Community Update was formerly known as Community e.news.

February/March 2005

Welcome to 2nd edition of NPS Community e.news

NPS Community e.news is an e publication for consumers and community groups interested and involved in the NPS Community QUM Program. We hope that this newsletter will keep you up to date with the program activities and what others are doing to promote quality use of medicines within their community.

Follow these links to subscribe or unsubscribe to NPS Community e.news. 

Consumer resources online ordering system

You can now order NPS's wide range of consumer resources online. This means consumer organisations, community groups, individuals, GPs, practice staff and pharmacists can order all their NPS consumer materials in one place, free of charge, quickly and easily.

The resources available through the site include:

• Medimate (English)
• Medimate (Chinese, Vietnamese, Greek and Italian)
• Medicines Line magnets
• MedicinesTalk Newsletter subscription
• Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) Brochure: What is CMI?
• Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) flyer: How to read a CMI leaflet
• HMR Brochures
• Get to Know Your Medicines Kit CD version
• Medicines List Wallet - available in April 2005

Check it out at the consumer section at www.nps.org.au/consumers

Multicultural Community QUM Program launch

As part of the Community Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) Program, NPS is working with the Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia (FECCA) (the peak, national body representing Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds) on the Multicultural Community QUM Program.

This initiative aims to increase awareness and skills of multicultural consumers to manage their medicines more effectively.

Minister for Health and Ageing Tony Abbott MP officially launched the Multicultural Community QUM Program at the Transformations Conference in Canberra on 8 February 2005. The launch was part of the official conference dinner and was attended by the conference delegates, members of the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing and the Minister's office, NPS Directors, members of the Community QUM Program Management Committee, members of NPS staff and representatives from our Program partner organisations - the Consumers' Health Forum of Australia and FECCA.

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NPS recognised with multicultural award

NPS has been received a commemorative award from FECCA for its work with multicultural consumers.

The award was presented to NPS CEO, Dr Lynn Weekes, by FECCA Chairman, Mr Abd-Elmasih Malak, at the Multicultural Community QUM Program launch in Canberra.

FECCA is using the opportunity of its 25 Silver Anniversary year to recognise champions of multiculturalism and their achievements. The awards formally thank people and organisations that have worked hard to provide quality services for Australians from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. NPS was recognised for being particularly diligent and innovative in delivering services to people from diverse backgrounds.

FECCA has produced commemorative items to mark its 25th year. NPS received a Level 1 award consisting of a medallion and an anniversary pin.

Get to Know Your Medicines Kit

The highly anticipated Get to Know Your Medicines Kit is now available! The free kit is an initiative of the Community QUM Program and provides tools to help people run interactive activities and events about medicines in their local community.

The kit includes:

• a guide on organising and planning an activity
• a guide for promoting the activity getting people to attend including template posters, invitations and media releases
• a 24 slide presentation
• a guide to collecting feedback, including forms for attendees.

We are encouraging people using the kit to organise a local event, adapt the resources to suit the needs of the local community and to invite a local doctor and/or pharmacist to join in the event and help answer questions - although this is not essential, as the kit allows the organiser to run the event independently.

As well as supporting the existing activities of the Community QUM Program, such as the Rural and Multicultural grants initiatives, the kit will be promoted through organisations such as Country Women's Association, community networks and libraries.

If you would like a kit, or know of a community group or individual who you think may be interested in running medicines information sessions - feel free to place an order for a copy of the CD at www.nps.org.au/consumers. Printed versions of the kit are also available for people without access to a computer. To order a printed version, contact us.

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Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) online

To help consumers get to know their medicines, CMI leaflets are available for all prescription medicines and for some medicines you purchase over-the-counter in Australia.

In order to help consumers get to know their medicines, CMI leaflets are available on the NPS website.

Written by the manufacturing pharmaceutical company, CMI leaflets help consumers use medicines in the most appropriate way giving information about how to take the medicine, at the right dose, at the right time. A CMI leaflet can also highlight potential side effects and possible interactions with other medicines.

As well as being available on the NPS website, you can get CMI leaflets from GPs, pharmacists, by calling Medicines Line or by contacting the company who makes the medicine.

Seniors QUM Program

NPS and COTA National Seniors are continuing to run interactive peer education sessions to help seniors across Australia get to know their medicines.

The sessions cover how to get better results from your medicines, how to avoid medicines mix-ups, what to do to enjoy better health and advice on finding reliable information on medicines.

