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Carer Awareness in General Practice

  • GP Respiratory Clinics
  • Priority Primary Care Centres
  • Victorian HIV and Hepatitis Integrated Training and Learning (VHHITAL)
  • Infection Prevention Helpline
  • Carer Awareness in General Practice
  • Accelerated uptake of Hepatitis C medicines
  • Community led cancer screening
  • Lymphoedema Primary Care Capacity Building
  • Optimal Care Pathways
    • Optimal Care Pathways – Communications Toolkit
  • Optimal Care Pathways – Oesophagogastric Cancer OCP
  • Optimal Care Pathways – Prostate Cancer
  • Place-based Suicide Prevention
  • Statewide Paediatric HealthPathways Project
Home Our Work Best practice, prevention, management and support Carer Awareness in General Practice

In this video carers share their experience and talk about what they would like doctors to know, to improve a carer’s health and wellbeing.

It is estimated that one in ten patients in any general practice is a carer. Carers provide a vital role, and enable patients to maintain their independence, wellness and quality of life. However, carers themselves can experience a range of negative health, social and financial impacts as a result of their caring role.

The Victorian carer strategy 2018-2022, developed with input from 1,500 carers, found that many carers will spend lots of their time in healthcare settings but will rarely have their own health needs identified or addressed.

The Carer Awareness in General Practice is an education kit that offers guidance for GPs to identify and support patients who are carers. Education covers recognition of the carer role, identifying and supporting carer needs and involving the carer in patient care. This education is accredited for RACGP and ACRRM professional development, provided when you complete all three short webinars and the associated survey.

Clinical and referral pathways

  • HealthPathways/ Care pathways
  • Mental health services for carers
    • Carer Gateway counselling service
    • Carers Victoria counselling service
    • CAREinMIND (NWMPHN area) – for community 24/7 phone and online counselling
    • CAREinMIND central intake, triage and assessment for referral to mental health services
  • Respite services: Carer Gateway
  • My Aged Care
  • NDIS – Information for GPs and Health professionals
    • Many peak bodies have information about navigating the NDIS for their respective condition, e.g. Dementia Australia, MS, Amaze

General practice resources

  • Carer Gateway
  • Carers Victoria
  • Chief Psychiatrist’s guideline: Working together with families and carers 
  • Cognitive Decline Partnership Centre publications:
    • People with Dementia: A Care Guide for General Practice
    • Supporting Carers of People with Dementia
  • Medical consent and advanced care planning:
    • A summary of the Medical Treatment Planning and Decisions Act 2016 for health professionals
    • Office of the Public Advocate
      • Medical consent
      • Can your adult patient consent flowchart
      • Medical Treatment Planning and Decisions Act 2016– an introduction for health practitioners webinar
      • Advanced care planning information for professionals

Carer support services and resources

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander carers
    • Carer Gateway
    • Carer Australia
  • Abuse and neglect in care relationships
    • Better Health Channel
    • CarersNSW – PDF
  • Carer support groups
    • Carers Vic
  • Carer payments and financial help
    • Carer Gateway
  • Carer general resources
    • Carers Victoria
    • Better Health Channel
    • healthdirect
    • CarersNSW
  • Carer counselling services
    • Carer Gateway
    • Carers Victoria
  • Culturally and linguistically diverse carers
    • Carers Victoria
    • Centre for Culture, Ethnicity and Health
  • Emergency and long-term planning
    • Carers Victoria
  • Legal information
    • DHHS: Carers Recognition Act 2012
    • DHHS: What the Carers Recognition Act 2012 says – fact sheet
  • LGBTQI carers or people caring for a LGBTQI person
    • Switchboard
    • Carers Victoria

This project is funded by DHHS, in partnership with Carers Victoria and delivered by the VTPHNA, led by North Western Melbourne PHN.

Carer Awareness in General Practice education was developed with input from GPs, carers, and Carers Victoria and is framed by The Victorian Carer Strategy 2018-2022.

We acknowledge and thank the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services, Carers Victoria, Northern Sydney Local Health District’s Think Patient – Think Carer GP Action Guide and The Chief Psychiatrist’s guideline, as key sources for the development of this guide. Information sourced with permission.

Project contact

North Western Melbourne PHN
Jen Francis
Ph: 03 9347 1188

Online learning

This education is accredited for RACGP and ACRRM professional development, provided when you complete all three short webinars and the associated survey.

Click below to begin this module:

Copyright 2022 Victorian and Tasmanian PHN Alliance
  • About us
    • About the Alliance
    • Collaboration
    • Leadership
    • PHN Publications
    • Thought Leadership
  • Our Work
    • Best practice, prevention, management and support
      • Accelerated uptake of Hepatitis C medicines
      • Carer Awareness in General Practice
      • Community led cancer screening
      • GP Respiratory Clinics
      • Infection Prevention Helpline
      • Lymphoedema Primary Care Capacity Building
      • Optimal Care Pathways
        • Optimal Care Pathways – Oesophagogastric Cancer OCP
        • Optimal Care Pathways – Prostate Cancer
      • Place-based Suicide Prevention
      • Priority Primary Care Centres
      • Statewide Paediatric HealthPathways Project
      • Victorian HIV and Hepatitis Integrated Training and Learning (VHHITAL)
        • VHHITAL – Education and events copy pack
    • Connecting health with other sectors
      • Doctors in Secondary Schools
        • Apply to Doctors in Secondary Schools: one day out of your everyday
      • Enhancing Mental Health Support in Secondary Schools
    • Health system integration and reform translation
      • Alcohol and other Drug Integration
      • Care Pathways and Referral
        • COVID-19 care pathways
      • Enhancing Carers Supports Within Primary Health Care
      • Mental Health Integration
      • My Health Record Expansion
      • PIP QI Incentive partnership
      • Population Health Planning
      • SafeScript
      • State Emergency and Support Recovery
      • Statewide Specialist Clinic Referral Criteria
        • Statewide Specialist Clinic Referral Criteria – Communications Toolkit
      • The National Disability Insurance Scheme in Victoria and Tasmania
      • Voluntary Assisted Dying
  • News and Education
    • Education and Calendars
    • News
    • Online Learning
  • SafeScript Training
  • Contact
    • Contact us
    • Our PHNs
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