ISSUE EIGHT | MAY 2018 primary health matters TASMANIA’S PRIMARY HEALTH MAGAZINE IN THIS ISSUE Going on country to boost Aboriginal wellbeing Tasmanian health workers growing their skill sets Telehealth lessons from Antarctica PRIMARY HEALTH MATTERS ISSUE EIGHT | MAY 2018 1 CONTENTS From the CEO 2 From the CEO Suicide prevention IT'S a question you Tasmania’s part in the national suicide prevention trial 3 probably get asked Aboriginal health and wellbeing for the first time in a Primary Health Tasmania’s work for Aboriginal social classroom: “What do and emotional wellbeing 4 you want to be when A fresh start back on country 6 you grow up?” Cape Barren island mental health first aid 7 When you’re a kid, the idea Mental health of pursuing a career seems Student champions mental health life lessons 9 linear and straightforward. You pick a job. You get Workforce qualified to do it. Someone hires you for it. Testing their boundaries: How Tasmania’s health The rest, as they say, is history. workers are broadening their skill sets 10 Community in profile Except when it so often isn’t. Ask anyone a few decades out from their school days and they may Central Coast 14 well tell you they’ve ended up somewhere they Digital health didn’t expect. Is there anybody out there? Telehealth lessons from Antarctica 16 That was certainly the case for me. Before I worked in the Tasmanian health sector, you could find me in My Antarctic adventure: Dr Eve Merfield 18 front of a whiteboard, teaching kids about Shakespeare Health literacy and semicolons. Nice to treat you: #hellomynameis in Tassie’s north west 19 Back then, I couldn’t have pictured where I’ve Shared records ended up today. But that’s the beauty of opportunity – New mums, old tricks 20 you never know where you’ll go if you seize it. Dementia In this edition of Primary Health Matters, we meet Australian-first online dementia training for GPs 21 local healthcare practitioners who have jumped at the chance to broaden their skill sets and expand their Members in profile own understanding of what it means to be a nurse, Anglicare Tasmania 22 pharmacist, GP and more. HR+ 22 These dedicated health workers have, at some Cover image: Cheryl Rose (see story page 6) point, seen the importance of rising to the challenge Primary Health Matters is produced by Primary Health Tasmania twice – whether that’s trying to avoid unnecessary a year. It shows how innovation in primary health and social care is hospitalisations by delivering care in the home, or making a difference and contributing to healthy Tasmanians, healthy being ready to respond to an emergency when they're communities, and a healthy system. It focuses on the work of Primary Health Tasmania’s member and partner organisations, as well as our more than 100km from Hobart or Launceston. own activities. They’ve adopted a flexible approach to their careers While editorial material published in Primary Health Matters remains and, in doing, helped meet the healthcare needs of the copyright of Primary Health Tasmania, please contact us if you Tasmanians in rural and remote areas. would like to reproduce all or part of a story in your own newsletter. For more information about Primary Health Matters or to submit a Flexibility has also been a guiding principle for our story idea, please email [email protected] or call Aboriginal health services, also featured in this issue. Jenny or Alexandra on 1300 653 169. When we commissioned services designed to To subscribe (no cost) or unsubscribe, email or call us using the support social and emotional wellbeing, we asked contact details above. Remember to include your name, community-led organisations to share their knowledge, email and full postal address. so we could really understand the best way to cater to Primary Health Matters is available online at www.primaryhealthtas.com.au/about-us/our-publications their needs. Articles appearing in Primary Health Matters come from a range of sources and do not necessarily It’s a lesson we can all appreciate, especially in the reflect the views of Primary Health Tasmania. Primary Health Tasmania does not accept responsibility for the accuracy of information in the magazine. The information is of a general nature and readers broader health sector. Things aren’t always set in stone, should seek independent advice specific to their situation. and if we take the time to listen, learn and adapt, it can While the Australian Government helped fund this document, it has not reviewed the content and is not responsible for any injury, loss or damage however arising from the use of or reliance on the deliver real outcomes. information provided herein. Primary Health Tasmania ABN 47 082 572 629 Phil Edmondson CEO Primary Health Tasmania 2 ISSUE EIGHT | MAY 2018 PRIMARY HEALTH MATTERS SUICIDE PREVENTION Each site also features a local host organisation to help working groups identify ways