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Queensland Mental Health Week

Who we are

CheckUP works with partner organisations and health providers to create healthier communities and reduce health inequities through a range of initiatives.

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There are so many ways you can support the work of CheckUP and our vision of better health for the people and communities that need it most.

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News & publications

Read the latest news and publications from CheckUP.

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Angel Flight’s rural medi-flight service: taking health professionals to the bush and beyond

CheckUP proudly acknowledges Angel Flight’s Rural Medi-Flight Service for making healthcare accessible to remote communities and beyond.

Over the past three years, Angel Flight has seen a significant increase in demand for transporting health professionals to rural and remote communities across Australia. In response, Angel Flight launched its Rural Medi-Flight service in early 2024—an innovative approach that flips the traditional model of flying rural patients into the city by instead flying doctors, allied health professionals, and medical students directly into rural and remote communities.

The Rural Medi-Flight service aims to address the urgent healthcare gap in rural Australia while providing busy health professionals with safe, cost-efficient, and reliable air transport to hard-to-reach communities. The service is designed to bring healthcare directly to the bush, minimising travel disruptions for medical practitioners and allowing them to spend more time with patients and less time in transit.

A professional and reliable service

The dedicated air service operates to the highest standards, under the Air Transport Category, and is flown by highly experienced airline pilots with Instructor and Check and Training Captain status. Angel Flight’s health professional passengers have consistently praised the professionalism and efficiency of the service, noting that the direct flights save them valuable time, allowing for more patient care and less travel stress.

One medical professional shared, “Being able to fly directly to the community without lengthy travel connections means I can dedicate more time to my patients. The professionalism of Angel Flight’s service makes the entire journey seamless and stress-free.”

The aircraft used for Rural Medi-Flights is a comfortable 8-10 seat, cabin-class, twin-engine plane affectionately named Kayla—a tribute to an Angel Flight passenger who flew 400 missions before sadly losing her health battle at the age of 23. Kayla’s size and versatility enables it to land at all country town airfields, making it perfect for reaching remote areas.

Making an impact across Queensland

Since its launch, the Rural Medi-Flight service has flown specialists, allied health professionals, and medical students to 22 communities and counting, from Birdsville to Blackall, Monto to Mornington, the service has become an invaluable lifeline for rural areas that previously faced long waiting times or extensive travel to access medical care.

Angel Flight CEO Marjorie Pagani highlights the importance of this service:

“There is a real and immediate need to get doctors to where they’re most needed in rural Queensland—places like Burketown, Doomadgee, and Gununa. In the past 12 months alone, we’ve flown over 300 missions for health professionals in Queensland. Without a dedicated second aircraft in the north, we’re turning away missions we know could make a life-saving difference.”

Image: “Kayla” the aircraft used for Rural Medi-Flights at dusk.

A vision for national expansion

With the success of the Queensland-based service, Angel Flight is planning to expand the Rural Medi-Flight model into a national operation, with dedicated aircraft based in each capital city as well as key regional hubs like Cairns and Port Hedland. However, this ambitious vision will only be possible with government or significant private funding.

Until then, Angel Flight remains committed to sustaining its current operations, ensuring that doctors can continue reaching the communities that need care the most.

Angel Flight’s Rural Medi-Flight Service
Angel Flight’s Rural Medi-Flight Service

To learn more about Angel Flight’s Rural Medi-Flight service, please contact Angel Flight’s friendly flight coordinators who work their magic every day to keep these vital services flying.

Contact: mail@angelflight.org.au
Phone: 07 3620 8300

Visit website
CheckUP Outreach
CheckUP Outreach

Interested in becoming an Outreach Provider with CheckUP?Through our range of health programs and initiatives, we have an established footprint in over 180 communities across Queensland: delivering over 170,000 occasions of service per year to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and people living in rural and remote communities.

Learn more about health services at CheckUP

Healthcare: Small business matters!

