the indefatigable public health unit for the strong adaptive response to COVID. I wonder if the fact that COVID forced health professionals to adapt and find new ways of providing patient care will lead to a new paradigm.

It will and always has been difficult to keep such momentum going!

Telehealth has now been shown to be strongly intuitive and useful for medical education and updating of health professionals.

The SCLMA cardiac update presented by the Sunshine Coast Heart Specialists was very successful, attracting 503 viewers, with positive comments from many, particularly young doctors with families. Who knew, it seems obvious now.

The SCLMA committee will discuss at our first face to face committee meeting since February, whether we can add such an event to our calendar, perhaps on a three monthly or more basis. Another very useful educational service for our members?

I would like to congratulate ENT surgeon, Associate Professor Chris Perry, as the new AMAQ President for 2020 and the highly respected GP, Dr Eleanor Chew as the Chair of Board and Council, amongst other excellent successful candidates.

I would also like to thank Dr Dilip Dhupelia for his highly successful service of two years.

The PHN & SCHHS deserves praise for the provision of Health Pathways. There is much detail and information to be had on Health Pathways but one of the most useful and powerful tools recently is the funding by PHN for a program that allows acute psychiatric telephone advice for GPs. I encourage you all to research and access this new essential service for the sake of your patients and the community.

I went to dinner at the excellent new Buderim restaurant, Honeysuckle, last week. I also met with Rachel, a QH Generalist with obstetrics as her subspecialty, expressed praise as to the O&G team at SCUH. She felt very supported and thought her obstetric and team experience at SCUH was unsurpassed as compared throughout QLD. I congratulate the O&G team and staff for this positive feedback.

Finally, I would like to mention the need for a ‘Doctors Wine Dozen’ again this year. The SCLMA would like to raffle the ‘Doctors Dozen’ again this year and I encourage all who are able to donate a minimum $60 bottle of wine in an attempt to raise $5,000 dollars. Please give an enthusiastic yes when approached.

Wishlist has lost $700,000 through the effects of COVID this year, so let us attempt to assist in their recovery.

Dr Roger K Faint

President, SCLMA.

Sunshine Coast Local Medical Association IncPO Box 549 Cotton Tree QLD 4558 www.sclma.com.au

NEWSLETTERJune 2020

NEWSLETTER June 20202


CONTACTS:President Dr Roger Faint

Ph: 5445 1046 (W) Ph: 0448 848 327

Vice President and Dr Scott MastersMeetings Convenor Ph: 5491 1144 (W)

AMAQ North Coast Dr Wayne HerdyArea Representative

Secretary: Dr John Evans

Treasurer: Dr Peter Ruscoe

Newsletter Editor: Dr Kirsten Hoyle Ph: 5452 6511 (W)

Meetings Convenor: Dr Alicia Lorenz

Committee: Dr Tau Boga Dr Fabio Brecciaroli

Dr Grant Eddie Dr Jonathan Last Dr James TunggalGP Registrar Rep: Dr Annie George

Hospital Liaison: Dr Shrey SinghPHN Representative: Dr Jon Harper Student Representative: Dr John Maunder

For general enquiries and all editorial or advertising contributions and costs, please contact:

Jo Bourke (Secretariat)Ph: 5479 3979Mob: 0407 037 112Fax: 5479 3995

The Sunshine Coast Local Medical Association welcomes contributions from members, especially ‘Letters to the Editor”.Please address all correspondence to:

SCLMA PO Box 549 Cotton Tree 4558Email: [email protected]: 5479 3995Newsletter Editor: Dr Kirsten HoyleEmail: [email protected]

Disclaimer: The views expressed by the authors or articles in the newsletter of the Sunshine Coast Local Medical Association Inc. are not necessarily those of the Sunshine Coast Local Medical Association Inc. The Sunshine Coast Local Medical Association Inc. accepts no responsibility for errors, omissions or inaccuracies contained therein or for the consequences of any action taken by any person as a result of anything contained in this publication.

JULY 2020 NEWSLETTER

Deadline will be FRIDAY 17th JULY 2020

• Perhaps you might like to comment on articles published.

• What would you like to see in the newsletter?• Do you have some jokes we can publish (and not

offend anyone!!).

Our circulation via email, post and courier (Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology) reaches more than 1,000 recipients!

Contact Jo: 5479 3979Mobile: 0407 037 112Email: [email protected]: 5479 3995

We welcome new content - case studies, local news and photos. If you are a new member, please send in a short bio and a photo to introduce yourself.

ARE YOU A MEMBER?If you are not a member please complete the application form available on the website:

www.sclma.com.au.You will need two proposers to sign your application form. If this is a problem, come along to a monthly

clinical meeting to introduce yourself Enquiries: Jo Ph: 5479 3979 or 0407 037 112

Email: [email protected] you listed on the Member Directory on our

website? Are your details correct? Directory form available on the website.

HIGHLIGHTS in this issue:

P 4-5: SCHHS - Adj Prof Naomi Dwyer, CE

P 6-7: Dr Wayne Herdy

P 8-9: AMA Qld - President’s Report

P 11: Karen Clark - BPH Update

P 14: Jo Munday - Eden Priv Hosp Update

P 27: Vale - Dr Robyn Hewland

Please ‘like’, ‘share’ and ‘follow’ our Facebook page: sunshinecoast local medical association.

Website: www.sclma.com.au

ALL COVID-19 UPDATES DAILY

Editorial

Lenin said that certain events in history are like lightning: for a moment the world is revealed not as it seems but as it is. The COVID-19 pandemic is one of those events. Roughly a century on when the Spanish Flu had dwindled to a mere footnote and many of the lessons it provided had been forgotten, numerous world leaders were abruptly confronted by the COVID-19 disease and were contemptuous of its reality. The Chinese initially pretended it didn’t exist. Australia’s Prime minister told his country to “go to the football”. Trump said “go wherever you like, it will vanish like a miracle”.

But with many healthcare systems buckling, the daily death toll exponentially rising and the future of millions destabilised, we have been rudely reminded of how vulnerable even a technologically advanced world is. In a globalised network of trade and travel, pathogens know no boundaries. COVID-19 is a zoonotic disease brought about by the dysfunctional relationship between humans and nature and is a sign of the planet’s ailing health.

This year was meant to be the one in which a global plan to protect and restore biodiversity beyond 2020 was galvanised. Along with the global climate change meeting in Glasgow, there was to be a global management agreement for chemicals and waste. We were to see a blueprint for a sustainable economic and societal future factoring in everything we plan, build and do. Ironically, these events have all been postponed because of the constraints brought about by COVID-19.

In February, all news bulletins were monopolised by stories of COVID-19 and its devastating effects. Our government acted quickly to provide hope amid a rapidly escalating threat by throwing out its ideology and austerity. But four months on, politics is starting to return to normal, austerity is being reinstated and it seems any lessons learned may not survive self-interest and politics.

So with a period of slow down (and amid the resurgence of sourdough baking, home crafts and binge television watching) we have had the chance to review, reflect and reassess. People, relationships and comprisal are important.

Maybe we recognise that being free and safe is paramount. Perhaps we don’t need so much stuff.

SCLMA CLINICAL MEETINGS 2020For our may meeting we trialled a virtual meeting live streamed to Facebook. The presentations by five sunshine coast heart specialists are on our website.http://www.sclma.com.au/videos/Similar live-streams may be considered for future months.

There is a possibility of a face-to-face meeting on 30 July at the Maroochy Surf Club. At this stage attendance would be limited to 68 persons so bookings would be essential!

There could also be an option to have the meeting recorded for an extra cost. If you are interested in sponsoring the July 30 meeting or a future meeting please contact :

Jo: Mb: 0407 037 112 Email: [email protected]

Conceivably conditions could change for the better. But as the frenzy of street walkers and pram pushers that the early days of the pandemic witnessed are already waning, we should not risk what we have won. We cannot afford to just develop a vaccine and revert to business as usual. We need to build healthier economies and resilience against future shocks.

In his last speech to the House of Commons and in the wake of the newly created hydrogen bomb, Churchill asked, “Which way shall we turn to save our lives and the future of the world?” Which way shall we turn as we push through this calamity?

Regards,Kirsten e. [email protected]



CONTACTS:President Dr Roger Faint

Ph: 5445 1046 (W) Ph: 0448 848 327

Vice President and Dr Scott MastersMeetings Convenor Ph: 5491 1144 (W)

AMAQ North Coast Dr Wayne HerdyArea Representative

Secretary: Dr John Evans

Treasurer: Dr Peter Ruscoe

Newsletter Editor: Dr Kirsten Hoyle Ph: 5452 6511 (W)

Meetings Convenor: Dr Alicia Lorenz

Committee: Dr Tau Boga Dr Fabio Brecciaroli

Dr Grant Eddie Dr Jonathan Last Dr James TunggalGP Registrar Rep: Dr Annie George

Hospital Liaison: Dr Shrey SinghPHN Representative: Dr Jon Harper Student Representative: Dr John Maunder

For general enquiries and all editorial or advertising contributions and costs, please contact:

Jo Bourke (Secretariat)Ph: 5479 3979Mob: 0407 037 112Fax: 5479 3995

The Sunshine Coast Local Medical Association welcomes contributions from members, especially ‘Letters to the Editor”.Please address all correspondence to:

SCLMA PO Box 549 Cotton Tree 4558Email: [email protected]: 5479 3995Newsletter Editor: Dr Kirsten HoyleEmail: [email protected]

Disclaimer: The views expressed by the authors or articles in the newsletter of the Sunshine Coast Local Medical Association Inc. are not necessarily those of the Sunshine Coast Local Medical Association Inc. The Sunshine Coast Local Medical Association Inc. accepts no responsibility for errors, omissions or inaccuracies contained therein or for the consequences of any action taken by any person as a result of anything contained in this publication.

JULY 2020 NEWSLETTER

Deadline will be FRIDAY 17th JULY 2020

• Perhaps you might like to comment on articles published.

• What would you like to see in the newsletter?• Do you have some jokes we can publish (and not

offend anyone!!).

Our circulation via email, post and courier (Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology) reaches more than 1,000 recipients!

Contact Jo: 5479 3979Mobile: 0407 037 112Email: [email protected]: 5479 3995

We welcome new content - case studies, local news and photos. If you are a new member, please send in a short bio and a photo to introduce yourself.

ARE YOU A MEMBER?If you are not a member please complete the application form available on the website:

www.sclma.com.au.You will need two proposers to sign your application form. If this is a problem, come along to a monthly

clinical meeting to introduce yourself Enquiries: Jo Ph: 5479 3979 or 0407 037 112

Email: [email protected] you listed on the Member Directory on our

website? Are your details correct? Directory form available on the website.