to reduce suicide in their communities: St Helens Neighbourhood House in Break O’Day, Launceston City Council in Launceston and Relationships Australia for the north west. They will all use the Black Dog Institute’s LifeSpan approach to suicide prevention – a model that combines nine evidence- based strategies to develop a “safety net” for vulnerable people in a community. Davina Dressler, from the Institute, says LifeSpan aims to bridge the gap between research and practice to ensure prevention methods are best- placed to have a tangible effect. Notably, it also targets a cross-section of local groups such as frontline Helen Bridgman (far left) with community and Primary Health Tasmania community and health workers to representatitves involved in the trial encourage a collective and collaborative method of suicide prevention. It’s hoped the local trial activity – which Tasmania’s part in will focus on men aged 40-64, as well as men and women over the age of 65 – will yield lessons that can be applied to the national suicide other Tasmanian communities. Helen says the Break O’Day working prevention trial group has plans to build on some good work already being done with THE Break O’Day municipality lays claim to some of Tasmania’s most “community champions”, who receive picturesque spots, from the white sands of Binalong Bay to the rolling formal training about how to best plains of Fingal Valley. navigate sensitive conversations. “We want to expand that to service But the community has felt the impact Break O’Day is one of three local trial providers and provide them structured of suicide in recent years, drawing sites, along with Launceston and three support for people that agree to become attention to the obstacles faced by north west region municipalities (Burnie, community champions,” Helen says. Tasmanians who need support but Central Coast and Devonport). sometimes don’t know where to get it. “The more people in the community At Break O’Day, Helen coordinates who can have those conversations is An Australian Government-funded a working group that includes a good thing, because it makes the suicide prevention trial – which runs representatives of local health clinics, community stronger.” until June 2019 and is being overseen allied health services, the Tasmanian by Primary Health Tasmania – aims to Health Service, local government, Want to know more? Contact identify how we can work together as a neighbourhood houses and people with Grant Akesson on 6213 8200 or community to prevent suicide. lived experience. [email protected] Break O’Day trial coordinator Helen Bridgman agrees the region is an idyllic environment, but says socioeconomic Suicide in Australia factors can undermine the wellbeing of its residents. Suicide is the leading cause of death for Australians aged 15-44 “If you’re less able to engage with There has been a 20% increase in the number of suicides in the community – for whatever reason, Australia over the last decade whether it’s you’re not fit enough, or unemployment – it’s a very difficult About 75% of suicides are by males situation,” she says. Suicide rates of Indigenous Australians are at least twice that of “All those things pile on top of each non-Indigenous Australians other, and people can end up cut off Source: Black Dog Institute and isolated from others.” PRIMARY HEALTH MATTERS ISSUE EIGHT | MAY 2018 3 ABORIGINAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING On country participants during a trip to the takayna, or Tarkine coast (Image courtesy of Vica Bayley, The Wilderness Society) “You can talk about Primary Health things in a room, at a table or on a lounge, but you cannot Tasmania’s work for get that sense of connection or cultural Aboriginal social and confidence with each other unless you’re emotional wellbeing on the land.” WHEN Primary Health Tasmania started looking at commissioning Sharnie Read (see page 6) mental health services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, our research pointed to a need for a strong focus on social and emotional wellbeing. To do this, we needed to build our understanding about how resources could best be used to improve social and emotional wellbeing by turning to local Aboriginal communities themselves. Primary Health Tasmania worked with seven organisations to co-design services aimed at building resilience and empowering people to have a role in managing their mental health. Australian Government-funded activity encompasses a range of culturally appropriate events, from on country experiences and grief and loss workshops, to mental health first aid courses. 4 ISSUE EIGHT | MAY 2018 PRIMARY HEALTH MATTERS ABORIGINAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING Programs designed to build the capacity of service providers to better support the social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal clients were also commissioned.