Archived News for Health Sector Professionals - April, 2011
Implementation has begun of the Federal Government’s $58.5 million Flexible Care Packages that will provide clinical and case coordination services for people with severe mental illness, to be delivered through Medicare Locals.
Clinical services include psychological therapy provided by psychologists and social workers, who will be encouraged to link patients to other services in the community for people with severe illness.
The program was developed following community consultations which showed strong support for the implementation of the Flexible Care Packages, including from GPs who are central to supporting and finding referral pathways to other services for their patients with severe mental illness.
NHMRC Indigenous Scientific Forum calls for promotion of research funding
The importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research and building the current and future workforce were reinforced at the NHMRC Indigenous Scientific Forum, held recently in Canberra.
$2 billion public hospital for Sunshine Coast
The Queensland Government has announced it will call for tenders for the construction of the new $2 billion Sunshine Coast University Hospital (SCUH) this month, and is expecting to finalise a contract with Ramsey Health Care for the construction of a new private hospital on the same site.
Victorian regional health hub funded
The Victorian Government has announced funding of $7 million for the construction of a new Regional Health Hub at Deakin University's Geelong Campus.
Aspirin study for the elderly
A new collaborative study has been into the effectiveness of aspirin on preventing illnesses and health problems such as heart disease, strokes and low blood pressure in patients aged over 70.
$50 million delivered to Royal Hobart
The second tranche of the Federal Government's $100 million pledge has been delivered to the Royal Hobart Hospital, following acceptance of the Tasmanian Government’s progress report on the $180 million project, which forms part of the $565 million redevelopment of the hospital.
Queensland medical research fellowships announced
The Queensland Government has announced the first round of recipients for 2011 under the Queensland Health’s Office of Health and Medical Research (OHMR) fellowship program.
Second Wave e-health care groups identified
The Australian Government has announced nine Second Wave sites for the implementation of its $467 million national Personally Controlled Electronic Health Records (PCEHR) project.