Report: People with mental illness die up to 20 years earlier

People with mental illness experience a range of health disparities and face a gap in life expectancy of about 20 years in a plight classed as a “human rights scandal”, according to a new ground-breaking study. Led by Australian researchers, the report found a broad range of mental illnesses are connected to health problems including […]

Reducing low value and unnecessary care

A national scale-up of an initiative to reduce low value care and reduce unnecessary treatment was the focus of a nationwide meeting recently. The Choosing Wisely Australia national meeting was held in Melbourne in late May and showcased innovative projects both national and international. A nurse discontinuation protocol of telemetry implemented at Johns Hopkins Hospital, […]

Qld to mandate ratios in public aged care homes

The Queensland Government has pledged to legislate nurse-to-resident ratios across its 16 state-owned public aged care homes to ensure elderly residents receive the full care they need and deserve. Premier Annastacia Palasczuk made the announcement this morning at the annual conference of the Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union (QNMU) in front of hundreds of delegates. […]