HIGHLIGHTS in this issue:

P 4-5: SCHHS - Adj Prof Naomi Dwyer, CE

P 6-7: Dr Wayne Herdy

P 8-9: AMA Qld - President’s Report

P 11: Karen Clark - BPH Update

P 14: Jo Munday - Eden Priv Hosp Update

P 27: Vale - Dr Robyn Hewland

Please ‘like’, ‘share’ and ‘follow’ our Facebook page: sunshinecoast local medical association.

Website: www.sclma.com.au

ALL COVID-19 UPDATES DAILY

Editorial

Lenin said that certain events in history are like lightning: for a moment the world is revealed not as it seems but as it is. The COVID-19 pandemic is one of those events. Roughly a century on when the Spanish Flu had dwindled to a mere footnote and many of the lessons it provided had been forgotten, numerous world leaders were abruptly confronted by the COVID-19 disease and were contemptuous of its reality. The Chinese initially pretended it didn’t exist. Australia’s Prime minister told his country to “go to the football”. Trump said “go wherever you like, it will vanish like a miracle”.

But with many healthcare systems buckling, the daily death toll exponentially rising and the future of millions destabilised, we have been rudely reminded of how vulnerable even a technologically advanced world is. In a globalised network of trade and travel, pathogens know no boundaries. COVID-19 is a zoonotic disease brought about by the dysfunctional relationship between humans and nature and is a sign of the planet’s ailing health.

This year was meant to be the one in which a global plan to protect and restore biodiversity beyond 2020 was galvanised. Along with the global climate change meeting in Glasgow, there was to be a global management agreement for chemicals and waste. We were to see a blueprint for a sustainable economic and societal future factoring in everything we plan, build and do. Ironically, these events have all been postponed because of the constraints brought about by COVID-19.

In February, all news bulletins were monopolised by stories of COVID-19 and its devastating effects. Our government acted quickly to provide hope amid a rapidly escalating threat by throwing out its ideology and austerity. But four months on, politics is starting to return to normal, austerity is being reinstated and it seems any lessons learned may not survive self-interest and politics.

So with a period of slow down (and amid the resurgence of sourdough baking, home crafts and binge television watching) we have had the chance to review, reflect and reassess. People, relationships and comprisal are important.

Maybe we recognise that being free and safe is paramount. Perhaps we don’t need so much stuff.

SCLMA CLINICAL MEETINGS 2020For our may meeting we trialled a virtual meeting live streamed to Facebook. The presentations by five sunshine coast heart specialists are on our website.http://www.sclma.com.au/videos/Similar live-streams may be considered for future months.

There is a possibility of a face-to-face meeting on 30 July at the Maroochy Surf Club. At this stage attendance would be limited to 68 persons so bookings would be essential!

There could also be an option to have the meeting recorded for an extra cost. If you are interested in sponsoring the July 30 meeting or a future meeting please contact :

Jo: Mb: 0407 037 112 Email: [email protected]

Conceivably conditions could change for the better. But as the frenzy of street walkers and pram pushers that the early days of the pandemic witnessed are already waning, we should not risk what we have won. We cannot afford to just develop a vaccine and revert to business as usual. We need to build healthier economies and resilience against future shocks.

In his last speech to the House of Commons and in the wake of the newly created hydrogen bomb, Churchill asked, “Which way shall we turn to save our lives and the future of the world?” Which way shall we turn as we push through this calamity?

Regards,Kirsten e. [email protected]



HEALTH SERVICE LINK - JUNE 2020

COVID-19

Our team have worked very hard to return to usual levels of activity, and this year we are on track to deliver 10 per cent more surgery than the past year, even with the COVID restrictions. We have also partnered with our private health partners to reduce waiting times for our patients. Our Breastscreen service is operating at over 80 per cent of its usual capacity due to increased infection control and social distancing requirements, and all ladies whose appointment was cancelled due to restrictions on cancer screening, have now been offered an appointment.

We are now preparing for the return of Category 3 Outpatient referrals, and with our Primary Health Care Network and GP Liaison Officers looking at the best models of care for these patients. There’s been some great Clinician led innovation during COVID, which has been welcomed by consumers, so we are focused on continuing these good ideas. Virtual and technology enables healthcare isn’t appropriate for all clinical interactions, but the COVID experience has demonstrated that many are.

Our Choosing Wisely Faculty, which comprises both Clinicians and Consumers to champion the reduction of low benefit care, has reflected on some of the wise choices that were made in care delivery during COVID. Their campaign to date has included educating patients about the important questions to ask their clinician, and they have now decided to add a 5th -D

B—What are the benefits?

R—What are the risks?

A—What are the alternatives?

N—What if I do nothing?

D—What are the delivery options? (as more of our consumers have experienced the benefits of virtual health and have indicated a preference to continue).

Many of us were concerned about the availability of PPE at the start of this pandemic, particularly when we observed the global supply challenge and the devastating stories of unprotected health care workers in the grip of caring for patients. I certainly hadn’t appreciated our international dependence on so much of the million PPE stock items we use every day - sanitiser, gloves, gowns, masks, shields, etc.

From the start, our own Health Service was vigilant in supply chain management, with intensive modelling to forecast our needs and ensure certainty of supply. We promised our staff we would not put them in harms way, and worked closely with the Department of Health, and even established new local providers. I’d particularly like to recognise Dr Owain Evans, Clinical Director Surgical Services who did such an amazing job of leading our PPE response.

Against this background, it was a good news story to host the Deputy Premier Stephen Miles at SCUH this week, where he announced the creation of a Queensland stockpile of medical and PPE.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Steven Miles said the COVID-19 pandemic had shown that changes needed to happen to clinical stock supply arrangements, both within Australia and globally.

“Our doctors, nurses, paramedics, police officers, corrections staff – all our frontline workers – deserve to have access to the necessary supplies and equipment to keep them safe, support their work for the community and enable them to continue to deliver the outstanding services that they provide.”

Our Incident Management Team continues to meet daily, the Public Health Team continue to work with the Chief Health Officer to keep our communities COVID-19 free, and there continue to be many behind the scenes who are ensuring we remain vigilant and able to respond should the need arise. One of our amazing team, who has been on the front line of our response is Dr Rosie Muller, and I’d like to introduce you to her in this edition.

We’ve also been humbled by the beautiful support from our community. I thought you’d enjoy some pictures of our Nambour Hospital staff with beautiful cards and wishes from the students at Burnside School.

HEALTH SERVICE LINK - JUNE 2020 /cont:

Noosa Hospital’s future secure

I was delighted to announce with Ramsay Health, our new 10-year contract to deliver public health care to the community of Noosa and surrounds at Noosa Hospital. This partnership means Noosa Hospital will continue to operate an emergency department and provide inpatient and outpatient services to public hospital patients in the Noosa region.

This is great news for the community and means we will continue to increase the number of services available to the Sunshine Coast and Gympie regions. It was also a great opportunity to welcome Justin Greenwell, the new Sunshine Coast CEO for Ramsay Health.

Type 2 diabetes workshop doors re-open

With COVID-19 restrictions slowly easing, the doors are open for people with Type 2 diabetes to once again come together to strengthen their knowledge and management of their condition at Type 2 Diabetes and Me workshops.

The free workshops provide information on self-management, annual cycle of care, health professional support and the key healthy lifestyle behaviours that contribute to quality of life while managing a chronic disease.

The next session is on Thursday, 2 July at Maroochydore Hub, Dalton Drive, Maroochydore from 9am-1pm and is open to people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, either newly diagnosed or established, and people who are pre-diabetes. A family member or carer can also join on the day. Places are limited so bookings are essential. Your patients can register via phone 5479 9670 or [email protected]

Dr Rosie Muller, Public Health Unit (PHU) Clinical Co-Director

Dr Rosie Muller joined Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service (SCHHS) as Public Health Unit (PHU) Clinical Co-Director in August 2019 in a job-share partnership with Dr Virginia McLaughlin.

She certainly wasn’t expecting the sharp turn her role would take just five months after joining the HHS.

Rosie first trained in General Practice and has worked as a GP in Victoria, the NT and Caloundra. After working overseas with the Red Cross and MSF, she was drawn to train in Public Health due to her interest in preventative health care and international health. These skills have stood her in good stead for tackling COVID-19 head-on. Rosie was working in public health roles during the SARS global outbreak in 2003, and Swine Flu pandemic in 2009, but could not have anticipated the duration and scale of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rosie said: “As the enormity of the situation unfolded, we knew that our Sunshine Coast public health unit team would need to rapidly expand in size in order to meet the response demands for COVID-19.

“The PHU has a small team (normally around 16 staff) of dedicated people with specialised skills, comprised of Public health physicians, Public Health Nurses, Environmental Health Officers, an Epidemiologist, a data officer and Administrative staff.

Since novel coronavirus emerged in January, the expanded PHU team has worked very hard to prepare for and prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our population. “Our key tasks have been in disease surveillance and reporting, COVID case investigation, contact tracing, issuing isolation orders and quarantine notices and monitoring compliance,” she said.

“What I enjoy most about my role in Public Health is the teamwork and multi-disciplinary collaboration that is involved in our everyday work. The COVID-19 response has been incredibly demanding but has also given me the opportunity to establish great working relationships with clinical colleagues from many areas of the SCHHS and our partner organisations like the PHN.

In her free time Rosie switches off by getting out into nature. When things quieten down again, she is looking forward to spending more time with her husband and son, doing some bushwalking and swimming at our beautiful beaches.

Until next time, take care

Naomi

Adj.Prof Naomi Dwyer,

Chief Executive,

Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service.



Dr Wayne Herdy - JUNE 2020 Update

CHANGES TO PBS RULES FOR OPIOID PRESCRIPTIONS.

On 1st June, the rules regarding PBS prescribing of opioids changed. We had no notice this was going to happen. The software providers had embargoed notice two weeks earlier, but their software was not upgraded until 2nd June.

This set of changes produced massive confusion and wastage of resources. It also promises to overload GPs for at least the next three months, and compromise continuity of supply to patients.

I won’t go through all the changes, but I do need to explain a few.

Firstly, all longer-acting opioids (modified-release formulations and patches) are now authority scripts. Admittedly, they are streamlined authorities, so for a lot of prescribers this change will have little immediate effect. But the streamlined authority scripts only provide two weeks’ medication, and by definition practically all patients on the long-acting formulations are long-term consumers. Will every one of them have to return every two weeks (or at least have a telecon every two weeks)? Not an act of kindness to patients with chronic pain, most of whom are elderly and suffer multiple morbidities.

