News Articles
Post-COVID psychosis occurs in people with no prior history
Last Updated: 05-04-2022
Far from the respiratory disease it seemed at first, COVID can impact almost all parts of the body, including the brain. For a small number of people, COVID infection may be accompanied by an episode of post-COVID psychosis, a break from reality w Read More...
Brain scans show weakened neural connections in kids at risk of bipolar disorder
Date of Posting: 05-04-2022
A study that showed changes in the brain in those at risk of developing bipolar disorder raises new hope about early intervention. A brain imaging study of young people at high risk of developing bipolar disorder has for the first time found evide Read More...
Budget leaves mental health still waiting on much needed reform
Date of Posting: 05-04-2022
The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) has welcomed the $648.6 million of new mental health investment outlined in the budget but says key reforms are still required to improve patient care for all Australians. The Read More...
Virus cases rise as booster rollout begins
Date of Posting: 04-04-2022
More than half a million Australians are dealing with COVID-19 infections as authorities begin to roll out a second booster for vulnerable groups. Experts say a fourth jab will be critical in the effort to protect at-risk Australians ahead of wint Read More...
COVID-cautious NZ eases virus restrictions
Date of Posting: 04-04-2022
New Zealand is removing vaccine passes as it considers further relaxing COVID-19 restrictions beyond the Omicron wave. From 11.59pm on Monday, Kiwis will no longer require a vaccine passport to enter many businesses or attend events.[subscribe] Read More...
NSW health workers to strike for pay rise
Date of Posting: 04-04-2022
Thousands of NSW healthcare workers will walk off the job demanding higher wages from the government, following strikes by paramedics and nurses. Under the state's wages cap, public sector pay increases can not legally exceed 2.5 per cent but Read More...
Vics launch $1.5bn elective surgery plan
Date of Posting: 03-04-2022
Victoria will invest $1.5 billion to address its growing elective surgery waitlist as part of a catch-up scheme that will see surgical capacity increased by a quarter. The COVID Catch-Up Plan is designed to raise capacity to 125 per cent by 2023, Read More...
Harder to age well without comforts
Date of Posting: 03-04-2022
Energy costs are making it harder for Australians to age comfortably and healthily in their own homes. The two are are inexorably linked, says Queensland University of Technology professor Ross Gordon, who wants policy and programs to take a holis Read More...
Winter booster rollout to start on Monday
Date of Posting: 03-04-2022
Older and vulnerable Australians can receive a second COVID-19 booster dose ahead of a predicted surge of winter infections. The groups will include those 65 or older, Indigenous Australians aged at least 50, disability care residents and the immu Read More...
Aged care pay rise not in federal budget
Date of Posting: 03-04-2022
A pay rise for aged care workers has not been budgeted for this year, the federal government has confirmed. Government Services Minister Linda Reynolds said the government would review any decisions by the independent regulator before committing t Read More...
Symptoms 'don't indicate viral shedding'
Date of Posting: 03-04-2022
The world's first "human challenge" trial in which volunteers were deliberately exposed to the coronavirus has found that symptoms had no effect on how likely an infected person is to pass the disease on to others. The findings under Read More...
Qld warns elective surgeries could be cut
Date of Posting: 01-04-2022
Elective surgeries at some Queensland hospitals may need to be suspended as the number of furloughed health workers reaches more than 3300. Health Minister Yvette D'Ath on Friday said elective surgeries could be affected at some hospitals in r Read More...
No quick fix for Vic ambos 'boys club'
Date of Posting: 01-04-2022
There is no quick fix for a pervasive "boys club" culture within Ambulance Victoria, the state's human rights commissioner concedes. The final report in the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission's review into wo Read More...
NSW nurses walk off job, demand more staff
Date of Posting: 01-04-2022
Thousands of nurses across NSW have gone on strike for 24 hours for the second time in 10 years, to pressure the state government to accept their demands for better pay and mandated nurse-to-patient ratios. Nurses from up to 170 hospitals took par Read More...
ACN welcomes investment in nursing leadership
Date of Posting: 01-04-2022
he Australian College of Nursing (ACN) is pleased its calls for greater investment in developing and enhancing nurse leadership skills has been answered in last night’s Federal Budget. The Budget contained a $1 million matching co-contributi Read More...
EOFY tax tips and advice for nurses
Date of Posting: 01-04-2022
Article to be attributed to Mark Chapman, Director of Communications for H&R Block Australia With the end of the financial year rapidly approaching, it won’t be long before its time to lodge your income tax return for 2021/22. To get the Read More...
DNA donation law passes parliament
Date of Posting: 31-03-2022
Federal parliament has legalised partial DNA donations capable of stopping deadly mitochondrial disease in babies. The laws have been labelled as game changing, with the treatment replacing mitochondrial DNA from the mother with healthy mitochondr Read More...
Avocados cut heart disease risk
Date of Posting: 31-03-2022
Eating two or more servings of avocado every week cuts the risk of heart disease by a fifth, according to a new study. Experts found that one avocado a week (equivalent to two servings) appears to slash the risks of coronary heart disease by 21 pe Read More...
Woman with MS slipped through health gaps
Date of Posting: 31-03-2022
A woman with multiple sclerosis who died at home from malnutrition and sepsis weighing just 30 kilograms had slipped through the gaps of the health system, an inquiry has been told. The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitati Read More...
Billions set aside for COVID winter fight
Date of Posting: 30-03-2022
Billions will be spent on helping Australia to prepare for a predicted COVID-19 surge this winter, while out-of-pocket prescription costs will also be reduced for more than two million people. However, the country's peak medical body has label Read More...