CheckUP recently co-hosted QPHCN Healthcare: Small business matters! event with Country to Coast QLD PHN.

We extend our sincere thanks to Country to Coast PHN for co-hosting this event held on the Sunshine Coast and everyone who joined us on 3 April, 2025. It was a great opportunity to connect, learn and gain insights into workforce solutions.

Gillian Ingram, Deputy Director of Education and Workforce at Country to Coast Primary Health Network, and Louise Hauser, Program Manager at Workforce Evolve, Business Chamber Queensland provided valuable insights and resources. CheckUP Workforce and Industry speakers shared information about workforce solutions, funding opportunities, and free workforce support available for small to medium-sized healthcare businesses. Additionally, CheckUP highlighted that there are resources to help strengthen the NDIS small business market and develop a skilled health and community services workforce.
Access CheckUP's Workforce Presentation
Access CheckUP’s Workforce Presentation

Gain a deeper understanding of the Workforce and Industry Programs available at CheckUP.

Download
Access Worforce Evolve's Presentation here
Access Worforce Evolve’s Presentation here

Louise Hauser, Program Manager at Workforce Evolve, Business Chamber Queensland provided valuable insights and resources.

Download
CheckUP Workforce team and Country to Coast co-hosted Healthcare: Small business matters!

Contact CheckUP’s Workforce and Industry Team

P: 07 3105 8300

E: info@checkup.org.au

World Hearing Day: Children’s ear checks at school

World Hearing Day is held on 3 March each year to raise awareness of how to prevent deafness and hearing loss and promote ear and hearing care across the world.

CheckUP manage the Healthy Ears: Better Hearing Better Listening (Healthy Ears) program. Providing services in urban, rural, regional, remote and very remote communities across Queensland, the Healthy Ears program aims to increase access to ear and hearing health services for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and management of hearing health conditions in First Nations children and youth.

Otitis media (inflammation and/or infection of the middle ear) is the main condition contributing towards hearing loss in First Nations children. Experiencing hearing loss in childhood can affect speech and language development, and may lead to behavioural problems, early school leaving, limited employment options and increased contact with the criminal justice system (Burns and Thomson 2013).

Health promotion and regular routine ear and hearing health checks are integral for preventable hearing loss. Care for Kids’ Ears offers information and resources about ear health for parents, carers, teachers, teachers’ aides, early childhood workers and health professionals. The resources aim to help reduce rates of otitis media among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. These are free and available to order now on the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation’s website.

Left image: Michaela Pacini TCHHS Maternal Child and Family Nurse with patient. Right image: Kirsten Tregenza TCHHS Audiologist with patient.

Through the Healthy Ears program, CheckUP support the Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service’s (TCHHS) Ear and Hearing Health multi-disciplinary team to facilitate children’s ear checks across rural and remote Cape communities.

Recently TCHHS’s Maternal Child and Family Nurse Michaela Pacini was joined by Audiologist Kris Tregenza, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner Maria Smith and Pormpuraaw Health Worker Carolyn Brian at Pormpuraaw State School to perform ear health checks for all the children.

87% of children currently enrolled at Pormpuraaw State School and in community were screened over two and a half days. The children were excited to have their ears checked, with the team using the video otoscopy which is an examination which allows the kids to see live footage of the inside of their ear canals, followed by the tympanometry and audiometry ‘listening game’ equipment making the ear check fun and engaging.

It was a great outcome as no active ear infections were identified and just over a handful of kids need new Audiologist referrals.

Healthy Ears is managed by CheckUP and is supported by funding from the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care under the Indigenous Australians’ Health Programme.

Left image: Maria Smith TCHHS Health practitioner with patient. Right image: Kirsten Tregenza TCHHS Audiologist with patient.

Learn more about CheckUP’s Healthy Ears program

The aim of the Healthy Ears program is to increase access to a range of
ear and hearing health services, including expanded primary
health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and
youth (0-21 years) for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment
and management of ear and hearing health conditions.