Life gets considerably more complicated if the prescriber has been prescribing one or three months’ supply at a time on authority scripts (one month on phoned authorities, 3 months on mailed-in authorities). I don’t have the numbers, but I suspect that includes almost all chronic pain patients on long-term opioids. Maybe hundreds of thousands of patients nation-wide, and a lot of them are in nursing homes. All existing authorities ceased to have effect. Cancelled. The patient’s next script will have to be a two-week script.

So, until the prescriber gets a new authority, those patients will require a consultation or visit every two weeks, to replace an authority script that previously lasted 3 months. Prima facie, this will need thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, additional consultations and additional prescriptions until we sort out the mess. And the additional administration at the pharmacy end is hardly much better.

To get the next authority script, the prescriber will have to get a second opinion from another prescriber, unless the opioid prescribing has already been reviewed in the past 12 months. Until now, we had to get that second opinion review when the authority scripts reached the 12-month point. Once. Now we have to get the review every 12 months. There is a transition provision – for the next three months, I can still get a one-month telephone authority script if I can tell the HIC that the patient will have a review by another prescriber. But I have to be able to tell them the name of the reviewing prescriber and the date of the appointment. Get real, please. How practical is it for me to be able to arrange a review by another prescriber when I have no control over that prescriber’s appointment book? And if there are 100,000 chronic pain patients in the country already receiving authority scripts (my guess, not real data), then we will have to produce an additional 100,000 appointments within the next 3 months. And we’ll have to do it all over again in 12 months’ time (at least for those patients who are still alive).

The HIC knew this was coming, but they weren’t ready for it. On day one, the operators on the authority line were dutifully asking the seven questions for every application. By Monday evening, the impatience and frustration experienced by the operators was getting palpable. I had some lovely chats with a few of the operators, who had already learned to hate the system even more than the prescribers did. The wait time to get an answer on the authority line was passing 10 minutes by Monday night. On Friday night, a few of my calls nearly hit the 30-minute wait. Even filling in time doing something else while I was on speaker phone, my days have been ending hours later than normal.

Clearly the system is grossly overloaded and under-resourced.


CHANGES TO PBS RULES FOR OPIOID PRESCRIPTIONS /Cont:

And why? There are overseas precedents for similar measures. We are all aware that politicians are sensitive to unsubstantiated media campaigns about over-prescribing of opioids. Two drugs stand out as having received bad publicity, mostly undeserved. OxyContin was targeted by the media even after the formulation was changed to make diversion more difficult. And fentanyl (one of the safest and most effective long-term opioids when used properly) causes more deaths, used intravenously and improperly, than heroin. But if 50,000 prescribers Australia-wide are prescribing more opioids than the politicians like, there is a reason for it.

Those 50,000 prescribers, all intelligent people with a decade or more of training behind them, and years or decades of practical clinical experience, have decided that the medications work, that our patients need them, and that used wisely they are relatively safe.

There is limited evidence (if any) that imposing strict prescribing rules is going to save lives – this is almost totally a data-free zone.

We admit that people die from improper use of opioids, but the data is that most opioid deaths occur when a legally prescribed opioid is misused, usually diverted, and often by a person for whom the opioid was not prescribed. Show us the data that impractical and onerous prescribing rules will save lives. And can anybody explain to me why these changes were dropped on the profession from a great height without notice? This is hardly an insider trading secrecy environment.

A final whinge. If prescribing of long-term opioids is forever going to be more difficult, we will see even more paranoia among young prescribers, even worse pain management in the community, and even more reluctance for decent doctors to take up the challenging roles of chronic pain management and palliative care. Thanks, Mister PBS, the Australian public really needed all of this.

Wayne Herdy

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CHANGES TO PBS RULES FOR OPIOID PRESCRIPTIONS.

On 1st June, the rules regarding PBS prescribing of opioids changed. We had no notice this was going to happen. The software providers had embargoed notice two weeks earlier, but their software was not upgraded until 2nd June.

This set of changes produced massive confusion and wastage of resources. It also promises to overload GPs for at least the next three months, and compromise continuity of supply to patients.

I won’t go through all the changes, but I do need to explain a few.

Firstly, all longer-acting opioids (modified-release formulations and patches) are now authority scripts. Admittedly, they are streamlined authorities, so for a lot of prescribers this change will have little immediate effect. But the streamlined authority scripts only provide two weeks’ medication, and by definition practically all patients on the long-acting formulations are long-term consumers. Will every one of them have to return every two weeks (or at least have a telecon every two weeks)? Not an act of kindness to patients with chronic pain, most of whom are elderly and suffer multiple morbidities.

Life gets considerably more complicated if the prescriber has been prescribing one or three months’ supply at a time on authority scripts (one month on phoned authorities, 3 months on mailed-in authorities). I don’t have the numbers, but I suspect that includes almost all chronic pain patients on long-term opioids. Maybe hundreds of thousands of patients nation-wide, and a lot of them are in nursing homes. All existing authorities ceased to have effect. Cancelled. The patient’s next script will have to be a two-week script.

So, until the prescriber gets a new authority, those patients will require a consultation or visit every two weeks, to replace an authority script that previously lasted 3 months. Prima facie, this will need thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, additional consultations and additional prescriptions until we sort out the mess. And the additional administration at the pharmacy end is hardly much better.

To get the next authority script, the prescriber will have to get a second opinion from another prescriber, unless the opioid prescribing has already been reviewed in the past 12 months. Until now, we had to get that second opinion review when the authority scripts reached the 12-month point. Once. Now we have to get the review every 12 months. There is a transition provision – for the next three months, I can still get a one-month telephone authority script if I can tell the HIC that the patient will have a review by another prescriber. But I have to be able to tell them the name of the reviewing prescriber and the date of the appointment. Get real, please. How practical is it for me to be able to arrange a review by another prescriber when I have no control over that prescriber’s appointment book? And if there are 100,000 chronic pain patients in the country already receiving authority scripts (my guess, not real data), then we will have to produce an additional 100,000 appointments within the next 3 months. And we’ll have to do it all over again in 12 months’ time (at least for those patients who are still alive).

The HIC knew this was coming, but they weren’t ready for it. On day one, the operators on the authority line were dutifully asking the seven questions for every application. By Monday evening, the impatience and frustration experienced by the operators was getting palpable. I had some lovely chats with a few of the operators, who had already learned to hate the system even more than the prescribers did. The wait time to get an answer on the authority line was passing 10 minutes by Monday night. On Friday night, a few of my calls nearly hit the 30-minute wait. Even filling in time doing something else while I was on speaker phone, my days have been ending hours later than normal.

Clearly the system is grossly overloaded and under-resourced.


CHANGES TO PBS RULES FOR OPIOID PRESCRIPTIONS /Cont:

And why? There are overseas precedents for similar measures. We are all aware that politicians are sensitive to unsubstantiated media campaigns about over-prescribing of opioids. Two drugs stand out as having received bad publicity, mostly undeserved. OxyContin was targeted by the media even after the formulation was changed to make diversion more difficult. And fentanyl (one of the safest and most effective long-term opioids when used properly) causes more deaths, used intravenously and improperly, than heroin. But if 50,000 prescribers Australia-wide are prescribing more opioids than the politicians like, there is a reason for it.

Those 50,000 prescribers, all intelligent people with a decade or more of training behind them, and years or decades of practical clinical experience, have decided that the medications work, that our patients need them, and that used wisely they are relatively safe.

There is limited evidence (if any) that imposing strict prescribing rules is going to save lives – this is almost totally a data-free zone.

We admit that people die from improper use of opioids, but the data is that most opioid deaths occur when a legally prescribed opioid is misused, usually diverted, and often by a person for whom the opioid was not prescribed. Show us the data that impractical and onerous prescribing rules will save lives. And can anybody explain to me why these changes were dropped on the profession from a great height without notice? This is hardly an insider trading secrecy environment.

A final whinge. If prescribing of long-term opioids is forever going to be more difficult, we will see even more paranoia among young prescribers, even worse pain management in the community, and even more reluctance for decent doctors to take up the challenging roles of chronic pain management and palliative care. Thanks, Mister PBS, the Australian public really needed all of this.

Wayne Herdy

First trimester/dating ultrasound

Nuchal translucency ultrasound

Non-Invasive Prenatal testing (NIPT)

Chorionic villus sampling

Amniocentesis

Second trimester morphology

Third trimester growth and welfare

Second opinion ultrasound

Pelvic/gynaecologic ultrasound

Pre-IVF assessment and follicular tracking

Saline Sonohysterogram

Hysterosalpingo-contrast-sonography (HyCoSy)

Targeted endometriosis ultrasound

Services include:

Advanced Women’s Imaging provides specialised scans and diagnostic procedures for women using state of the art equipment and technology. Dr Ladwig is passionate about providing high quality professional care including individual consultations for patients following their ultrasound, with an opportunity to discuss findings.

Specialised ultrasound service for women

Dr Denise Ladwig is a Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and has a Diploma of Diagnostic Ultrasound. She has special interests in gynaecologic pathology, 3D/4D imaging and fetal abnormalities.


DR DENISE LAD IGFRANZCOG, DDU

A local O&G imaging service offering personalised detailed scanning by a Specialist.



Introducing your new President, Board and Council

Following AMA Queensland's Annual General Meeting on 22 May, we welcome our incoming President Dr Chris Perry and Vice President Dr Bav Manoharan and congratulate Dr Eleanor Chew on her appointment as Chair of Board and Council and Dr Nick Yim as Member Appointed Director. We also congratulate our new Councillors and welcome back those returning to another year in their representative roles.

You can find the full list of AMA Queensland Board and Council representatives at www.amaq.com.au.

All the doctors listed are your representatives as an AMA Queensland member. If you have any ideas, concerns, issues or feedback, you contact them through AMA Queensland secretariat by email at [email protected] or phone (07) 3872 2222, or contact them directly through Queensland Doctors' Community.

Change to AMA Queensland leadership team

After more than 11 years of extraordinary service, our Chief Executive Officer Jane Schmitt has informed the AMA Queensland Board of Directors and Council of her intention to depart her role at the end of August. In early September, Jane will take up a new role as Executive Director, External Relations for Mater Group in Brisbane.

AMA Queensland will keenly feel the loss of Jane’s knowledge and expertise, however, we will continue to reap the benefits of her visionary work which has steered AMA Queensland through a decade of growth and transformation.

