News Articles
Remote communities need thousands more disability support workers by 2025
Date of Posting: 12-12-2023
The NDIS Review has identified that despite the right intentions, the NDIS isn’t working as originally intended, according to Jane Morrell, founder and CEO of Carer Solutions. This is particularly relevant in regional and remote communities, Read More...
Soaring demand for OTs prompts regional burn out
Date of Posting: 12-12-2023
As demand for occupational therapists increases, severe shortages in remote and regional communities are causing stress and burnout in the industry. The surge in demand for Occupational Therapists has been prompted by a rapid rise in children requ Read More...
Why AI will diagnose breast cancer in Australia by 2028
Date of Posting: 11-12-2023
From cancer screening to detecting scams, artificial intelligence technology is being deployed in ways Australians probably don't expect or realise. The far-reaching application of the emerging technology has been explored at a meeting of busi Read More...
Bitter paramedic pay stoush heads to industrial umpire
Date of Posting: 11-12-2023
Hundreds of paramedics have reported they are looking to leave NSW for more lucrative work in other states as a long-running stand-off over pay heads to the industrial umpire. The bitter dispute has plagued the Minns government for more than eight Read More...
New COVID-19 vaccines hit pharmacy shelves
Date of Posting: 11-12-2023
New COVID-19 vaccines targeting the current Omicron variant of the virus are available in community pharmacies throughout Australia. The XBB 1.5 shots were approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration in October and can be used as a primary im Read More...
WHO 'very worried' about spread of mpox in DR Congo
Date of Posting: 10-12-2023
A World Health Organisation expert is "very worried" about the spread of a severe form of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, that has killed nearly 600 people, mainly children, in the Democratic Republic of Congo this year. The country h Read More...
'World first' ketamine tablet trial to help depression
Date of Posting: 10-12-2023
A human trial of an anaesthetic used by some as a party drug could transform the lives of people living with depression where other treatments have failed. The Royal Adelaide Hospital in partnership with the Central Adelaide Local Health Network, Read More...
Funding for rural medical school programs
Date of Posting: 08-12-2023
The Albanese Government has invested $90 million into six new medical school programs in rural communities that will see an extra 160 medical students begin end-to-end rural medical training. The investment will cover newly built medical classroom Read More...
Paramedics reject huge pay offer of 19pct on average
Date of Posting: 08-12-2023
Paramedics will stop work across NSW after rejecting a huge pay rise offer to re-align salaries with skills. The record offer would have delivered professional rates of pay for paramedics and an average 19 per cent pay rise, the state government s Read More...
Farmers urged to tell a mate about mental health help
Date of Posting: 08-12-2023
Ed Ross and Dan Allen bonded over being the new guys on a worksite, tasked with doing the worst jobs in a tradies' rite of passage. "It was the end of 2014, Brisbane humidity, hot temperatures, sweating it out," Mr Ross recalled of t Read More...
Individual cigarettes to contain warnings under new law
Date of Posting: 07-12-2023
Individual warnings will soon be printed on cigarettes in a bid to get more smokers to kick the habit. Laws cracking down on smoking passed federal parliament on Thursday, which will also see new graphic health warnings placed on cigarette and vap Read More...
Reminder to rest and test for COVID over festive season
Date of Posting: 07-12-2023
Another COVID-19 wave is making its way through the community, with Australians being advised to test and rest at home if they're feeling unwell this festive season. Chief medical officer Paul Kelly confirmed the nation was in its sixth Omicro Read More...
Thousands of Victorians living with undiagnosed cancer
Date of Posting: 07-12-2023
Thousands of Victorians could be living with undiagnosed cancer as people forget or choose not to undergo regular screening. There was a 3.6 per cent decline in new cancer diagnoses in 2022 compared to 2021, according to the Victorian Cancer Regis Read More...
National cabinet reaches deals on health and disability
Date of Posting: 06-12-2023
KEY DECISIONS OUT OF NATIONAL CABINET * $1.2 billion package of Strengthening Medicare measures to take pressure off hospitals, including a boost to urgent care clinics[subscribe] * Commonwealth to increase National Health Reform Agreement cont Read More...
Task force to tackle record emergency wait times
Date of Posting: 06-12-2023
A task force will be established to tackle the record amount of time patients are waiting for care in NSW emergency departments. The latest NSW Bureau of Health Information (BHI) data shows just slightly more than half the patients who attended an Read More...
Australians feeling mental toll of financial stressors
Date of Posting: 06-12-2023
Financial pressures caused by the rising cost of living are having an extreme impact on the mental health of many Australians as the end of the year approaches. A survey of 1000 people conducted by mental health support service Beyond Blue reveale Read More...
COVID-19 review urges shake-up of UK response to crises
Date of Posting: 05-12-2023
A major shake-up of the way the British government responds to crises is needed with the current approach haphazard, according to a document published by the nation's COVID-19 inquiry. The Cabinet Office is failing to consistently improve its Read More...
Opioid users to get greater access to overdose drug
Date of Posting: 05-12-2023
Victorians grappling with opioid addiction will have greater access to a life-saving overdose reversal drug after the state government decided to take further advantage of a federal scheme. The Take Home Naloxone program was introduced by the fede Read More...
New physio clinic open in rural Australian town
Date of Posting: 04-12-2023
Gwydir Physiotherapy clinic has just opened in Narrabri in north-eastern New South Wales, providing much-needed physiotherapy services to residents. The clinic is an expansion of the physio team based in Moree. The team, made up of three physios, Read More...
Indigenous children experiencing fewer hearing problems
Date of Posting: 04-12-2023
Indigenous children are experiencing fewer ear and hearing problems, though rates are still excessive and preventable. New data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has revealed the proportion of Indigenous children under 14 with an Read More...
