Many people experience an increase in asthma symptoms and find their asthma harder to control during winter. Among adults and children with asthma, emergency department presentations and hospitalisation rates peak during the winter months which is likely due to the increase in respiratory infections and the annual winter flu season.

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The College has been invited to nominate a representative to join the Emerging Minds GP Special Interest Group to assist with reviewing content for an eLearning on Child Mental Health Skills Training (4hrs). The course is currently in development and comprises four modules covering identification, assessment, care planning and support required for children aged 5-11 at risk of or experiencing mental health difficulties.

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With the NSW and Victorian ski resorts starting to open for the 2020 ski season, rural doctors are warning skiers and snowboarders that they must do everything they can to be COVID safe. Peak rural medical bodies, ACRRM and the Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA), have warned that includes self-isolating and getting tested - even if you are already partway through your snow holiday.

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With preventable hospitalisations and deaths occurring every day from the misuse of opioids, changes are being made to the way they are prescribed. Rural peak bodies, the Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) and the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) are supporting the regulation changes in relation to labelling and pack sizes, saying that opioids can hide symptoms that should be checked by your GP.

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With COVID-19 rapidly fading from memories with the relaxing of restrictions, rural doctors are sending a reminder that social distancing needs to be the ‘new normal’. Dr Adam Coltzau, Clinical lead of the COVID-19 Rural and Remote Response said that an increase in presentations of the common cold to doctors’ surgeries is a telling sign.

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To minimise the harm caused by opioid prescription medicines to Australians each year, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is continuing to implement a number of regulatory changes which aim to ensure the safe and effective prescribing and use of opioids while maintaining access for patients who need them.

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Queensland Health has established a Reform Planning Group to prepare advice for the Deputy Premier and Minister for Health and Minister for Ambulance Services on how best to harness opportunities from Queensland’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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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. We’re pleased to welcome new telehealth providers who recently registered in the ACRRM telehealth provider directory.

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ACRRM welcomes today’s announcement to extend the Office of the National Rural Health Commissioner and commends the decision to expand the expertise of the Office by establishing new Deputy Commissioner roles for Indigenous health, nursing and allied health.

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From 1 July, there are a number of changes to the National Immunisation Program coming into effect. The changes are being implemented following recommendations from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) and other clinical experts and are designed to improve protection against meningococcal and pneumococcal disease.

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The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) welcomes the formal announcement of Fellow Dr Raymond Lewandowski as President of Rural Doctors Association of Queensland (RDAQ).

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ACRRM, in partnership with the Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) will be managing a project to provide rural and remote prescribers about the changes to the opioid prescribing protocols and associated issues such as the implications for rural and remote prescribers and communities; and pain and addiction management. The project has commenced and is scheduled for completion in June 2021.

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While COVID-19 has brought significant upheaval, it has also shown that Australia’s federal and state governments can work together to make significant healthcare reforms in double-quick time. Peak rural medical bodies, ACRRM and Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA), say this spirit of reform should continue to drive change in the way healthcare is delivered in future years.

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The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care will shortly commence the development of a Low Back Pain Clinical Care Standard and has invited the College to nominate a representative to the Topic Working Group advising this work. Please contact Jenny Johnson (j.johnson@acrrm.org.au) by Monday 8 June, if you are interested in nominating for this position.

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ACRRM has provided a detailed submission to the Senate Select Committee Inquiry into the Australian Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The College submission covered a range of issues including the responses that were effective, and suggestions for improvements where these are required. Consideration was also given to the policy initiatives which should be retained in some form into the future and the longer-term implications for the rural health workforce recruitment, training and retention.

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The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) welcomes the introduction of a new Bill which will allow it to focus on the important role of providing contextualised contemporary professional development opportunities for its members.

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With National Reconciliation Week 2020 set against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of ensuring our First Nations people have access to the healthcare they need and deserve has never been clearer.

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The Australian Government, through the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), is implementing a number of regulatory changes in order to minimise the harms caused by opioid prescription medicines to Australians each year. The changes will ensure the safe and effective prescribing and use of opioids while maintaining access for patients who need them.

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ACRRM supports National Reconciliation Week and continues its commitment to working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to advance their health status This week (27 May – 3 June) marks 20 years of Reconciliation Australia influencing Australia’s journey towards a more just, equitable and reconciled nation, and the theme of In this together is particularly pertinent as we experience the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the ACRRM, training and assessment program is operating ‘as usual’ with more than 60 registrars sitting assessments last weekend.

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