A lawyer by profession, Jane has been committed to upholding robust governance standards and maintaining a solid financial position. Importantly, she has led the organisation from the front and has built strong stakeholder relationships and enduring commercial partnerships for AMA Queensland, which underpin our organisation’s continued success.

AMA Queensland’s capacity to deliver information and assistance to our membership has also been greatly enhanced by investment in technology. Throughout her tenure, Jane has enabled the delivery of a variety of new digital platforms, including Queensland Doctors’ Community and the new AMA Member App launching in June.

Jane’s sharp intellect, boundless energy and passion for this organisation, its staff and membership has been remarkable. She will be sorely missed. Her tenacity during challenging times, from the current COVID-19 pandemic to controversial doctor contract negotiations in 2014, has delivered outcomes that have served to strengthen our profession.

In turn, Jane has derived a great deal of personal and professional satisfaction from her time at the helm of AMA Queensland. She has conveyed her deep appreciation for the enormous support she has been given by members and staff, the Leadership Team, Board and Council over many years.

Jane will continue to lead the organisation over the next three months while the Board engages in an executive recruitment process to secure a high quality candidate. In the meantime, AMA Queensland remains in a strong position with a stable team of talented, diligent staff and large group of volunteer members who serve on Council.

We wish Jane great success and have no doubt we will find ways to collaborate further in future to continue enhancing outcomes for patient care in Queensland.

AMA Member app live in June

We are pleased to announce that AMA Queensland is about to launch the first-ever AMA Member app.

The new app ‘AMA Community’ will provide members with a new and exclusive experience to connect and engage with each other and the AMA in real time.

The app will be available for both iOS and Android and will serve as an AMA member hub for content, networking, collaboration and events. Members will have access to dedicated news feeds and forums, a member directory with in-app direct messaging, one-click event registration and easy membership renewal.

Through the app, members will also be able to download workplace resources and access all their member benefits and discounts, and access Queensland Doctors’ Community (QDC) - all in one place and at the touch of a button.

The AMA Member app will be live on 21 June, so keep an eye out for launch details coming shortly.

New member benefit – IGA discounts We are pleased to announce the launch of an exciting new partnership between AMA Queensland and IGA Supermarkets. IGA are offering all AMA Queensland members a 5% discount on IGA Gift Cards purchased online via the AMA Queensland website. To access the offer, log on to www.amaq.com.au with your AMA username and password and select the IGA Gift Card online offer. Select the amount you would like to purchase and add to the cart. The 5% discount will be automatically applied. We encourage you to take advantage of this offer, as we look to continue to expand our range of benefits and services available to members. Dr Chris Perry, President AMA Queensland Jane Schmitt, CEO AMA Queensland



A WOMEN'S HEALTHPHYSIOCAN HELP!

1 IN 2 WOMENWho have had children will havesome degree of a prolapse and 1 in 5 will require medicaltreatment

1 IN 10 WOMENHas endometriosis

1 IN 2 WOMENWill have stress urinaryincontinence between the ages18-83 that physio can help

AVAILABLE AT OURBUDERIM, MAROOCHYDORE,NAMBOUR, COOLUM ANDSIPPY DOWNS CLINICS. REFERRALS VIA MEDICALOBJECTS, FAX OR PHONEWWW.SPORTSANDSPINAL.PHYSIO

IN AUSTRALIA:

BUDERIMPRIVATEHOSPITALSunshineCoastLocalMedicalAssociationnewslettercolumn June2020Thank you once again for the opportunity to update you on theBuderimPrivateHospital’slatestnews.COVID-19RESPONSEFollowing a change in Government regulations, we have easedelective surgery restrictionsand resumedproceduralwork in-linewithPPEandconsumableslimitations.Our specialists are accepting patient referrals across all of oursurgicalandmedicalspecialityareasandeveryotherprogramandservice is fully operational, including the Emergency Centre,rehabilitation and mental health outpatient programs and BreastClinic.

Our hospital continues to closelymonitor COVID-19.Wehave a number of measures in place to ensure thecontinued safety of our patients, staff and doctors. Thisincludes thermal imaging technology in our mainreception so people visiting the facility have theirtemperature quickly and accurately assessed beforeentering.

WehavealsobeenconsultingwithourSunshineCoastHospitalandHealthServicecolleaguesandVisitingMedicalPractitionersonhowourhospitalmaybeable toassistwith somepublicelectivesurgeryoverthecomingweeksandmonths.OurdedicatedCOVID-19webpageisregularlyupdatedwithkeyupdatesandchanges,whichcanbeaccessedbyvisitingwww.buderimprivatehospital.com.au/Covid19Ifyouwould liketocontactmeaboutourresponsetoCOVID-19,thenewChestPainUnitorhaveanyquestionsorfeedbackaboutanyofourotherservices,pleasedon’thesitatetocontactme.Kindregards,KarenClarkGeneralManagerE:[email protected] P:0754303260



Breast Diagnostic Specialists is a breast specialist centre on the Sunshine Coast.

We are pleased to provide mammograms

using the MammoPad breast cushion for

a “softer mammogram”.

MammoPad benefits

• Soft foam for cushioning support

• Padded surface reduces discomfort

• Assists with relaxation during the exam

• Helps hold breast tissue in place

• Aids optimal breast positioning

• Provides a warmer, softer mammogram

Trusted Breast CareBreast Diagnostic Specialists1 Main DriveWarana QLD 4575

07 5436 [email protected]

MammoPad breast cushionFreedom to consult a Specialist

3D MammographyEarly detection is key

EARLY DETECTION SAVES LIVES

Trusted Breast Care

• We offer comprehensive services including

Breast Screening, Diagnostics, MRI,

Ultrasound and Interventional procedures.

• 3D mammography exams on the Selenia®

Dimensions® 3D system by Hologic.

• Procedures including Core Biopsy,

Hookwire localization, Cyst Aspiration, Fine

needle aspiration and Stereotactic Biopsy.

• Double reading of mammography,

independently by two of our Specialists.

• Consultation for your patients on the day,

with an on-site Specialist.

Your pathology provider on the Sunshine CoastResults (24 hours) P: 1300 778 555

Added tests P: (07) 3377 8528

Sonic Dx / IT Support P: 1800 100 769

Doctor Stores Request F: (07) 5459 1440

Faxed Pathology Request Forms F: (07) 5459 1440

Local Laboratories

Birtinya P: (07) 5459 1400

Kawana P: (07) 5459 1433

www.snp.com.au

PRIMARY HEALTH NETWORK (PHN) - June 2020 New service supports GPs treating mental health patients

Central Queensland, Wide Bay, Sunshine Coast PHN recently commissioned the Procare GP Psychiatry Support Line to assist general practitioners manage the care of mental health patients.

The GP Psychiatry Support Line is a free service connecting GPs in the PHN region with trained psychiatrists who can provide expert advice on a range of mental health related queries.

The support line is not a triage or referral service, nor an emergency service, but can be used by GPs to seek advice on medication, diagnosis, safety planning, psychosocial management and investigations.

The PHN’s general practice liaison officer Dr Jon Harper said the service will be useful for any doctor who is managing patients with mental health challenges within their practice.

“As a GP, treating mental health disorders is a significant part of my daily work,” Dr Harper said.

“There are sometimes occasions when clinical advice from a psychiatrist would really support my management of the patient.

“That might mean helping to clarify a diagnosis, or to obtain advice about medication.”

The GP Psychiatry Support Line is already available in other PHN regions across Australia and has has proven helpful in supporting both registrars and experienced GPs across metropolitan, regional, rural and remote areas.

“Due to limited access to services, it can be difficult for patients to get appointments with psychiatrists,” Dr Harper said.

“Accessing this support line should improve patient care by giving GPs the support they need. “

The GP Psychiatry Support Line is available during business hours Monday to Friday.

Register for free with your AHPRA registration number at gpsupport.org.au, or by calling 1800 161 718.

For more information please visit ourphn.org.au or HealthPathways.

ATTENTION:

Correction: An article in the May newsletter stated that funding for healthdirect Video Call has been extended until June 2021.

Please note that this funding has not yet been confirmed.



EDEN PRIVATE HOSPITAL - June 2020 Update

New Gympie Rehabilitation Outpatient clinic

Eden Private Hospital located in Cooroy is pleased to commence its new rehabilitation outpatient clinic located at the medical suites 74 Channon Street, Gympie Diagnostic and Specialist Centre. The clinic is currently offering initial 1:1 appointments by Eden Private Hospital’s experienced allied health team of Physiotherapists and Exercise Physiologists.

The new outpatient clinic is an exciting extension of Eden’s long standing and existing rehabilitation services which Eden looks forward to making accessible to local residents of Gympie and surrounding areas.

Appointments at the Gympie Rehabilitation outpatient clinic are available for a range of specialty services including:

• Pre and post-surgical orthopaedic assessments• 1:1 physiotherapist assessments and treatment plans• 1:1 assessment for Vestibular dysfunction and treatment intervention restoring normal

function. • Specialist programs such as PD Warrior for Parkinson’s disease, Cardiac rehabilitation and Type 2 Diabetes

programs

To support the new Gympie clinic, Rehabilitation Physician Dr Paul du Toit continues to be available for outpatient specialist appointments at the same location.

If your patients living in Gympie or surrounding areas would benefit from our allied health services and programs, please ask your patient to call Eden Private Hospital reception 5472 6472 as there is no GP referral necessary.

Kind regards

Jo MundayChief Executive Officer, Eden Private Hospital Email: [email protected]

Your LOCAL Heart TeamComprehensive Sub Specialty Practice

PHONE: 5414 1100 FAX: 5414 1101 [email protected] www.scheart.com.au

CARDIOLOGISTS

Dr Peter J LarsenDr Stuart J ButterlyDr Mark A Johnson Dr KK LimDr Naresh DayanandaProf Tony StantonDr Daljeet GillDr Matthew TungDr Thomas Butler

CARDIAC TESTING

• Transthoracic Echocardiogram• Exercise Stress Test• Stress Echocardiogram• Dobutamine Stress Echocardiogram• ECG• 24 hour Holter ECG monitor• 24 hour Ambulatory BP monitor• ECG Event Monitor (7 days)• Device Check (PPM or ICD)• CT Coronary Angiogram

(Radiologist co-reported)

SPECIALIST CARDIAC SERVICES

• Transesophageal Echocardiogram (TOE)• Management of Coronary Artery Disease• Cardioversion• Coronary Angiography• Coronary Angioplasty and Stenting• Structural Heart Intervention – ASD/PFO Closure• Valvular Heart Disease – Aortic & Mitral Valvuloplasty• Management of Heart Rhythm Disorders• Permanent Pacemaker & ICD Insertion• Electrophysiology Study & Ablation Therapy• Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implant/Replacement (TAVI / TAVR)• Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion (LAAO)

BIRTINYA Suite 4 Ground Floor Sunshine Coast University Private Hospital, 3 Doherty Street Birtinya QLD 4575

BUDERIM Suite 9 Medical Centre Buderim Private Hospital, 12 Elsa Wilson Dr Buderim QLD 4556

TEWANTIN Suite 1, 66 Poinciana Ave Tewantin QLD 4565

GYMPIE Ramsay Medical Consulting Suites70-72 Channon Street Gympie QLD 4570

CABOOLTUREConsulting Suites, Caboolture Private Hospital, McKean St, Caboolture QLD 4510



Dr Jagath Bandara is a general adult psychiatrist with a vast range of experience in treating mental illnesses using both medication and psychological therapies.

