News Articles
Stronger restraint regulations to protect senior Australians
Date of Posting: 01-04-2019
The Morrison Government has moved to significantly strengthen the regulations that apply to the use of physical and chemical restraints in aged care homes. In January this year, I said we would strengthen regulations because we will not tolerate t Read More...
Choice warned customers to research the new policies
Date of Posting: 01-04-2019
Sweeping changes to private health insurance have consumer group Choice warning customers to research the new policies and product tiers in coming weeks. With sweeping changes to private health insurance coming into effect, consumers are being urg Read More...
People failing to use condoms has led to a surge in indigenous HIV
Date of Posting: 01-04-2019
The gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians in sexual health is widening, according to a new study. The finding comes as a significant increase in regional and remote HIV diagnoses shows a widening gap between indigenous and non-indi Read More...
A real-time prescription medication monitoring system will go online across Victoria
Date of Posting: 01-04-2019
A prescription medication real-time monitoring system will go live across Victoria in less than 24 hours in a move to prevent doctor-shopping and save lives. Health Minister Jenny Mikakos announced that the $29.5 million system, SafeScript, will g Read More...
A new IT system being rolled out at Queensland hospitals is plagued by dangerous flaws
Date of Posting: 29-03-2019
Doctors have warned an upgraded patient records system being rolled out at Queensland hospitals is plagued by dangerous flaws. A new IT system being rolled out at Queensland hospitals is dangerous and must be halted to protect patients, the Austra Read More...
Mental health program getting people back on track
Date of Posting: 29-03-2019
Results from a new Australian intervention have shown encouraging results for people with a history of hospital admission for anxiety and depression. Published in BMC Psychiatry, a study examined the first 17 months of implementation of the MindSt Read More...
Researchers hope a simple nasal spray could cut the number of child tonsillectomies
Date of Posting: 29-03-2019
Each year more than 40,000 people have their tonsils out – it is the most common elective childhood operation in Australia – but this number could be reduced by a simple nasal spray being trialed by Melbourne researchers.[subscribe] Read More...
Another measles case has been diagnosed in Victoria
Date of Posting: 29-03-2019
Another case of measles has been diagnosed in Victoria, this time for a person who spent several hours at Melbourne airport. Health authorities say the illness was acquired overseas and the affected person was in transit through Melbourne Airport Read More...
Blowing the whistle: what drives nurses and midwives to turn whistleblower
Date of Posting: 28-03-2019
What drives nurses and midwives to turn whistleblower and report wrongdoing outside their organisation? What ramifications surface personally and professionally in the aftermath? Robert Fedele investigates. If you’ve got a gut feeling that s Read More...
Obesity and alcohol responsible for nearly 30,000 cases of breast cancers in the next decade
Date of Posting: 28-03-2019
Body fatness and alcohol consumption are the leading preventable causes of breast cancer in Australian women, a new study in 200,000 women has found. Maintaining a healthy weight and not consuming alcohol regularly could help prevent thousands of Read More...
Calls for urgent action in rural and remote communities on eve of federal election
Date of Posting: 28-03-2019
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health inequality is the most pressing health issue facing Australia, according to over 1100 delegates at the 15th National Rural Health Conference. The conference identified priorities for an incoming governm Read More...
Australian government will spend $3 million on macular disease
Date of Posting: 28-03-2019
The federal government will spend $3 million on macular disease to raise awareness and assist in the early detection of the potentially blinding condition. Australians living with a degenerative eye disease have been given a $3 million federal gov Read More...
Eggs sold around NSW are being recalled due to potential salmonella contamination
Date of Posting: 28-03-2019
NSW Food Authority said Ash and Sons Eggs is conducting a recall of various cartons of 12 eggs due to potential salmonella contamination. NSW Food Authority on Wednesday said Ash and Sons Eggs is conducting a recall of various cartons of 12 eggs w Read More...