Learn more

Learn more about World Hearing Day

World Hearing Day is held on 3 March each year to raise awareness on how to prevent deafness and hearing loss and promote ear and hearing care across the world.

Learn more

Building a stronger workforce: BlueCare’s approach to training and placement

BlueCare, a prominent provider of in-home care and aged care services in Queensland, have been navigating the challenges of workforce attraction in a competitive labour market.

With a team of around 8,500 employees and 500 volunteers, BlueCare recognises the need for a consistent influx of skilled personal care workers, especially as demand for services continues to rise.

To address workforce shortages and retention issues, BlueCare have adopted a “Grow Our Own” strategy, including forming partnerships with selected Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) to enhance training and placement opportunities for students.

However, while RTO partners provide access to a pool of students, challenges remain. Many students are not located in the areas where the organisation has immediate workforce needs. Additionally, placements do not always align with students career aspirations, resulting in lower conversion rates from placement to employment.

To tackle these issues, BlueCare has implemented several practical solutions. Including:

line illustration of school building
Increasing educational partnerships
Line illustration of graduation cap, dollar sign and open book.
Employing personal care students as they train
line illustration of a person in front of two arrows pointing upward. In front of the person is a cog and a star.
Upskilling existing employees

BlueCare have increased their educational partnerships from three to seven, ensuring better alignment with staffing needs. A placement request template has been introduced to gauge student availability and interest, while a workforce attraction flyer has been created to help students find job openings and submit inquiries.

Furthermore, the organisation has developed a strategy that enables personal care students to be hired as supervised (unqualified) personal carers prior to or during their placements, allowing them to gain valuable experience and receive paid shifts.

Existing employees also have opportunities to undertake paid training and participate in practical placements to upskill and advance their careers.

On top of these initiatives, BlueCare has seen success in its traineeship program, with over 433 traineeships initiated since February 2022 and a retention rate of 71%.

By continuing to foster a supportive learning environment, BlueCare aims to strengthen its workforce and ensure that qualified personal care workers are available to meet the needs of the community.

CheckUP’s Industry Skill Advisors

CheckUP are the Industry Skills Advisor (ISA) for the health and community services sector.

Industry Skill Advisors engage with employers, small business and Industry stakeholders to provide high-quality, evidence-based industry advice and intelligence about current and emerging industry directions, regional skill needs, training solutions and employment opportunities.

Learn more
BlueCare

BlueCare

BlueCare are one of Queensland’s largest providers of in-home care, residential aged care and retirement living.

Established in 1953 and part of UnitingCare, BlueCare is committed to ensuring that communities can lead fulfilling lives while placing clients and their families at the heart of care.

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CheckUP patient feedback update

CheckUP is excited to report that patient feedback survey responses are starting to flow in and a number of providers have already received their first personalised feedback reports.

The state-wide results from over 250 responses between July and December 2024 have been extremely positive and the first weeks of January have seen another 50 arrive.

We would love to be able to provide you all with your own feedback directly from your patients and increase your value-based healthcare capabilities. We are aiming for one thousand responses state wide for 2024-2025 with as much patient and provider representation as possible, so please get involved in this important quality improvement activity.

 

State-wide results for July-December 2024:

(n=60) told us they would not be able to access that service type if it was not delivered locally.

of responses where cultural background was entered (n=123) were from Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander patients.

Experience of care:

 

felt listened to (87% Strongly Agreed) (n=111)

felt their culture, community and/or identity was respected (88% Strongly) (n= 111)

received the help they wanted (91% Strongly Agreed) (n=229)

Outcomes of care:

 

increased their awareness of their health condition (79% Strongly Agreed) (n=78)

know more about how to improve their health condition (73% Strongly Agreed) (n= 113)

were more likely to take action to improve their health-related behaviours/lifestyle/habits (70% strongly Agreed (n= 106)


“I feel really driven to improve, especially after (Provider’s name)’s visit”
“(I need to) Improve eating habits and do more exercise, more protein intake”
“Through my appointments I’m able to get the medication/treatment I need and info to manage my health, which furthers my ability to improve my lifestyle behaviours.”

