Health in Focus - September 2018

The Bureau of Health Information (BHI) has released its annual performance report benchmarking healthcare performance in NSW against comparable countries and Australian states and territories.

Healthcare in Focus 2017: How does NSW compare? examines healthcare in the context of three important dimensions of performance – accessibility, appropriateness and effectiveness – for more than 60 measures.

The report shows that NSW Health is performing exceptionally well on many indicators and outperforming all other states in areas like access to emergency care.

NSW Health has distributed more than 2.3 million doses of flu vaccine to GPs and other providers this year, over 50 per cent more than the total distributed in 2017. Around 200,000 of these doses are the special junior vaccine used in children from six months up to three years of age which the State Government is offering for free.

The flu season officially started in August in NSW, two months later than in 2017, but the number of confirmed cases reported across the state is still a mere fraction of the total at this time last year.

The NSW Government is spending a record $22.75 million on state-wide immunisation programs which will assist with flu prevention this season. This includes $3.5 million for free flu shots to children up to five years of age and a $1.75 million immunisation and influenza prevention campaign.

NSW Health has launched the Men’s Health Framework to encourage males to play an active role in their own health.

More than half of men in NSW aged 24 to 34 are either overweight or obese and they are more likely to smoke.

Overweight men are being urged to take small steps to change their lifestyle as part of the new men’s health initiative or risk dying four years earlier than women.

The NSW Government is investing more than $2.1 billion in four priority areas of the framework – mental health and wellbeing, cancer, healthy living and chronic disease and sexually transmitted infections.

NSW Health has been recognised at the Mumbrella Awards for a clever health initiative which asks young people to take an STI test in exchange for access to VIP areas at music festivals across the state.

The Down to Test program has visited five music festivals in NSW since it launched last year, including Australia’s largest festival, Splendour in the Grass, in Byron Bay.

Over 3500 young people have provided a urine sample in exchange for access to chill out areas, free phone charging, clean toilets and make-up bars.

The program is helping to normalise STI testing and improve people’s sexual health. After surveying past participants, researchers found over half reported improved knowledge of STIs and sexual health, while 70 per cent vowed to continue STI testing.

Results of the Your Training and Wellbeing Matters Junior Medical Officer (JMO) online survey are now available. The survey was undertaken by NSW Health in November 2017 and is one of 10 initiatives outlined in the JMO Wellbeing and Support Plan.

It is the first time that a survey of all employed junior medical officers has been undertaken by any state or territory Health Department in Australia.

NSW Health is undertaking system wide change to improve the health and wellbeing of its junior medical workforce. The Your Training and Wellbeing Matters survey is an important initiative in supporting change and improvement.

The survey will be run again in October 2018.

NSW Health has released Aboriginal Kids – a healthy start to life: Report of the Chief Health Officer 2018.

The report was developed in collaboration with the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council and focuses on key improvements in the health of Aboriginal children in NSW in the first five years of life. The report emphasises the importance of services and programs being carried out in partnership with Aboriginal people, their communities, the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Sector and across government.

As the report outlines, Aboriginal children face a brighter future with the teenage motherhood rate almost halving in 20 years, smoking in pregnancy down by a third, and child vaccination rates among the best in the country.

NSW Health is continuing to work with the Australian Government on the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) rollout.

The NDIS is available across NSW for eligible people under 65. More than 89,000 people with disability in NSW now have choice and control over the support they receive, and can use their NDIS funding to determine who provides the goods and services they need.

NSW Health has been working with providers and staff across the state to ensure patients get access to the right support.

People who need to access the Scheme, should visit their local health district website or browse the resources on the NSW Government NDIS site. They can also speak to their GP or health professional.

The 20th Annual NSW Health Awards will be held on Monday 5 November 2018. These Awards recognise innovation and excellence in the delivery of health programs and services to the NSW community throughout the public health system.

Companies interested in sponsoring an award, can view the Sponsorship Prospectus or email nswhealthawards@health.nsw.gov.au.