He completed his undergraduate and postgraduate training at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka and is a fellow of Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists.

Dr Bandara has worked in the public mental health services across Australia as a consultant psychiatrist in Victoria, Western Australia, Tasmania and Queensland - both in inpatient and community settings.

Dr Bandara accepts referrals for treatment for a wide range of psychiatric illnesses in adults (except for ADHD and medico-legal matters).

DR JAGATH BANDARAFRANZCP

Psychiatrist

caloundraprivate.com.au

Contact Details Caloundra Private Clinic 96 Beerburrum Street Caloundra Qld 4551

All appointments:

T (07) 5492 0221 F (07) 5492 0279

Special interests• General adult Psychiatry• Psychotherapy• Mood disorders

Call 07 5390 6000 or visit sunshinecoastuniversityprivate.com.au3 Doherty Street, Birtinya QLD 4575

The Sunshine Coast University Private Hospital provides a comprehensive range of cardiac services such as coronary angiography, exercise stress testing, a coronary care unit and a full range of support and rehabilitation programs.

Our experienced and nationally respected team of cardiologists, who admit to the coronary care unit and share 24 hour – 7 days a week cover for their patients, are well known to the local Sunshine Coast community.

For more information about our cardiology services or other services offered by the Sunshine Coast University Private Hospital please visit sunshinecoastuniversityprivate.com.au

Dr Tim Nathan MB ChB (Edin), FRCS (Eng), FRCS (Urol), FRACS (Urol)

Suite 6Buderim Private Hospital12 Elsa Wilson DriveBuderimPh: 07 5370 2095Fx: 07 5301 8120www.drtimnathan-urology.com.au

Tim graduated from the University of Edinburgh and completed advanced training in urology at teaching hospitals in London and Queensland. He has trained extensively in da Vinci Robotic Surgery at the University Hospital, Leipzig, and the Wesley Hospital.

Tim successfully introduced Robotic Prostate and Kidney Surgery to Buderim Private Hospital. He has pioneered MRI guided robotic transperineal prostate biopsy for safe and accurate diagnosis.

Specialising in:

• Mona Lisa Robotic Transperineal Prostate Biopsy

• Da Vinci Robotic Prostatectomy & Renal Surgery

• BPH - Laser Prostatectomy & Urolift

• Stone Disease

• Penile Prosthesis Surgery

• Vasectomy Reversal

• Urodynamic Studies

Excellence in Prostate Cancer Diagnosis & Managment



Dr Heather ParkerAviation Medical ExaminerDr Heather Parker was made an Honorary Life member of the Australasian Society of Aerospace Medicine at the annual convention in Townsville in 2018. Heather has been a Designated Aviation Medical Examiner for the Civil Aviation Safety Authority for over 30 years. During her time on the ASAM committee she has convened conferences, presented papers, written articles for every newsletter, and actively contributed to the development of ASAM.

Originally a graduate in Speech Therapy from UQ in 1965, she entered medical school at the University of Manitoba in Canada and graduated with a BA and MD degrees in 1979. She has worked in University Health clinics, with the Australian Defence Forces, Youth Detention Centres, high-security prisons and on the Parole Board

She attained a Diploma in Medical Journalism from UQ and has written articles for JASAM, Airnews, Helinews, Australian Flying, Australian Doctor and Medical Observer`

Heather is a GP and a private pilot, and passionate about medicine and flying. She learned to fly at Caloundra in 1989 and also joined the Australian Women Pilots’ Association (AWPA) .Over the years Heather has attained AME status with other authorities: NZ, USA, Canada, UK and Europe, Singapore, South Africa and Moldova.

Heather worked with the Wide Bay/Burnett Regional Health Authority which required her to fly herself to outlying centres including Wondai and Kingaroy to conduct Women’s Health clinics.

She organised to fly herself to Gayndah each month to work in a private GP practice.

With fellow AWPA members she flew to Mt Isa to raise money for the RFDS, and to the AWPA conferences in Dubbo, Longreach, Echuca and Alice Springs. She helped organise conferences for AWPA in Roma, Darwin and Hervey Bay. She flew in the Great Hawaiian Air Race in 2001, raising money for the “Make-a-wish” Foundation. She also served on the Aviation Safety Forum in Canberra.

In 2006 Heather was awarded the Nancy-Bird Walton Award from AWPA for “the most noteworthy contribution to aviation by a woman of Australasia”, and in that same year an OAM for “services to aviation and to medicine”.

At the age of 75 she has finally retired from her GP practice in Peregian Springs.

We wish you a very happy retirement, Heather!

• Breast & Endocrine Surgery• Bariatric Surgery• Colorectal Surgery• Ear, Nose and Throat Surgery• Gastroenterology• General Medicine• General Surgery• Geriatric Medicine• Haematology & Oncology • Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery

• Orthopaedic Surgery• Paediatric Surgery• Pain Medicine• Palliative Care• Rehabilitation –

Day & Inpatient Programs• Renal Medicine• Respiratory & Sleep Medicine• Urology• Vascular Surgery

Caring for people in our community for over 70 yearsNambour Selangor Private

Hospital is a modern health care facility providing a comprehensive range of medical and surgical services to the Sunshine Coast community in a caring and supportive environment.

Call 07 5459 7444 for more information or visit nambourselangor.com.au62 Netherton St, Nambour QLD 5460



Radiation therapy has changed dramatically over the years. Our ability to target an area for treatment and to avoid critical surrounding structures has enabled escalation of dose. This results in improved tumour control with reduced side effects. Stereotactic radiotherapy is the latest step in this progression, allowing a high dose of radiation to be delivered in a small number of treatments.

Stereotactic radiotherapy (radiosurgery), SRS, as a technique is not new, indeed the first gamma knife providing intra-cranial treatments was first available in the 1980s. Linear accelerator-based treatment has however opened up this treatment to a much wider patient population as well as to extra-cranial sites.

Whole brain radiotherapy has been the mainstay in the management of patients with inoperable brain metastases. While this can be an effective treatment it does come with the potential late effect of neurocognitive decline. As patients are surviving longer with their metastatic disease this is becoming much more of an issue. SRS has been shown to result in less neurocognitive decline when compared to whole brain treatments. Local control is also improved by a stereotactic approach, including those histologies which have classically been seen as radioresistant such as melanoma and renal cell carcinoma. Technical improvements have meant that this treatment is now not restricted to those with only 1 or 2 lesions but can be used in those with multiple bilateral metastases. While SRS is not the right option for all patients, it should at least be considered before offering whole brain radiotherapy.

Surgical resection remains gold standard treatment for those patients who are suitable. Following surgical resection however there is a significant risk of local recurrence in the tumour cavity of 50-60% in 6-12 months. SRS can reduce this risk and should be considered for these patients.

Another success story for Stereotactic treatment has been management of T1 – T2 NO lung cancer. Surgery remains standard of care for these cancers, however many of these patients are elderly with multiple co-morbidities or have poor respiratory function making thoracic surgery very risky. Phase II studies of Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy-SABR, have shown local control rates of approximately 90-95%. While these figures look comparable to lobectomy (and better than wedge excision) a head to head trial against surgery has not been performed.

The CHISEL trial, a phase III randomised trial across Australia and New Zealand compared SABR to conventional radiotherapy in this group of early stage inoperable patients. SABR resulted in improved local control without an increase in toxicity and has now become standard of care.

Oligometastatic disease is a relatively new concept in the management of cancer. This refers to those patients with small numbers of metastases. There is no exact definition as to what constitutes oligometastatic disease, the presence of 1-5 metastases currently seems accepted.

The oligometastatic paradigm suggests that if these patients are treated in an aggressive way to eradicate the metastases there may be the possibility of cure. Some of these lesions may be surgically operable, e.g. liver metastases in colorectal cancer. For some patients however the site of the metastases may preclude surgical resection.

SABR, as it is an ablative treatment, may be an alternative for these patients. While each area of the body comes with different technical challenges such as motion management and tumour visualisation during treatment, we are now able to treat a number of extra-cranial sites including bone, spine, liver and lymph nodes.

The SABR-COMET trial was a phase II trial designed to assess the effect of SABR on survival in this group of patients with oligometastatic disease. It included a number of disease types including breast, colorectal, lung and prostate cancer. These patients had metastases at a number of locations including bone, lung and liver. Patients were randomised to standard of care +/- SABR. Results showed an improvement in both PFS and OS, indicating SABR as a promising treatment for this group of patients.

The future may see SABR being used more in patients with widespread metastatic disease. The abscopal effect, the ability of radiation therapy to help the immune system recognise tumour antigens as foreign and elicit a response away from the radiation therapy field, is a rare but well described phenomenon. SABR is thought to evoke this effect more commonly than standard radiation therapy. There are several ongoing trials investigating the combination of SABR with immunotherapy to try and enhance the abscopal effect, and hopefully improve outcomes.

While this is not a radiotherapy technique for all patients it is changing the treatment paradigm and outcomes for those who are suitable.

GenesisCare have been treating patients with stereotactic radiation therapy in Brisbane for over 20 years. Following the launch of our new centre at Buderim in 2019, SRS and SABR are both available to patients on the Sunshine Coast. Dr Debra Furniss consults from Buderim, Nambour, Noosa and Caboolture.

Contact 5374 8100 or email [email protected] for more information.

Planning dosimetry to multiple brain metastases using stereotactic radiosurgery technique, which minimises radiation dose to healthy tissue within the brain.

Stereotactic radiotherapy – Changing treatment paradigm for patients.Dr Debra Furniss, Radiation Oncologist, GenesisCare.