Qld psychologist jailed for Medicare rort
Date of Posting: 30-03-2022
A respected Queensland psychologist who used the names of patients' family members to receive almost $110,000 from bogus bulk bill claims has been jailed. Jeanette Brennan, 66, made 1381 false Medicare claims for more than 18 months up to May Read More...
Diabetes drug link to birth defects
Date of Posting: 30-03-2022
One of the world's most widely prescribed diabetes drugs may be linked to major birth defects in the offspring of male patients who were taking it ahead of the babies being conceived, according to a new study from Denmark. Metformin, among the Read More...
One in four children now fully vaccinated
Last Updated: 30-03-2022
Nearly one-quarter of children aged five to 11 years have received their second COVID-19 vaccine. The latest vaccination figures show just under 25 per cent of the age group have completed their primary vaccination course, and over half have recei Read More...
NSW paramedics set for industrial action
Date of Posting: 29-03-2022
NSW paramedics are preparing for industrial action to pressure the state government for better conditions and resources. The Australian Paramedics Association says it will ban staff movements and undertaking scheduled non-urgent transfers for 24 h Read More...
Spain moves to treat COVID-19 like flu
Date of Posting: 29-03-2022
Spain is moving to treat a coronavirus infection similarly to an illness such as influenza. From Monday, those who become infected with COVID-19 and develop only mild symptoms of the disease - or none at all - can continue to lead a normal life.[s Read More...
Boost for ACT's mental recovery from virus
Date of Posting: 28-03-2022
The federal and ACT governments have signed a $38 million agreement to boost mental health and suicide prevention services as part of the territory's pandemic recovery. The funding comes as local airlines move to take advantage of the federal Read More...
Jobseekers choosing careers in health care
Date of Posting: 28-03-2022
The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a record surge of young Australians wanting to work in the healthcare industry - more than any other sector. One in five young Australian jobseekers is eyeing a career in health, according to a survey of 5000 pe Read More...
Critical cystic fibrosis drug now on PBS
Date of Posting: 27-03-2022
Thousands of people living with a life-threatening disorder will have access to a ground-breaking drug at a fraction of the price after it was placed on the pharmaceutical benefits scheme. More than 2000 people living with cystic fibrosis will be Read More...
Knocks leave NRL star with dementia
Date of Posting: 27-03-2022
A few knocks to the head is considered par for the course if you're a professional rugby league player. Former Newcastle Knights winger James McManus figures he took at least 25 over his career. His wife Eshia estimates double that.[subscribe] Read More...
More restrictions eased in travel reboot
Date of Posting: 27-03-2022
International tourists are being urged to book Down Under flights, as restrictions are further eased in a bid to reboot Australia's pandemic-ravaged travel sector. Nearly two years of border restrictions have crippled the once thriving industr Read More...
SA eyes mask removal, eases COVID-19 rules
Date of Posting: 27-03-2022
South Australia will slash COVID-19 quarantine periods and classify fewer people as close contacts while also setting an end date for mask mandates. Newly elected Premier Peter Malinauskas says barring a significant change in circumstances, mask-w Read More...
Epilepsy a hidden burden for Aussie women
Date of Posting: 27-03-2022
Justine Knott woke in the middle of the night to a loud explosion and felt terror course through her body. She grabbed her then nine-year-old from his bed, dragged him to the back of the house and locked him in the laundry before running back to c Read More...
Latest health advice on COVID-19 pandemic
Date of Posting: 27-03-2022
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN COVID-19 PANDEMIC * Top health advisers have given the green light to a fourth vaccine jab for certain groups.[subscribe] * Adults aged 65 and over, Indigenous Australians 50 years or over, aged care and disability reside Read More...
Fourth Japanese encephalitis case in Qld
Date of Posting: 25-03-2022
Queensland has recorded a fourth human case of Japanese encephalitis, taking Australia's total number of known or probable cases to 32. Queensland Health had listed four virus cases as of Monday, but the latest case wasn't widely publicise Read More...
Japanese encephalitis PCR tests available
Last Updated: 25-03-2022
People in NSW worried about mosquito-borne Japanese encephalitis should feel reassured that accurate tests are available to detect the virus, a specialist says. "Tests are readily available in laboratories around Australia, very accurate test Read More...
Fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose approved
Date of Posting: 25-03-2022
Vulnerable and older Australians will soon be able to get a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose. The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation has recommended a second booster be administered for Australians over 65, Indigenous Australians over Read More...
Qld minister defends ambulance services
Date of Posting: 24-03-2022
Queensland's Health Minister says paramedic fatigue is a concern but has accused the opposition of trying to mislead the public by "cherry picking" the state's ambulance data. The Liberal National Party on Wednesday released more Read More...
Youth mental health focus set for budget
Date of Posting: 24-03-2022
Scott Morrison has sought to make health funding a priority in the upcoming federal budget, as Labor cast doubt on the shelf life of the government's economic plans. The prime minister announced $260 million would go towards mental health for Read More...
Survey shows family stress during COVID
Date of Posting: 24-03-2022
Grazia Pezzimenti, 32, was pregnant with her third child during Melbourne's lockdowns in 2020. "It was a very different experience to previously, much more isolating - the virus was a big unknown," she told AAP.[subscribe] Ms Pezz Read More...
Caring for the carers using emotional freedom technique EFT
Last Updated: 24-03-2022
As nurses, we face numerous stressors daily. We feel these stressors deeply, yet they are unacknowledged. And because they go unspoken, we are not good at showing compassion to ourselves or others. I believe this contributes to the overall dissati Read More...