QLD government forced to release emergency funds to free up private hospital beds
Last Updated: 27-03-2019
Southeast Queensland hospitals are at capacity, forcing the state government to release emergency funds to free up private beds. There are no empty beds in adult emergency departments in southeast Queensland but the state's chief health office Read More...
What is the Medicare rebate freeze and what does it mean for you?
Last Updated: 27-03-2019
Helen Dickinson, UNSW On the weekend, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said he would end the Medicare freeze in his first 50 days as prime minister if Labor won the election. [subscribe] Every day Morrison’s Medicare freeze stays in Read More...
I need to know: 'are Kegel exercises actually good for you?'
Last Updated: 27-03-2019
Melissa Kang, University of Technology Sydney [subscribe] I Need to Know is an ongoing series for teens in search of reliable, confidential advice about life’s tricky questions. If you’re a teen, send us your questions a Read More...
Former chiropractor's appeal leads to 10-year disqualification
Date of Posting: 27-03-2019
The Chiropractic Board of Australia has welcomed the decision of the District Court of South Australia to uphold a tribunal’s decision to cancel the registration of former chiropractor, Mr Robert Marin. Chiropractic Board of Australia (the B Read More...
Improving services for people with young onset dementia
Date of Posting: 27-03-2019
Scant recognition of young onset dementia - a progressive decline in mental functioning that can affect people aged from their early 30s – is resulting in a disturbing gap in adequate care and services for more than 25,000 Australians currently Read More...
Healthcare needs registered nurses, not replacements
Date of Posting: 27-03-2019
Australia’s health system is becoming increasingly reliant on unregistered carers with limited training and this is negatively impacting on levels of care in all settings and patient outcomes. “Following tragic stories of neglect and m Read More...
Blood vessels like a 70 year old: Scientists find cause of fetal growth restriction
Date of Posting: 27-03-2019
Around 5% of all babies born in Australia are just a third of the size they should be and suffer lifelong health complications as part of a condition known as fetal growth restriction (FGR). FGR means their growth slows or stops during pregnancy, Read More...
Australia signs up for new era of aged care rights
Date of Posting: 27-03-2019
New laws will compel all aged care providers to sign and conform to a single, strengthened Charter of Rights, under the Morrison Government’s latest aged care quality and safety reforms. For the first time, providers will have to provide a p Read More...
Racism, climate change, access and workforce - big ticket issues in rural health
Date of Posting: 27-03-2019
Australia’s 15th National Rural Health Conference has opened in Hobart with a big focus on climate change, access, workforce and a call for the abolition of discrimination and racism in health service delivery in remote and rural areas. In h Read More...
Response to syphilis outbreak steps up again
Date of Posting: 27-03-2019
The Morrison Government is again stepping up the fight against the syphilis outbreak affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in central, northern and southern Australia. In partnership with the National Aboriginal Community Controll Read More...
Fee for service psychology no answer to complex mental health problems
Date of Posting: 27-03-2019
The Better Access Program, a scheme providing Medicare access to psychology services, has fundamental failures, according to research from The Australian National University (ANU). The paper, published in the Medical Journal of Australia today, is Read More...
Australian parents susceptible to anti-vaccination messaging from politicians
Date of Posting: 27-03-2019
The majority of Australian parents are susceptible to influence by vaccine messages from political and medical leaders, according to a new study by researchers at UNSW Sydney. Elissa Zhang, a medical student from UNSW Medicine, was the lead author Read More...
Victorian and Queensland health authorities have issued a measles alert
Date of Posting: 26-03-2019
Victorian and Queensland health authorities have issued a measles alert as a young man is treated for the infectious disease in a Melbourne hospital. Two cities and three airports are under a measles cloud as a young man is treated for the infecti Read More...
A Royal Commission into Victoria's mental health system will be visiting communities
Date of Posting: 26-03-2019
A Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System will kick off with a series of community forums across the state. Beginning in Whittlesea, north of Melbourne, on April 5, the commission will weave its way across the state and visit are Read More...