Iron deficiency symptoms going undetected
Date of Posting: 03-12-2023
Being iron deficient might make you feel tired. Or it could make you dizzy. Or a bit short of breath. Or your libido could drop off a cliff. You may even have a desire to eat ice. The symptoms are so varied and some seemingly innocuous that the co Read More...
AI character helping dementia patients feel understood
Date of Posting: 03-12-2023
Viv is learning to deal with the disorienting symptoms that come with a dementia diagnosis, such as memory impacts, hallucinations, overstimulation and personality changes. She is one of the 401,300 Australians living with dementia, as estimated b Read More...
Doctors risk charges over online voluntary euthanasia
Date of Posting: 01-12-2023
Doctors who help patients take their own lives via telehealth, phone or email could be charged with a criminal offence after a court ruled the practice equated to suicide. An application before the Federal Court sought to clarify whether doctors w Read More...
System in decay: inquiry seeks action on dental care
Date of Posting: 01-12-2023
A challenge to chart a path to universal access to dental and oral health care has been laid at the feet of the federal government. A Senate inquiry into dental services which reported on Thursday described the sector as a "system in decay&qu Read More...
Workload relief for midwives in patient ratio reforms
Date of Posting: 01-12-2023
A long-running campaign by midwives battling heavy workloads has led to legislation aimed at making maternity wards safer in Queensland. Minimum midwife-to-patient ratios of one to six, including babies, will be established in public maternity war Read More...
Physio event highlights the link between physical and mental heatlh
Nicole Madigan | Date of Posting: 01-12-2023
What began as an attempt to manage staff mental health in the wake of the Covid lockdowns, has turned into an annual event designed to focus on the link between physical and mental health. Viva Physiotherapy teamed up with Prevention United, a cha Read More...
Nicotine Pouches: A Promising Aid in Smoking Cessation
Last Updated: 01-12-2023
Smoking remains a primary global health concern, constituting a leading cause of preventable diseases and mortality, with millions of people worldwide grappling with the challenge of overcoming this highly addictive habit. Conventional smoking cessat Read More...
Over-the-counter cannabis pain relief on the horizon
Date of Posting: 30-11-2023
Over-the-counter cannabis pain relief could be available in Australia by the end of 2024 if a phase three clinical trial is successful. Promethean BioPharma is currently testing the efficacy and safety of its new medicinal cannabis tablets for mil Read More...
Grieving mum's maternity care improvements adopted
Date of Posting: 30-11-2023
Maternity care improvements suggested by a grieving mother will be introduced immediately in Queensland. Health Minister Shannon Fentiman met with Meg and James Flaskett on Tuesday after they had raised concerns about their baby girl's death a Read More...
Movember's fight to stop years shaved off men's lives
Date of Posting: 30-11-2023
As Movember celebrates its 20th anniversary, men's health advocates have no illusions about the scale of the challenge that still lies ahead. For two decades, moustaches of all shades and styles have heralded the start of the Australian summer Read More...
Disabling impact of juvenile arthritis revealed
Date of Posting: 29-11-2023
Juvenile arthritis is a lot more than just joint pain, 15-year-old Laura McNeil explains. "Every joint in my body aches and every muscle," she told health experts gathered at NSW parliament on Tuesday.[subscribe] "It's rare f Read More...
Doctors call for climate change action, less new gas
Date of Posting: 29-11-2023
A group of West Australian doctors want the government to do more to protect the community from the negative health effects of climate change. Doctors for the Environment (WA Branch) is calling on the Cook government to stop approving gas projects Read More...
Research finds big mental health decline, cause unclear
Date of Posting: 29-11-2023
The mental health of Australians declined from 2010 but researchers are grappling to understand why. Research authors from the University of Sydney, University of Melbourne and ANU said causes could be the rise of social media, climate change, poo Read More...
Ban on disposable vapes imports to kick in soon
Date of Posting: 28-11-2023
Australians will soon find it harder to access vapes, as the government attempts to prevent the industry creating a new generation of nicotine addicts. About one in seven 14- to 17-year-olds and roughly one in five 18- to 24-year-olds vape.[subscr Read More...
MS breakthrough could mean treatments halt progression
Date of Posting: 28-11-2023
A treatment for progressive multiple sclerosis could be on the horizon after a researchers found injecting stem cells into the brains of patients could potentially stop the disease advancing. The study said the procedure was "safe, well toler Read More...
UK detects first human case of flu similar to pig virus
Date of Posting: 28-11-2023
Officials in the United Kingdom say they have detected a first human case of flu strain A(H1N2)v, which is similar to a virus currently circulating in pigs, and that the individual concerned had experienced a mild illness and fully recovered. The Read More...
More than 8000 WA patients to receive elective surgery
Date of Posting: 27-11-2023
More than 8000 patients will undergo long-awaited elective surgery as the Western Australian government injects $40 million to help clear the backlog. An extra 6000 procedures will be performed in the next six months, with the extra cash to be ann Read More...
Ageing population key health care challenge for NSW
Date of Posting: 27-11-2023
An ageing population, workforce pressures and increasing costs have been identified as major challenges facing the NSW health system. But despite pressures, the state's public health system has demonstrated its resilience and performance compa Read More...
Low vaccination rates prompt jab 'surge' plea
Date of Posting: 27-11-2023
The number of Australians getting vaccinated against COVID-19, shingles and other serious diseases has dropped, prompting a plea to reset national immunisation strategies to target more high-risk groups. A Grattan Institute report exposed big gaps Read More...
Rewards of going rural, as doctors push for recognition
Date of Posting: 26-11-2023
As a rural generalist doctor, Raymond Lewandowski might work in the emergency room in the middle of the night, tend to a birthing mother in the early hours and visit hospital patients during the day. "It's full on, there's a lot of as Read More...