Designing better careGenesisCare radiation oncology

We provide advanced radiation therapy techniques as standard of care and continuously invest in cancer treatments and technology that are proven to provide the best life outcomes possible.

Our Sunshine Coast network provides personalised world-class care, closer to home

Buderim10 King Street

Tel: 5374 [email protected]

Nambour10 Mapleton Road

genesiscare.com

Consulting clinics:Caboolture, Caloundra, Noosa and Gympie

Patient transport service available

The same radiation oncologists you know and trust, providing high quality, personalised care.

Dr Debra FurnissGI, Breast, lung, SABR, SRS, benign diseases, skin and palliative

Urological, gynaecological, breast, skin and palliative

Dr Olivia BigaultProstate brachytherapy, urological, GI, SRS, haematology and palliative

Dr James MacKeanWide-field skin, prostate, urological, benign conditions, breast and palliative

Dr Bradley Wong

Stereotactic radiation therapy (SRT)SRT is an advanced, high precision radiation therapy technique that delivers ablative radiation doses while minimising dose to normal tissues. Drawing on over 20 years experience treating patients with SRT in Brisbane, the team at GenesisCare Buderim offers this this treatment for cranial, lung, bone, spine and liver lesions. SRT offers greater patient convenience with:

Lower radiation to surrounding tissues resulting in less side effects•Fewer treatment sessions required•Faster treatment delivery•

Contact the centre to discuss patient suitability or to refer a patient



Sunshine Coast Orthopaedic ClinicFor appointments contact

Dr Steven Lawrie Suite 17, Kawana Private Hospital 5 Innovation Parkway, Birtinya QLD 4575 p: 07 5493 3994 f: 07 5493 3897 e: [email protected] www.sunshineortho.com.auThe first few days can make all the difference

in recovery from a sporting injury.

Dr Steve Lawrie at the Sunshine Coast Orthopaedic Clinic provides an Acute Knee Clinic each Monday and Tuesday which is specifically designed for, but not limited to, sports injuries of the knee with a view to rapid assessment, investigation and adoption of a management plan within the first few days of the initial injury.

The Acute Knee Clinic has now been running for twelve years. We have treated many professional and semi-professional athletes as well as the “weekend warriors”, including a special interest in paediatric sporting injuries. Dr Lawrie has a close association with many sporting teams on the Sunshine Coast, including the Sunshine Coast Falcons, Melbourne Storm and many other local clubs.

Specific conditions that can benefit from emergent assessment include suspected ligamentous injuries, including cruciate ligaments, medial ligaments, multiple ligament injuries, acute patellar dislocation, locked knees and especially paediatric cruciate and meniscal injuries whether that be by implementing early surgical techniques

or an appropriate non-operative treatment programme.

To access the Acute Knee Clinic, a patient needs to have a current referral to Dr Steven Lawrie and plain x-rays of the knee should also be arranged before the initial consultation.

A plain x-ray is very important in the initial assessment to exclude fractures, loose bodies, and to show the alignment of the knee joint and the patellofemoral joint, which cannot be seen on other investigations, such as an MRI scan.

Splints and orthotics can be organized directly with Leonie Walton on 5473 5858. Leonie attends our clinic on a Thursday afternoon, but she is available throughout the week as needed.

The Acute Knee Clinic is intended to complement Dr Lawrie’s other interests, including hip and knee replacement, revision arthroplasty, computer assisted joint replacement, cartilage surgery, as well as hip, knee and ankle arthroscopy.

Dr Lawrie is happy to take phone calls for advice, queries etc as this often helps the referral process.

Examples of these injuries include:

A medial ligament injury is usually easily treated in a range of motion brace, using an MCL protocol if applied with the 1st week or so. But it can be extremely difficult to correct if there is a delay of a number of weeks.

Paediatric meniscal tears may be repairable early after an injury, but a delay typically means meniscal resection becomes necessary.

Acute patellar dislocation may respond to surgical repair if surgery is offered in the first 2 weeks after the injury.

Traumatic meniscal tears where early repair rather than delayed resection can make a dramatic difference in outcomes

Early ACL surgery in the young active patient/sportsman.

The Acute Knee Clinic


COVID-19 SIGNAGE - PROTECT YOUR STAFF & PATIENTS

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Maroochydore - Sunshine Coast



2020EndofFinancialYearChecklist–Superannuation

ConcessionalContributionsCap

Theconcessionalcontributionscapforthe2020financialyearis$25,000.Concessionalcontributionscanincludethefollowing:

• Employersuperannuationguarantee–compulsorycontributionsmadebytheemployerat9.5%ofordinarytimeearnings.

• Awardcontributions–specifiedinemploymentawardsoragreements.• Salary-sacrificecontributions–paidfromyourpre-taxincometoyoursuperfund.• Personalcontributions–claimedasataxdeductioninyourpersonaltaxreturn.

Pleaseensurecontributionsarepaidbynolaterthan25June2020.Thiswillallowsufficienttimeforprocessing.Thecontributionwillonlybeaccountedforonceithasbeenreceivedbytheemployees’superfund.

Ifyouexceedtheconcessionalcap,theexcessisincludedasassessableincomeinyourpersonaltaxreturn.Taxwillbepaidatyourmarginalratelessthe15%taxthathasalreadybeenpaidinthesuperfund.Youhavetheabilitytoreleasetheexcessamountfromthesuperfundtopaytheadditionaltax.Pleasespeaktoyourtaxaccountanttodiscussyouroptions.

UnusedConcessionalContributionsCap

From1July2018ifyourtotalsuperannuationbalanceislessthan$500,000on30Junefromthepreviousfinancialyear.Youhavetheoptionofcontributingabovethe$25,000capifyouhaveanunusedportionfromtheprevious5years.

Description 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22

Generalcontributionscap $25,000 $25,000 $25,000 $25,000 $25,000

Totalunusedavailablecapaccrued Notapplicable $0.00 $22,000 $44,000 $69,000

Maximumcapavailable $25,000 $25,000 $47,000 $25,000 $94,000

Superannuationbalance30Juneprioryear Notapplicable $480,000 $490,000 $505,000 $49,000

Concessionalcontributions $0.00 $3,000 $3,000 $0.00 $0.00

Unusedconcessionalcapamountaccruedin

therelevantfinancialyear$0.00 $22,000 $22,000 $25,000 $25,000

https://www.ato.gov.au/Rates/Key-superannuation-rates-and-thresholds/?anchor=Concessionalcontributionscap#Concessionalcontributionscap


/cont:

Concessionalcontributionscanonlybemadeonbehalfofanindividualinthefollowingcircumstances:

• Agedlessthan65years.• Satisfytheworktestiftheyareagedbetween65to74years.Theworktestrequirestheindividualto

begainfullyemployedforaperiodof40hourswithin30consecutivedaysinthefinancialyearbeforeacontributioncanbemade.

• Havesufficienttaxableincomeiftheindividualintendstoclaimtheconcessionalcontributionasadeductionintheirtaxreturn.

SuperannuationGuaranteeAmnesty

Aone-offopportunitytocorrectpastunpaidsuperannuationguarantee(SG)amounts.Employershaveaccesstoasix-monthwindow,until7September2020,todisclose,lodge,andpayunpaidSGamountsfortheiremployees.Employersareabletoclaimdeductionsfortheamountspaid,andnotincuradministrationchargesorpenaltiesduringthisperiod.

Pensions

Ifyoureceiveapensionfromasuperannuationfund,pleaseensurethatyouhavewithdrawntheminimumpensionpriorto30June.Theminimumpensioniscalculatedbymultiplyingthepensionaccountbalancebyapercentagefactor.

Age 2013-14onwards Reducedratesby50%forthe2019-20and2020-21incomeyears

Under65 4.00% 2.00%

65-74 5.00% 2.50%

75-79 6.00% 3.00%

80-84 7.00% 3.50%

85-89 9.00% 4.50%

90-94 11.00% 5.50%

95ormore 14.00% 7.00%

https://www.ato.gov.au/Super/Self-managed-super-funds/In-detail/SMSF-resources/SMSF-technical/Pension-standards-for-self-managed-super-funds/

Ifyouhaveanyquestionsfeelfreetocallouroffice.0754379900.




ConcessionalContributionsCap

Theconcessionalcontributionscapforthe2020financialyearis$25,000.Concessionalcontributionscanincludethefollowing:

• Employersuperannuationguarantee–compulsorycontributionsmadebytheemployerat9.5%ofordinarytimeearnings.

• Awardcontributions–specifiedinemploymentawardsoragreements.• Salary-sacrificecontributions–paidfromyourpre-taxincometoyoursuperfund.• Personalcontributions–claimedasataxdeductioninyourpersonaltaxreturn.

Pleaseensurecontributionsarepaidbynolaterthan25June2020.Thiswillallowsufficienttimeforprocessing.Thecontributionwillonlybeaccountedforonceithasbeenreceivedbytheemployees’superfund.

Ifyouexceedtheconcessionalcap,theexcessisincludedasassessableincomeinyourpersonaltaxreturn.Taxwillbepaidatyourmarginalratelessthe15%taxthathasalreadybeenpaidinthesuperfund.Youhavetheabilitytoreleasetheexcessamountfromthesuperfundtopaytheadditionaltax.Pleasespeaktoyourtaxaccountanttodiscussyouroptions.

UnusedConcessionalContributionsCap

From1July2018ifyourtotalsuperannuationbalanceislessthan$500,000on30Junefromthepreviousfinancialyear.Youhavetheoptionofcontributingabovethe$25,000capifyouhaveanunusedportionfromtheprevious5years.

Description 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22

Generalcontributionscap $25,000 $25,000 $25,000 $25,000 $25,000

Totalunusedavailablecapaccrued Notapplicable $0.00 $22,000 $44,000 $69,000

Maximumcapavailable $25,000 $25,000 $47,000 $25,000 $94,000

Superannuationbalance30Juneprioryear Notapplicable $480,000 $490,000 $505,000 $49,000

Concessionalcontributions $0.00 $3,000 $3,000 $0.00 $0.00

Unusedconcessionalcapamountaccruedin

therelevantfinancialyear$0.00 $22,000 $22,000 $25,000 $25,000

https://www.ato.gov.au/Rates/Key-superannuation-rates-and-thresholds/?anchor=Concessionalcontributionscap#Concessionalcontributionscap


/cont:

Concessionalcontributionscanonlybemadeonbehalfofanindividualinthefollowingcircumstances:

• Agedlessthan65years.• Satisfytheworktestiftheyareagedbetween65to74years.Theworktestrequirestheindividualto

begainfullyemployedforaperiodof40hourswithin30consecutivedaysinthefinancialyearbeforeacontributioncanbemade.

