Important Notices for Health Professionals
.jpg)
CARPA and Other Remote Primary Health Care Manuals ONLINE
This website allows health care professionals to access the five main primary health care manuals that are used throughout the Northern Territory.
• Minymaku Kutju Tjukurpa Women’s Business Manual, 4th edition
• Clinical Procedures Manual for remote and rural practice, 2nd edition
• Medicines Book for Aboriginal Health Workers, 2nd edition
• Reference Book for the 5th edition of the CARPA Standard Treatment Manual
Please follow this link to the Remote Primary Health Care Manuals: www.remotephcmanuals.com.au
The Northern Territory Government requires everyone working with children, including all health professionals working in health services, to have a Working with Children clearance notice and, what is known as, an “Ochre Card”. RAHC fully supports the efforts of the NT Government to increase protection for children and we are committed to working with RAHC health professionals to ensure this clearance is in place as soon as possible.
This means that RAHC cannot place a health professionals unless they have a Working with Children Ochre Card or have applied for and received an exemption while their application for an Ochre Card is being processed. We advise health professionals to apply for an Ochre Card as early as possible and well in advance of planned placement dates.
So please complete the Working with Children Clearance Application Form and the Exemption application which RAHC has pre-filled where possible to simplify the process.
If you have applied and received your card please let RAHC know so we can update your records and discuss placements.
*Note: Please read the instructions carefully and be aware that despite some ambiguous statements on the application form, you must include 100 points worth of identification certified by an authorised person, with your application.
Section 90 of the NT Poisons and Dangerous Drugs Act requires Registered Nurses working in remote and community health to have completed the NT’s About Giving Vaccines (AGV) course in order to legally administer vaccines.
While the AGV course is not a mandatory requirement for placement with RAHC, we strongly encourage all RN’s to complete this course.
The original exemption period for RN’s to practice vaccination without AGV has been revised and the NT Department of Health (DOH) has informed RAHC that all RNs seeking placement in a DoH remote facility should have or be in the process of obtaining AGV certification. While the AGV course is not a mandatory requirement for placement with RAHC, we strongly encourage all RNs registered with us to complete the course.
Those nurses with the AGV will be selected in preference to those without. If you are a RAHC employee and would like more information on AGV, please login to the Health Professional page on the RAHC website, http://www.rahc.com.au/professionals/ for details and documentation on how to obtain this qualification. Use the below details to login.
Username: health professional
Password: rahc
If you have any questions, please email RAHC Clinical Manager, Fiona Wake (fiona@rahc.com.au) or Clincial Coordinator for Central Australia, Aaron Richardson (aaron@rahc.com.au).
Dog Safety
If this is your first time in a remote community, you may be surprised by the number and condition of the local dogs. The keeping of dogs has great cultural significance in many communities and despite how you may interpret the condition and treatment of the dogs in communities; you are a guest of the local people and consequently should recognise and accept these cultural differences.
Dogs have always been an integral part of Aboriginal communities in Australia as hunters, companions, providers of warnings of evil spirits and as reincarnated ancestors. Today Aboriginal beliefs vary about the significance and role of dogs, but they are commonly regarded as very important. Dogs often live in close proximity with people, sharing bedding and food, and have close contact with children.
When you work in remote areas of Australia you should take additional precautions and increase your vigilance whenever working around stray/camp dogs. Dogs are more likely to bite people when they are not socialised, trained or controlled on a property or when they are protecting a litter of pups. In addition, in some remote communities dogs may be aggressive and can represent a threat to some people.
The key strategy in dealing with aggressive dogs is avoidance.
To minimize risk
• Approach dogs slowly and carefully
• Don’t walk around at night.
• Don’t run near dogs.
• Don’t walk onto properties if you are not accompanied by a local person.
• Do not feed any dogs. Feeding small/weak ones could attract the more aggressive pack leaders.
• Avoid eye contact.
• The dogs are desensitized to rough treatment. Raising your voice will achieve little but will excite a pack.
Avoidance strategies
• If being attacked by a dog, try to stop and remain as still as possible, fold your arms, avoid eye contact, wait for the dog to lose interest in you.
• Calmly walk away without running, yelling, waving your arms or kicking at the dog.
• Do not make eye contact with the dog however make sure you can still see the dog with your peripheral vision.
• The more a person tries to fight off a dog attack, the more aggressive the dog will become.
• If you witness another person or dog being attacked, please notify local police. Do not try to intervene or pick it up. This is unlikely to stop the attack and could include you as a target.
• There may be times when a dog will attack without warning. If a dog knocks you to the ground, lie in the foetal position with your arms covering your face and remain still.
• Praise and reward dogs for good behaviour – whether it’s your own dog or not.
Control
Local Shire Councils have dog control programs in place along with the organization AMRRIC (Animal Management in Rural & Remote Indigenous Communities).
Reporting
If you feel threatened by an aggressive dog please report it to the Health Centre Manager or the Regional Coordinator at RAHC or the Placement Team by free calling 1300 697 242.
Resources
http://www.amrric.org
http://www.barkly.nt.gov.au/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=RJELGc3L6Dw%3d&tabid=1043&language=en-AU
Post Streptococcal Glomerulonephritis Alert
.jpg){kind=icon}