– Patient survey responses

A variety of survey formats (paper and digital) have been developed to suit individual patient preferences. Information and resources were mailed out to providers in late 2024 in an evaluation pack.

If your patients are comfortable with online entry, ask your Regional Coordinator for a loan of their CheckUP feedback iPad or hand out the A4 posters or small business cards with the QR code included in your evaluation packs sent out late last year. Otherwise select from the range of paper surveys you were sent and contact your Regional Coordinator when you need refills.

Want to receive a personalised feedback report?

To receive a personalised patient feedback report please ensure you have included your Provider name and town at the top of patients’ surveys before you hand them out. CheckUP will provide a report to you each time your surveys reach between 10 to 20 responses following a visit.

Contact your Regional Coordinator or CheckUP’s Evaluation Lead, Philippa Hawke phawke@checkup.org.au if you have distributed surveys and would like to know how many have been returned.

Learn more about CheckUP’s Evaluation program

Focus on podiatry

CheckUP contracts 20 podiatry providers to deliver Outreach services to 65 unique locations across the state.

CheckUP funded podiatrists play a critical role in managing lower limb issues and chronic disease management in high need communities. They also provide upskilling to local health professionals to manage issues between podiatry visits and engage with patients to better understand and manage their chronic conditions.

Accessibility of services closer to home and health outcomes are two main priorities in managing and delivering Outreach programs. Across the 733 podiatry visits delivered to date, providers have reported positive outcomes including:

A patient presented who was unaware of his neuropathy and subsequent wound under his foot. Whilst it was infected, we caught it before it was left to become chronic, and I was able to get him in to see his GP that day for antibiotics, and together we fitted him for a Darco shoe. If he hadn’t come in for this appointment, it is likely that his wound and the infection would have progressed to see him develop a chronic ulcer.

– North and West Remote Health podiatrist

 

‘We are seeing many people coming back from hospital after toe or forefoot amputations. We are able to assist them with follow up dressings and medical care. It is satisfying and valued to be able to assist people to come home. There are also a number of people having health checks, care plans and team care arrangements.’

– Ruth Connors

I was able to encourage and educate all clients and when clients take interest you know you’ve made the situation more visible to them so they can act on it.’

– Diabetes & Health Solution’s podiatrist

There has been a consistent increase in the number of clients attending podiatry in Roma. Always a pleasure to be able to provide this service to the Roma community.’

– Institute of Urban Indigenous Health’s podiatrist

It was particularly lovely to read the comments in a recent report from Andrew Khoury who provides a popular podiatry service to Kilkivan; ‘This has been a very successful year professionally and regionally. We will endeavour to provide the same competent level of care in 2025. Thank you, CheckUP, for your ongoing support during this year. Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas season’. We certainly appreciate your ongoing commitment to Outreach, along with all our providers.

Outreach services are designed and delivered considering the quadruple aims of improved:

  • health outcomes
  • patient experiences
  • provider experiences
  • effectiveness and efficiency

We understand that delivering Outreach services can be challenging and you need to manage your own wellbeing and avoid burnout.

If you missed the webinar on Strengthening Staff Wellbeing In The Health Sector with Dr Liz Crowe, you can access it here.

The Australian Podiatry Association’s latest issue of Stride also has a personal perspective article on Burnout in podiatry and working to mitigate the risk of burnout.

Podiatrist with patient

A CheckUP provider is pictured with a patient above.

CheckUP celebrates 2023 – 2024 | Annual Report released

CheckUP is proud to introduce its latest Annual Report.

The Annual Report was launched at CheckUP’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 29 November 2024. The FY2023-24 Audited Annual Financial Report (including Directors’ Report) is available here.