• Havesufficienttaxableincomeiftheindividualintendstoclaimtheconcessionalcontributionasadeductionintheirtaxreturn.

SuperannuationGuaranteeAmnesty

Aone-offopportunitytocorrectpastunpaidsuperannuationguarantee(SG)amounts.Employershaveaccesstoasix-monthwindow,until7September2020,todisclose,lodge,andpayunpaidSGamountsfortheiremployees.Employersareabletoclaimdeductionsfortheamountspaid,andnotincuradministrationchargesorpenaltiesduringthisperiod.

Pensions

Ifyoureceiveapensionfromasuperannuationfund,pleaseensurethatyouhavewithdrawntheminimumpensionpriorto30June.Theminimumpensioniscalculatedbymultiplyingthepensionaccountbalancebyapercentagefactor.

Age 2013-14onwards Reducedratesby50%forthe2019-20and2020-21incomeyears

Under65 4.00% 2.00%

65-74 5.00% 2.50%

75-79 6.00% 3.00%

80-84 7.00% 3.50%

85-89 9.00% 4.50%

90-94 11.00% 5.50%

95ormore 14.00% 7.00%

https://www.ato.gov.au/Super/Self-managed-super-funds/In-detail/SMSF-resources/SMSF-technical/Pension-standards-for-self-managed-super-funds/

Ifyouhaveanyquestionsfeelfreetocallouroffice.0754379900.



Page 1 of 1

MEDIA RELEASE 24 June 2020

Doctors issue call to arms for patients over politics

Doctors are outraged by a State Government trial allowing pharmacists to diagnose urinary tract infections and prescribe antibiotics. Australian Medical Association (AMA) Queensland has issued a call to arms for doctors to unite against the increasing introduction of role substitutions that allow other health practitioners to deliver services traditionally provided by qualified doctors. AMA Queensland President Dr Chris Perry said role substitutions delivered patients with inferior care under the guise of convenience. “AMA Queensland has consistently and regularly voiced its concerns and fears for patient safety regarding task substitutions, however, our voice has for some reason fallen on deaf ears,” he said. “Queensland is the only state or territory in the country to allow a trial where pharmacists can diagnose urinary tract infections instead of GPs, and sell anti-biotics over the counter without conducting any tests to be sure there is an infection, and at a time when the country is facing a serious problem of antibiotic resistance because of over-prescribing. “We have a health system which favours a midwife-led childbirth model over the use of obstetricians because the State Government will not pay for rural and regional women to have the same access to labour, delivery and post-natal services as their city-living sisters. “And we have public patients with referrals to specialists being diverted instead to other health practitioners as a means of cost-cutting and creating an impression that people are waiting less time in the public system for care. “Queenslanders are being sold this new style of patient care under the guise of choice and convenience, but it’s simply a bargain basement version of health care.” Dr Perry said AMA Queensland was calling on all doctors to unite to put patient care above political point-scoring and cost-cutting. “AMA Queensland has consistently and regularly voiced its concerns and fears for patient safety regarding task substitutions, however, our voice has for some reason fallen on deaf ears,” he said. “Enough is enough. We believe there are serious risks in providing this kind of inferior patient care.”

Dr Perry said AMA Queensland had called on all doctors to complete a survey about the state of the current health care system and what’s required for the future. “Doctors are extremely concerned about the direction of our health care system and we are providing them with an opportunity to voice their concerns,” he said. “Apart from the inherent risks in having health practitioners without training providing services of qualified doctors, there’s a genuine danger of a two-tiered health system forming – one that is run on the cheap by clinicians operating outside their scope of practice, and another one that provides quality care for those who are able and willing to pay for it.” Dr Perry urged doctors to have their say at qld.ama.com.au MEDIA CONTACTS: Fran Metcalf, Sequel PR - 0417 627 867; Chiara Lesèvre, AMA Queensland – 0419 735 641.

Tributes for long time SCLMA Committee member Dr Robyn Hewland (1938 - 2020)

Close friend and travel companion ..Dr Marlene CloutWhat a difference a year makes!In June last year Robyn Hewland & I travelled to USA to attend the Centenary of International Medical Women in New York.MWIA founded by American physician & suffrage activist Dr Esther Lovejoy in 1919,has passionately advanced the many roles of women in the field of medicine.The Congress was attended by 1000 women doctors & medical students from 49 countries .The gathering was visually very vibrant with dress from many cultures..There was a special event, Women’s Health:Building Blocks for Sustainable Development Goals’ held at the United Nations to commence the Congress.The next 4 days were packed with a wide range of topics with speakers from around the world .One speaker from Canada,the President of the Canadian Medical Association,is the great great niece of Sir William OslerThe Marriott at Brooklyn Bridge was a great venue & Robyn & I enjoyed both the lectures & opportunity to meet with many old friends from previous MWIA conferences .I personally had attended meetings in Taiwan, Japan & Ghana but Robyn had attended many more..Robyn was awarded Honorary Life Membership of MWIA for her long association with the organisation.This was a special moment for her.The Gala dinner at the conclusion was special with performances by many cultural groups, notably the Koreans who always wear their beautiful national costume & can all do their national dances.Before the conference Robyn & I had a Mississippi River cruise from Memphis to New Orleons & celebrated 4th of July at Baton Rouge on the river.It was on Robyn’s bucket list.Next we flew to Montreal to take cruise to Prince Edward Island to visit Anne of Green Gables territory.That was on my bucket listWe caught the train from Boston at the end of the cruise to New York and were able to celebrate Robyn’s 81st birthday at the Broadway show Come from Away which was a musical about the Newfoundlers welcome to passengers & crews sent thereto after the 9/11 terrorist attack. Sadly Robyn became unwell at end of this trip & her cancer diagnosis was made when she returned to NZ.I have many happy memories of our tripsVale RobynMarlene

Right: Robyn & Marlene, Times Square, New York. June 2019.

Vale Dr Robyn Hewland Dr Debbie Pfeiffer

Dr Hewland and I began working together back in 1994 at the Maroochydore Adult Mental Health Service where Robyn was a tremendous source of knowledge and support for me, fellow staff members and most importantly, the patients (I think we both struggled with referring to the latter as “consumers”). The late 90’s were years of considerable growth and change in the Mental Health arena and not without conflict. Robyn remained dedicated to her post in sometimes trying circumstances. Robyn and I remained friends and correspondents well after we both moved on from our respective positions in Mental Health on the Sunshine Coast. After retiring and returning to her New Zealand home in her later years, she always came back to the Sunshine Coast each winter to see her friends and attend SCLMA meetings. Robyn was truly a remarkable woman and doctor, and she will be missed.

Dr Roger Faint, President SCLMA (Read at Robyn’s funeral, 20 June 2020, Christchurch NZ

I have been President of the Sunshine Coast Medical Association for almost four years and met Robyn on several occasions at our monthly clinical meetings. She was most impressive and I had no idea she was in her late 70s.

She was well recognised as a significant contributor to the Sunshine Coast and New Zealand for many years in terms of patient care needs (particularly the disadvantaged) and medico-politics. She was a member of our organisation for over 25 years and served on the committee for many years.

Jo Bourke, current SCLMA secretariat, has very fond memories of Robyn, particularly in 2008. Robyn was responsible for recognising Jo as a talent and co-opted her to produce the first in-house local monthly medical magazine.

Dr Mason Stevenson, later to become Australian Medical Association Queensland President, recalls Robyn as a most impressive mentor for her medico-political wisdom & experience.

The medical community is poorer for the loss.



Dr Robyn HewlandA psychiatrist of note .....Robyn Hewland was, by an accident of timing, born in the UK but was brought up in Christchurch, with family roots stretching back to well before the first four ships. Her ancestors, the Prebbles, founded and named Prebbleton. Later, her great-grandfather Jacobs was sent by the Anglican Church on the Sir George Seymour and was the first headmaster of Christ’s College. Both of Robyn’s parents, Leonard and Helen Hewland, were very active in the Christchurch community. She is survived by one brother, Morgan Hewland. Robyn declared her intention to be a doctor at about age 10, and never wavered from that goal.

At medical school in the late 1950s, women students received many messages that they were not welcome. At their first lecture in 1958, the 10 women in Robyn’s class were told that they were wasting a place that could have gone to a male. The male students had a ‘common’ room, while the women were stuck in a small ‘powder’ room.

Robyn did not waste her place in medical school. Working first as a rural GP, she went on to become the first psychiatrist at Sunnyside Hospital to specialise in forensic cases, including giving expert opinions at 26 murder trials. She also worked directly as a psychiatrist at Paparoa (now Christchurch Men’s) Prison, spearheading the creation of the Kia Marama unit for sexual offenders, which has been so successful. For around fifteen years, she also worked as a child psychiatrist for the Department of Social Welfare.

While completing her psychiatry exams, Robyn brought up her two children, Victoria and Andrew, as a single mother. She used to produce a weekly schedule each Sunday, then plan the following day’s work down to the minute. She worked 12 hour days throughout her life, seeing patients, writing up case notes, reading medical literature, attending conferences and being an active member of many professional and community organisations.

She was a change agent in many ways and a strong fighter alongside women and within the medical community. She was involved in the Medical Women’s Association in New Zealand and internationally (where she was given honorary membership in 2019) for many years. The medical women’s position led her into the National Council of Women, where she remained an active member until very recently. She was also a member, and for some years President, of the New Zealand Association of Psychotherapists.

She was on the Executive of the Royal Australia and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (New Zealand), the Canterbury Postgraduate Medical Society and the (foundation) Christchurch Family Courts Association. She was also involved in the WEA, the organising committee in Christchurch for the suffrage centennial and many other organisations.

She was always advocating, at conferences and meetings and in the media, for better and more responsive psychotherapy services for people in prison and in care, for children and families and others.

She was awarded a Queens Service Medal in 1990 for public services.

The 1990s saw neoliberal reforms that pushed health specialists out of government agencies and back into hospital settings. In Sunnyside, Dr Hall’s ‘therapeutic community’ model was replaced with “tick boxes and timesheets”. All of these changes, plus increasing pain from arthritis, drove her in 1994 to Queensland in Australia, where she took up a regional position as the Clinical Director of Adult Mental Health on the Sunshine Coast. She continued to divide her time between her beachfront unit at Maroochydore and her Christchurch home until 2014 when, at age 76, she finally retired from her position on the Queensland Mental Health Review tribunal and from speaking at international medico-legal conferences.