Study shows night shift raises miscarriage risk
Date of Posting: 26-03-2019
After the week eight of pregnancy, women working two or more night shifts per week have a 32 per cent higher risk of miscarriage, a study found. Pregnant women who work two or more night shifts per week have an increased risk of miscarriage, a new Read More...
Victorians are being invited to make submissions to an inquiry into dodgy IVF practices
Date of Posting: 25-03-2019
Victorians are being invited to comment on a state government ordered inquiry into dodgy IVF and assisted reproductive treatment services. The state government has tasked Health Complaints Commissioner Karen Cusack with uncovering questionable pra Read More...
Wild birds' droppings falling on a Victorian farm may be the cause of salmonella
Date of Posting: 22-03-2019
A salmonella threat which prompted a national egg recall may have been caused by wild birds' droppings falling on a Victorian farm. Droppings from passing migratory wild birds may be responsible for spreading salmonella bacteria, prompting a n Read More...
Measles alert for Grand Prix goers
Date of Posting: 22-03-2019
Victorian health authorities have issued a measles alert after a woman attended the Australian Grand Prix while possibly infectious. A measles health alert has been issued in Victoria after a woman went to the Grand Prix in Melbourne while she may Read More...
Listeria bacteria was found in a roast lamb and vegetable meal by Meals on Wheels
Date of Posting: 21-03-2019
Meals on Wheels has recalled its frozen meals in SA after a routine test revealed a roast lamb and vegetable meal was contaminated with the listeria bacteria. All frozen Meals on Wheels meals have been recalled in South Australia after the listeri Read More...
Five cases of salmonella enteritidis have been linked to eggs produced by Victorian egg farm
Date of Posting: 21-03-2019
An egg recall has been announced following the discovery of a salmonella outbreak at a Victorian egg farm. A salmonella scare has prompted a recall of some brands of eggs from outlets in four states.[subscribe] Five cases of salmonella enteriti Read More...
Study finds nearly half of prostate cancers in Australia are over-diagnosed
Date of Posting: 20-03-2019
An Australian-first study led by Bond University on the Gold Coast has found that at least 41 per cent of prostate cancers detected by commonly performed screening tests are over-diagnosed. The new research, which was recently published in peer-re Read More...
Urgent action needed to address harmful drug use in rural communities
Date of Posting: 20-03-2019
Rural and regional communities need an urgent boost in health and community services to address the increasing harm caused by over use of alcohol and other harmful drugs, according to the National Rural Health Alliance (NRHA). The release of the A Read More...
Health professionals in high demand across Australia
Last Updated: 20-03-2019
There has never been a better time to be a healthcare Professional. Want some stats to back it up? Sure thing – we have a number of examples to share with you: Healthcare remains to be Australia’s leading employer. 1.5 mil Read More...
Dodgy IVF providers peddling false hope to Victorians will be targeted in a new inquiry
Date of Posting: 19-03-2019
Unscrupulous IVF providers who peddle false hope to patients will be targeted in a new inquiry announced by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews. Dodgy IVF providers peddling false hope to Victorians about their chances of starting a family will be ta Read More...
Aqua cycling a cool trend for fitness and rehabilitation
Date of Posting: 19-03-2019
Aqua cycling is gaining traction in Australia as an exercise routine that delivers maximum health benefits for minimum pain. As a country that swelters through summer, this cool fitness trend, already a hit in many European countries, is sure to take Read More...
Plight of aged care workers highlighted on International Women's Day
Date of Posting: 18-03-2019
As the world celebrated International Women’s Day, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation paid homage to the important role women play in Australia’s health and aged care systems. Women comprise almost 90 per cent of Australia Read More...
The death of a Victorian child from the flu prompts vaccine push
Date of Posting: 15-03-2019
A Victorian child has died during an outbreak of influenza over the summer season, and now health authorities are urging people to get immunised. The death of a Victorian child from the flu over the summer season is a reminder for everyone at risk Read More...
