Australia’s peak rural doctor bodies have welcomed $52 million in Federal Government support for aeromedical organisations to provide additional retrievals, and other assistance, to rural and remote communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Fast turnaround on test results is the key to protecting rural Australia from COVID-19 outbreaks. Rural peak bodies, the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) and the Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) are calling for investment in strategies to reduce the time it takes between testing and results, for people in the bush.

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RANZCR has released a position statement on the appropriate use of CT during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in relation to patients undergoing emergency surgery.

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ACRRM is proud to be a major supporter of ‘Gowns for Doctors’, a voluntary project coordinated by two Bendigo GPs who are making and delivering gowns to support health workers during the COVID-19 PPE crisis. ACRRM support will see up to 1000 additional gowns being created and sent to practices in rural and regional Victoria – with a strong potential for the project to go national.

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The Australian Commission on Quality and Safety in Health Care has published a range of resources to support cancer care services to implement the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards.

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Rural medical organisations are warning that hospitals, particularly the smaller rural ones, need to gear up now, to prepare for COVID-19 emergencies. ACRRM and RDAA have said that good preparation will save lives.

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With over 1300 providers offering telehealth at either the patient or distant end of the consultation, the ACRRM telehealth provider directory is one of the most comprehensive multiple speciality directories’ in Australia and is used extensively in rural and remote general practice. The directory can be searched by speciality or region and includes information about visiting specialists and those offering mentorship in running a telehealth service.

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Thinking of travelling to your holiday home or a rural destination for Easter or the school holidays? Think again. That’s the warning today from ACRRM and the Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA), as they urge all Australians to stay put at their usual place of residence and maintain strict social distancing practices.

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The advent of COVID-19 has reinforced the importance for ACRRM to deliver Australia’s first government-funded Rural Generalist (RG)Training Program this year.

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The National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce has launched the new “living guidelines”. These guidelines will provide evidence-based guidance to clinicians caring for people with COVID-19.

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The Department of Health has reported that, based on forecast demand from the states and territories, it is well placed to meet forecast demand for influenza vaccine, including for the National Immunisation Program and to respond to any increased demand that may arise this year.

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While there are very early signs that the curve is beginning to flatten on COVID-19, there is an extraordinarily long way to go - and rural and remote Australians must not become complacent in slowing its spread, or more people will die.

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ACRRM President Dr Ewen McPhee is at the forefront of COVID-19 preparation, opening Australia’s first rural COVID-19 respiratory clinic in Emerald today.

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As more cases of COVID-19 are confirmed in rural and remote areas, the widening of bulk-billed telehealth to the whole population - and a doubling of the bulk-billed incentive for all consultations - is greatly welcomed.

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ACRRM welcomes the expansion of telehealth services and bulk-billing incentives announced by the Australian Government today. ACRRM President Dr Ewen McPhee says these changes will significantly increase the capacity of the rural health system, particularly in general practice. ​

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If rural and remote Australians think their town is too isolated to be impacted by COVID-19, they should think again, the Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) and Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) warned today.

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The My Health Record system supports rural doctors in the coordination of healthcare for their most vulnerable patients. Clinical Professor Meredith Makeham says, “the system has provided a supporting role in bushfires and the Queensland floods and can now assist with COVID-19 patients by enabling GPs to provide key health information to hospitals, pharmacies and the patient via a shared health summary”.

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The government’s commitment to increase the number of masks and Point of Care Testing kits to General Practice, will help combat the COVID-19 pandemic, ACRRM President Dr Ewen McPhee says.

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To assist general practices and in line with COVID-19 social distancing measures, the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission) is maintaining requirements for accreditation.

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The College has been invited to provide feedback about the planned proposal to amend the relevant state legislation to enable prescriptions to be provided in an approved electronic form, consistent with the Commonwealth framework and the National Digital Health Strategy. A fact sheet is attached. Please provide any feedback to policy@acrrm.org.au by Wednesday 1 April 2020.

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