With Seniors Week NSW and Victorian Seniors Festival taking place between 13-19 March and ACT Seniors Week starting on 3 April, there has never been a better time for seniors to get to know their medicines by booking a session.

If you know of community groups and seniors' organisations and groups that may be interested in participating in a medicines information session with a peer educator please encourage them to contact their COTA National Seniors State or Territory Coordinator. To find out how to book a session, click here.

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Multicultural Community QUM Program update

Many of the resources designed to support the Multicultural Community QUM Program will be completed and available to the public by April. Program activities started at the beginning of March.

Initiatives of the program include:

• Multicultural grants
  Small grants have been made available to groups and organisations working with multicultural communities. Grant recipients will run activities encouraging their community to get to know their medicines and be involved when talking about medicines with their doctors and pharmacists. Groups receiving grants have been identified by an independent selection committee and activities will run between February and June 2005.
• Medimate in Chinese, Greek, Italian and Vietnamese
  NPS has worked with multicultural community leaders and consumers to develop these culturally appropriate bilingual consumer medicines resources. They will be available in March, and can be ordered online at www.nps.org.au/consumers.
• A teaching resource for adult ESL (English Second Language):
  To reach new migrants and emerging multicultural communities, NPS has worked with the Adult Multicultural Education Services (AMES) to develop a teacher's manual, storybooks and audio cassette and CD learning tapes about medicines. These resources will be used as part of their Adult Migrant Education Program, and will be available in March.

If you require any further information about the Multicultural Community QUM Program and its activities, please contact us.

Rural Project Scheme - Latest activities

In 2004, community groups across Australia were invited to apply for grants to assist them in developing consumer-focused ways to progress QUM in local regions. A total of sixteen grants have been awarded.

Four of the 16 community grant recipients have launched their activities since November, bringing the total number of launches to seven across Australia. Recent launches include:

• Glenelg Outreach Primary Health in Victoria had a 'healthy lifestyle' launch on 30th November with presentations from a pharmacist and nutritionist, and an exercise session.
• Perry Shire Council in Queensland launched their QUM project on 16th December in Mt Perry.
• Rural Northwest Health launched their Using Medicines Wisely project on 15th December in Warracknabeal, Victoria, with a presentation on being an active medicines partner and an outline of QUM events planned for the next few months.
• Maryborough District Health Service launched their RITCH (Rural Involvement Towards Communities' Health) Program in one of their six target areas on 21st February. They have five more similar events arranged in rural Victoria.

More launches are planned across the country in the coming months.

Each of the 16 Rural Project Schemes are running local community activities on QUM until June 2005.

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8th National Rural Health Conference

National Rural Health Alliance (NRHA), a partner of the Rural QUM Program, hosted the 8th National Rural Health Conference in Alice Springs on 10-13 March 2005. NPS representatives attended the conference and hosted an exhibition stand to showcase NPS consumer resources and profile the Get to Know Your Medicines Kit. The Kit was received well by delegates of the conference. For more information on the conference please visit the conference homepage.

Community QUM Management Committee

It is with regret that we announce that Sue Pluck has decided to step down from her role as consumer representative on the Community QUM Management Committee. We would like to thank Sue for her tireless commitment to NPS and the consumer activities being undertaken and wish her all the best for the future.

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Community QUM Program news

Amanda Bray has tendered her resignation as the Community Quality Use of Medicines Program Manager. This was a very difficult decision as she has a strong commitment to the Program.

This decision was based on family commitments and distance from home to work and became effective on the 9th March 2005. Amanda is joining The Smith Family as the manager of the Community for Children Project.

Amanda wishes to emphasise that she has enjoyed working with the Management Committee and all the partner organisations and thanks you all for the support you have provided her and the Program. She wishes the Community QUM Program success in the future.

NPS is currently seeking a new program manager. In the interim, Hannah Baird is Acting Manager of the Community QUM Program.

Other consumer news: Patient representative body join forces with health professionals

The International Alliance of Patients' Organizations (IAPO) has announced a new partnership with three global organisations representing health professionals.

The International Council of Nurses, the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) - representing pharmacists and the World Medical Association (WMA) - representing physicians have welcomed the partnership.

According to IAPO, these partnerships provide an important mechanism for health professionals and patients to work together towards quality patient-centred healthcare around the world.

For more information on IAPO see: http://www.patientsorganizations.org/

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