The Health News Australia October 23 2017

• Queensland coroner Terry Ryan has recommended that police must treat mental health as “core business” in training officers to deal with mentally ill people in stressful and dangerous situations. It follows an inquest into five fatal police shootings where the deceased all had a history of known or suspected mental illness. One recommendation is that the Queensland Police Service should employ around-the-clock mental health clinicians to help deal with people suffering mental issues.
• Perth will host one of the nation’s most comprehensive studies into chronic child health problems thanks to a combined $26 million pledge last night to the Telethon Kids Institute and Joondalup Health Campus. The Federal Government’s contribution is the longest funding commitment ever made to Telethon, which has raised almost two $232 million over its proud 50-year history.
• A shortage of doctors in regional Australia is a decades-old problem, and now a new plan is being implemented to try to fix it. For the first time, the Federal Government has established the role of a National Rural Health Commissioner who will be tasked with filling the gap of medical experts by improving rural health policies.

News on Health Professional Radio. Today is the 23rd of  October 2017. Read by Tabetha Moreto. Health News

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-20/police-shootings-coronial-inquest-mental-health-training/9070670

Queensland coroner Terry Ryan has recommended that police must treat mental health as “core business” in training officers to deal with mentally ill people in stressful and dangerous situations. It follows an inquest into five fatal police shootings where the deceased all had a history of known or suspected mental illness. The deaths of Anthony Young, Edward Logan,Troy Foster and two others were probed after they were fatally shot in unrelated incidents between August two thousand thirteen and November two thousand fourteen. State coroner Terry Ryan previously cleared officers of any wrongdoing, but delivered nineteen recommendations today including targeted training for officers to help them deal with people with mental health issues.
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He recommended the Queensland Police Service employ around-the-clock mental health clinicians to help deal with people suffering mental issues. The Queensland Government was urged to review its Mental Health Intervention Project and continue funding for body-worn cameras, so all officers have one. Mister Ryan also recommended the establishment of full-time dedicated mental health intervention coordinators in each police district and the operating hours for mental health clinicians within the Brisbane Police Communications Centre should be expanded to twenty four hours, seven days a week. Other recommendations included mandatory counselling for officers involved in critical incidents, a government-regulated scheme for replica firearms and the consideration of additional firearms training for police.

http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/telethon-2017-perth-26-million-pledge-by-prime-minister-foundation-for-childrens-health/news-story/e3c5226d8462812c7009c935c7620a9c

Perth will host one of the nation’s most comprehensive studies into chronic child health problems thanks to a combined twenty six million dollars pledge last night to the Telethon Kids Institute and Joondalup Health Campus. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull flew into Perth yesterday to announce live on Telethon that the Federal Government would commit thirteen million dollars over ten years to the Origins project. The Paul Ramsay Foundation will also contribute thirteen million dollars to the ground-breaking study, which will follow a cohort of ten thousand Western Australian children for five years, from birth. Mister Turnbull said “This is a decade-long investment in our children’s future. It will improve and possibly save lives.”
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The Federal Government’s contribution is the longest funding commitment ever made to Telethon, which has raised almost two hundred thirty two million dollars over its proud fifty-year history. Mister Turnbull said the money was in addition to the annual Commonwealth contribution to Telethon, which this year would be two million dollars.
The Origins project will focus on how a child’s early environment, including the period before birth, influences the dramatically rising risk of a broad range of chronic health problems such as allergies, asthma, autism, diabetes and obesity. Researchers will then identify and implement ways to reduce risks for children. The Paul Ramsay Foundation is one of Australia’s largest charity organisations. The Federal Government will — through Telethon — match the Foundation’s contribution over the ten years.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-21/government-creates-rural-health-commissioner-for-doctor-drought/9072304

A shortage of doctors in regional Australia is a decades-old problem, and now a new plan is being implemented to try to fix it. For the first time, the Federal Government has established the role of a National Rural Health Commissioner who will be tasked with filling the gap of medical experts by improving rural health policies. Professor Paul Worley has been appointed to the role, which will focus on training and pay for doctors working in the bush.
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He has worked in rural health as a practitioner and academic, and he currently works in a practice ninety kilometres from Adelaide. If general practitioners are being offered four hundred thousand dollars to work in rural Australia, why is there a critical shortage of doctors?
Rural Doctors Association chief executive Peta Rutherford has welcomed the announcement. She said: “We certainly hope that it will create a very strong and a highly influential advocate for rural communities.” However she warned the rural sector would be watching the Commissioner’s work closely. Professor Worley’s first priority will be to develop what is known as National Rural Generalist Pathways. Assistant Health Minister David Gillespie said it was about training doctors so they could be skilled in a number of key areas.

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Miss Rutherford said pathways were already widely available in Queensland and it has had a positive result. Mister Gillespie said he was hopeful it would result in people having access to better services in the bush. The appointment of a National Rural Health Commissioner was first promised by the Coalition during last year’s election.