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New criteria for eligible patients requiring general surgery for a range of conditions

New statewide referral criteria for select hernia, oesophageal and hepatobiliary, colon and anorectal conditions potentially requiring general surgery, come into effect from 1 November 2024 in all Victorian publ...

New criteria for eligible patients requiring specialist management for a range of respiratory and sleep conditions

New statewide referral criteria for select respiratory conditions and sleep disorders come into effect from 1 November 2024 in all Victorian public hospitals. When a referring GP successfully uses the new respir...

New criteria for eligible patients requiring general surgery for a range of breast conditions

New statewide referral criteria for select breast conditions potentially requiring general surgery, came into effect from 1 June 2024 in all Victorian public hospitals. When a referring GP successfully uses the ...

New criteria to reduce wait times for eligible patients requiring plastic surgery or with joint or lower back pain

New statewide referral criteria for plastic surgery and joint pain come into effect from 1 March 2024 in all Victorian public hospitals. When a referring GP successfully uses the new criteria for plastic surg...

New criteria to reduce wait times for eligible patients requiring colonoscopy or gastroscopy in Victorian public hospitals

New ‘companion’ statewide referral criteria for category one patients with specific indications that require colonoscopy or gastroscopy come into effect from 1 February 2024. The criteria are: positive fae...

Doctor with face mask talking to patient

Closure of GP clinics: key messages for health services

Read the key messages below and download a PDF version with social media posts. When are GP respiratory clinics closing? All Victorian Government funded general practice respiratory clinics (GPRCs) have ceased o...

Infection Prevention and Control Helpline update

The Infection Prevention and Control Helpline, funded by the Victorian Department of Health, was made available in June 2021, to ensure patient and staff safety was maintained during the pandemic. Now that COVID...

Clear consistent criteria - long covid statewide referral criteria - social media post

New statewide referral criteria for long COVID patients requiring specialist care

New statewide criteria for long COVID are now in effect across Victoria, making it easier for patients and GPs to navigate referrals to specialist hospital services for the small number of patients who may need ...

Changes ease non-admitted referrals for GPs, hospitals and patients

A new Victorian Department of Health policy to streamline access to non-admitted specialist services in public hospitals, to be phased in over the next two years, will make the process easier for patients and th...

The Doctors in Secondary Schools project changes kids’ futures one day at a time

Jessica Chung, the acting practice manager at IPC Health in Deer Park, still remembers what life was like in high school. “It was a stressful time,” she laughs, “especially in the senior years!” Jessic...

News / STIs / VHHITAL

Get to know your STIs: new primer videos for primary health care clinicians out now

VHHITAL’s new videos provide an overview of diagnosis, treatment and management of the most common STIs for primary care providers, before undertaking a 90-minute accredited VHHITAL training course on a...

Tools for wellbeing and better health outcomes for people with chronic blood-borne viruses

The Victorian HIV and Hepatitis Integrated Training And Learning (VHHITAL) program has released a three-part webinar recording: Tools for wellbeing. GPs, nurses and other primary health care practitioners are en...

News / System integration

Third batch of statewide referral criteria for public specialist clinics to launch 1 May 2021

Public specialist clinics across Victoria will start assessing referrals against the third batch of Victorian Department of Health statewide specialist clinic referral criteria from 1 May 2021. These provide cle...

Mental Health Professionals’ Network and Primary Health Networks announce national initiative

In a national first, all 31 Primary Health Networks have joined with the Mental Health Professionals’ Network (MHPN) to produce an exciting webinar series targeted to the workforce who support the mental health ...

Tips and strategies in using technology for mental health consultations

Learn about the opportunities, challenges and risks in conducting mental health consultations by telephone and/or videoconferencing, and practical strategies for improving outcomes for both practitioner and client....

News / Resources

New webinar: Recalls and reminders in general practice

The Victorian and Tasmanian Primary Health Network Alliance has published a new webinar: Recalls and reminders in general practice. Differentiate between recalls and reminders and their key components, understan...

News / Resources

New webinar: Introduction to immunisation for general practice nurses

The Victorian and Tasmanian Primary Health Network Alliance has published a new webinar: Introduction to immunisation for general practice nurses. Learn about the Victorian Department of Health and Human Service...

News / Resources

Updated webinar: Infection prevention and control

The Victorian and Tasmanian Primary Health Network Alliance's webinar, Infection prevention and control, has been updated....

Events / News / Online learning

Telehealth webinar for mental health providers: Monday, 18 May 7:15–8:30pm

Join this webinar to better understand the opportunities, challenges and risks in conducting mental health consultations by telephone and/or videoconferencing, and to learn practical strategies for improving...

COVID-19 in Victoria: Update on the response of Primary Health Networks and general practice

The Victorian and Tasmanian PHN Alliance consulted representatives from Victoria’s six Primary Health Networks (PHNs) on 9 March 2020 to document how the sector is supporting general practices across the state....

Alerts / News / System integration

New public hospital referral criteria launch 1 February 2020

Public specialist clinics across Victoria will start assessing referrals against the second batch of statewide specialist clinic referral criteria from 1 February 2020....

Cataract surgery referrals and wait times at the Eye and Ear Hospital

An update on waiting lists for patients to be assessed for cataract surgery at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital....

Alerts / News / System integration

HealthPathways launches the Pancreatic Cancer – Established pathway

A new clinical pathway for GPs has been launched to mark World Pancreatic Cancer Day, to help people living with Pancreatic Cancer receive better support in the community....

Alerts / Best Practice / News

Tender now open: Optimal Care Pathways HealthPathways Project Evaluation

North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network (NWMPHN) is seeking to commission an organisation to provide an independent evaluation of the statewide Optimal Care Pathways HealthPathways project....

Alerts / News / System integration

New statewide specialist clinic referral criteria launching in public hospitals

The Victorian and Tasmanian PHN Alliance has been commissioned by the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services to support an integrated approach to the adoption of statewide referral criteria for...

Best practice for pancreatic cancer care

Pancreatic cancer has been one of the top causes of cancer death in Australia, with the five-year survival rate of the disease being at a low 8.7 per cent....

Optimal Care Pathways for head and neck cancers to be promoted by Victorian Primary Health Networks

Head and neck cancers are within the top 10 cancers most commonly diagnosed in Australia, and there are no standard screening tests for early detection....

Best practice for melanoma cancer care

It is estimated that the risk of an individual dying from melanoma by their 85th birthday has reached 1 in 118 people. The risk is greater in men, with 1 in 76 males likely to die of melanoma by the age of 85,...

Primary Health Networks join forces for better cancer care

People living with cancer are set to receive better care in their own community, with all Primary Health Networks in Victoria working to increase the use of Optimal Care Pathways (OCPs) for cancer in 2019....

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