Robyn lived out her last years in a sunny unit at the Parkstone retirement village in Ilam. She never stopped working and participating in community organisations. Even in the past couple of years she made submissions to a range of government inquiries, wrote to ministers, attended meetings and kept up her writing. She was interested in producing her memoirs to ensure that the lessons she had learnt were not lost with her death. She expected to live a long life into her 90s due to her genetic heritage (she had a very strong interest in epigenetics), but confirmation of advanced pancreatic cancer in mid-2019 meant she had months, rather than years, to live. Instead of bowing to the inevitable, Robyn redoubled her efforts to get her story down before she died.

Robyn’s huge archive is to be stored at Christchurch City Libraries, and her memoirs are currently being edited. She died at Parkstone Care Home on 13th June, with her children Victoria and Andrew by her side. She remained very close to her children, and later her grandchildren, and was very proud of their achievements. Far from being a waste of a man’s place at medical school, Robyn’s work as GP, psychiatrist and advocate put her at the forefront of medical practice for nearly 50 years and over the past few months she has received many messages from colleagues testifying to her legacy.

Robyn was a long time committee member of the Sunshine Coast Local Medical Association.

The Sunshine Coast Local Medical Association has Public Liability Insurance

SUNSHINE COAST LOCAL MEDICAL ASSOCIATION Inc. ABN: 56 932 130 084

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION Enquiries: Jo Bourke Ph: 5479 3979 Mb: 0407 037 112 Email: [email protected]

NAME Surname: First Name:

EMAIL: _________________________________________________________________

THE SCLMA PREFERS TO CONTACT MEMBERS VIA EMAIL WHEREVER POSSIBLE.

PRACTICE ADDRESS: For members who wish to receive hard copies (instead of by email) of the monthly invitation & newsletter by Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology Couriers to avoid postage costs.

Practice/Building

Street:

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Phone: Mobile: PRACTITIONER DETAILS: Qualifications:

Date of Birth: Year of Graduation:

Hospital employed / Private Practice (cross out one)

General Practice / Specialist (cross out one)

Area of Speciality: PLEASE NOTE: Retired doctors who wish to join the Association are required to attach a letter of good standing from their respective College. PROPOSERS: (to comply with the Queensland Associations Incorporation Act, two financial members of the Association are required to nominate each applicant for new membership. Members renewing their membership do not need proposers).

1. NAME: Signature:

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ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION (GST included): (Please tick) PLEASE COMPLETE:

Full-time ordinary members - GP and Specialist $ 110 Your Monthly Invitation?

Doctor spouse of full-time ordinary member $ 55 By Email?

Absentee or non-resident doctors $ 55 By Courier?

Part-time ordinary members (less than 10 hours per week) $ 55 By Post?

Non-practising ordinary members, under 60 years old $ 55 Your Monthly Newsletter?

Residents & Doctors in Training Free By Email?

Non-practising ordinary members, over 60 years old Free By Courier?

Patron and honorary members Free By Post?

Payment can be made by cheque payable to SCLMA or by direct debit to: SCLMA Westpac Account. BSB: 034-243 ACCOUNT NUMBER: 11-9298

Please return this form either by email (scanned) or Fax or Post with details of your E.F.T. to:

Email: [email protected] Post: SCLMA PO BOX 549 COTTON TREE 4558 Fax: 5479 3995

Please note: Membership applications will be considered at the next Management Committee meeting.



REDCLIFFE LOCAL MEDICAL ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER Redcliffe LMA produces a similar newsletter

For full details re advertising go to their website: www.rdma.org.au

Email: [email protected]

SCLMA ADVERTISING GUIDELINES:

To comply with Section 133 of the National Law and guidelines, advertising of services must not: Paragraph (a) “Create or be likely to create unwarranted and unrealistic expectations about the effectiveness of the health services advertised”Paragraph (f) “Claim that the services provided by a particular regulated health profession are better, as safe as or safer than others”Paragraph (o) “Contain any claim, statement or implication that a practitioner provides superior services to those provided by other registered health practitioners”

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING:

The anti discrimination commission of Queensland has the following statement on job advertising:Discriminatory advertising is against the law. Job advertisements need to give the impression that all suitable applicants are welcome to apply. References to sex, relationship status, age, race, religion etc should be avoided, as should the use of words that may indicate a preference for particular groups or may discourage others from applying, eg foreman, tradesman, glamorous, well-built, mature, youthful, office girl etc. Publishers can be fined and be the subject of a complaint to the Commission for publishing discriminatory advertisements that show an intention to contravene the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991. Discriminatory advertisements will therefore often be refused or modified by publishers in order to avoid legal liability.

We offer an extensive range of medical stationery including:

Your Medical, Dental & Allied Health Print Specialists

Contact your local Snap team today for quality print, fast turnaround and local delivery.

Contact us to

discuss your

next print or

design project.

• Appointment & business cards• Referral pads, letterheads, branded folders• Name badges, ID cards & lanyards• Health, safety & compliance posters• Patient brochures, stickers & magnets• Latex posters, banners & pull up prints• Signage inc desktop, window & car decals• Survey and e-marketing management

• Promotional material & much more . . .

Order online & we'll deliver to your door!

Snap Print & DesignMaroochydore - Sunshine Coast

07 5443 6990 | [email protected]/snap-maroochydore

CLASSIFIEDS TEWANTIN / NOOSA.• Previous/ Medical, Veterinary Practice for lease.

Substantial freehold building, nice grounds, busy main road exposure / signage,

• 158m2, rent and fit out incentives, including X-Ray room

Contact: Warren Evans 0428711163Email [email protected]. May 2020

EXPERIENCED General Practice Nurse Required GOLDEN BEACH MEDICAL CENTRE / PELICAN WATERS FAMILY DOCTORSDo you have:• 3 years post graduate experience?• General practice experience?• Excellent attention to detail and the capacity to

multi-skill?• Computer skills, ideally with Best Practice?• A willingness to learn chronic disease

management/health assessments? • The ability to work in a busy environment across 2

practices with over 20 Gp’s? • Flexibility with shift hours including a rotating

weekend roster?• A current APRHA registration Registered or

Enrolled Nurse?• A current Driver’s license?• Personal indemnity insurance?• A current police check?We will provide:• A great team to work with and be a part of.• A 4-week supported training experience.• A supportive, caring, and flexible workplace and

more!!Is this you? If so, please send your resume to:[email protected] May 2020

ALLIED HEALTH CONSULTATION ROOM AVAILABLE• We have a consultation room with a treatment

area available in our Buderim clinic. • We are a women’s focused specialist rooms and

would prefer someone like minded to join our clinic.

Please contact Brooke on 54783533 or 0406 770 668 for further details. April 2020

ATTENTION ALL SCLMA MEMBERS!You should have received your membership receipt by now. Please let me know if you haven’t ([email protected])New members always welcome to join. Are you listed on our website Directory?Are your details up to date?www.sclma.com.auA reminder that it is much faster to receive your monthly newsletter via email rather than waiting for your printed copy. Please let us know we can add you to the email list to save printing and postage cost. Thank you!!

GENERAL PRACTITIONER VR - CALOUNDRA• We are looking for a FT or PT VR General

Practitioner with Partnership opportunity to join our well established, and privately owned family practice.

• This practice provides ongoing quality care to a large number of patients and visitors in the area. Currently the practice consists of four doctors supported by one practice manager, three registered nurses, three receptionists and one book-keeper.

• We are a mixed billing practice with well-established operating systems and very loyal patient base.

Please email resume to:[email protected] or contact Nadine Ware on 07 5491 9888February 2020

GENERAL PRACTITIONER (VR) - SUNSHINE COAST QUEENSLANDTo find out more, please email your resume to [email protected] or ring Rowena for an informal chat 0412 292 666. Continuing as per request.

CLASSIFIEDS GUIDELINES FOR 2020Classifieds are FREE for current SCLMA mcmbers• Classifieds usually have a placement life of 3

newsletters• Cost for non-members is $100 + gst• Maximum word count 100-120 ideally. • Queries: Contact Jo 0407 037 112 • Email: [email protected]

Sunshine Coast Local Medical Association IncPO Box 549 Cotton Tree QLD 4558 www.sclma.com.au


WISHLISTFACINGLOSSOFFUNDRAISING

DuetoCOVID-10restrictions,Wishlisthashadtocancelseveralfundraisingevents,includingtheSCLMAGalaBall,WishlistJazz&WineFestival,WishlistSpringCarnivalandpostponetheWishlistFunRun(nowhappeningOctober18).

Thefoundationhasalsofacedthecancellationof92.7MixFM'sGiveMe5ForKidsappealwhichrunsforthemonthofJuneandannuallyraisesinexcessof$500,000forpaediatricneedsacrossour public hospitals.As you know, Wishlist supports the needs of Sunshine Coast hospitalsdirecting$1millionannually.Withsomanyeventscancelled,thecharityisfacingaround$700,000lossinfundraisingrevenuethisyear.I’msureyouwouldagree,thisisahugeblowtolocalhealthservicesandourlocalcommunity.

TheirWish Listis filledwith vitalmedical equipment and projects for Paediatric Care, PalliativeCare,CancerCareandongoingcommitments likemusic therapyandtheClownDoctorsservice.TheyalsofundresearchandstaffscholarshipsforSCHHSstaff.Rightnow,Wishlistsimplycannotfundtheseitems.Wishlist CEO Lisa Rowe said the not-for-profit charity was desperate to fundraise for aFamilyRoomforthePaediatricCriticalCareUnitatSCUHforfamiliesliketheBarnhurstfamilywhosesonHugospent84daysontheward.HugohadMitochondrialdiseaseandsadlypassedawayearlierthisyearjustweeksafterhis10thbirthday.“This FamilyRoomwillallowparentsand carers to stay just stepsaway from this critically illchild,” Ms Rowe said. If you can help Wishlist reach their fundraising goal for the FamilyRoom,considermakingadonationatwishlist.org.auorclickhere.100%ofalldonationsstayontheSunshineCoastandgodirectly tothecause,asWishlist'soperational revenue iscoveredbytheNambourHospitalmulti-storeycarparkandothercommercialenterprise.

SCLMA President’s Message Dr Roger Faint · P: 5452 6511 W Meetins Convenor: Dr Aliia oren...

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Transcript of SCLMA President’s Message Dr Roger Faint · P: 5452 6511 W Meetins Convenor: Dr Aliia oren...