General practice quick updates for week beginning 15 June 2026
Updates for the week beginning Monday 15 June 2026.
Find this week’s quick updates and alerts for local general practices, covering the latest sector developments, education and training events, key health system updates, funding opportunities and clinical resources relevant to our region.
For more information or tailored practice support, contact our Primary Care team at [email protected].
New campaign: winter vaccinations resources for your patients
The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing has launched a winter vaccinations campaign to encourage Australians, particularly older adults and other higher-risk groups, to stay up to date with recommended vaccines ahead of the peak respiratory virus season. The campaign highlights influenza, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination as the best protection against severe illness, hospitalisation and complications.
The campaign outlines free vaccines available through the National Immunisation Program for eligible groups, including influenza vaccines for older adults, pregnant people, First Nations peoples, young children and people with certain medical conditions, as well as RSV vaccination for adults aged 75 years and over from 15 May 2026.
Participate in a free program that helps identify and recall up to 500 eligible patients who may be at higher risk of chronic illness complications if they contract influenza (flu). Your practice will receive support generating patient lists and sending SMS recalls.
National Heart Week 2026 wrap-up
To celebrate National Heart Week in May and support the ongoing PHASES project, Brisbane South PHN invited general practices across the region to participate in our Heart Hub Waiting Room Challenge. Practices were encouraged to transform their waiting rooms with heart-themed decorations, resources, and educational displays designed to spark conversations about heart health between patients and their doctor, while highlighting the important role primary care plays in preventing cardiovascular disease.
We are excited to announce our 3 winners of the challenge: Cornwall Street Medical Centre, Holmead Road Medical and Wishart Medical Centre!
Thank you to all practices that participated in the challenge and supported Heart Week 2026. We look forward to continuing this important work through the PHASES project and sharing more opportunities to get involved throughout the remainder of 2026.
MyMedicare: Registering patients who may lack capacity
MyMedicare registration is voluntary and requires informed consent.
In some circumstances, a patient may be unable to provide consent due to limited or impaired decision-making capacity. In these cases, a registration may be completed by the patient’s authorised representative.
What to do first:
Ensure MyMedicare registration remains voluntary and is not a condition of accessing care.
Confirm whether a patient has capacity to provide informed consent.
Where a patient is unable to provide consent, identify whether a responsible person is authorised to act on their behalf.
What practices need to know:
Registration must reflect the patient’s preferences, including their chosen practice and provider.
A responsible person must be lawfully authorised to act on behalf of the patient.
To support practices, additional detail is provided in the fact sheet. We encourage you to refer to this resource for further guidance.
Further guidance is available in the MyMedicare incapacitated persons registration pathways - Fact sheet.