Read the Annual Report and find out about CheckUP’s 25th Anniversary celebrations. Significant changes have occurred over the past 25 years of making an impact. While we have been in a period of transition, our commitment to quality healthcare delivery in remote and rural areas remains constant.

Ann Maree Liddy, CEO of CheckUP Australia, said, “The past 12 months have been a milestone period for CheckUP as we celebrated 25 years of operation. Over this quarter-century, we have witnessed profound technological, environmental, and societal changes that have reshaped the way we live and work.

While these advancements have enhanced the quality of healthcare delivery, some challenges remain unchanged. For instance, residents of rural and remote regions in Queensland, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, continue to experience poorer health outcomes compared to their urban counterparts. Access to healthcare in these areas remains fragmented and inconsistent, underscoring the enduring importance of the work we carry out in partnership with our valued health service providers and collaborators.”

Access the report to read Ms Liddy’s full Annual Report message and find out about CheckUP programs which have continued to grow and health service delivery. In addition, Workforce programs expanded and #GoHealth Careers Expo held in June 2024 attracted a record 1,900 students! The report also has insights into the impact of CheckUP’s programs, patient feedback, funding partner relationships, leadership and staff.

We recognise and thank Primary Health Networks, Hospital and Health Services, Community Controlled Health Organisations, members, and health and community services.

We sincerely appreciate CheckUP funders, supporters, members, sponsors, Board, and staff.

Read about CheckUP’s impact!

Download PDF

View the Annual Report on Issuu

Watch the 2023-2024 Annual Report Video

Read the FY2023-24 Audited Annual Financial Report (including Directors’ Report) HERE

 

Access for All – Cases for Inclusion

Read lived experience stories from people with disability and health providers.

View PDF

Get ready to deliver health services in remote and rural areas

22 November 2024

In response to feedback received from outreach health service providers, CheckUP has developed – Going all OUT for Outreach – an innovative online micro-credentialing course that address a range of workforce issues in the rural health sector.

Funded by the Queensland Government, the course was designed and developed by health professionals and organisations currently engaged in the delivery of outreach health services in Queensland, although the course is relevant for health professionals and health facility staff involved in the delivery of services in any regional location in Australia.

The aim of the Going all OUT for Outreach micro-credential program is to ensure that health service providers working in regional, rural and remote communities have the appropriate knowledge and skills to respond to the complexity of Outreach health service delivery. Additionally, host facility staff will learn how to effectively host a visiting Outreach health service.

CheckUP CEO, Ann Maree Liddy, describes Going all OUT for Outreach as an innovative and unique online course that will significantly improve the skills, knowledge and confidence of health providers who travel to rural and remote communities to deliver much needed health services.

Ms Liddy said, “We know that delivering health services in regional areas is incredibly rewarding for our outreach health providers, but we recognise that this work can be very challenging and difficult at times. We consulted with many of our current Outreach health providers to develop a free online course that is engaging and interactive, and full of practical tips to enhance the healthcare delivery experience for our providers. We believe this will ultimately contribute to high quality care for the recipients of this care – those people living in remote communities.”

The course has four key objectives:

1. To enhance Outreach health service delivery with a focus on local solutions. This includes training in upskilling to address skills gaps and skilling needs of local health professionals.

2. To ensure timely, local responses in the rural and remote health workforce by delivering training to assist health providers to work at top of scope and improve quality of care by promoting multi-disciplinary team-based models.

3. To address the maldistribution of the health workforce in Queensland by increasing the attraction and retention of health professionals and assistants in rural and remote locations.

4. To improve facility efficiencies in the hosting of visiting Outreach health providers.

The training is centred around three key areas – Onboarding, Upskilling and Teaching (OUT) with participants trained in practitioner health and safety, outreach readiness, working in multi-disciplinary teams, skill needs identification, upskilling and student supervision, and hosting visiting Outreach services.

Share Going All OUT for Outreach with your colleagues, students, health providers and network.

Download the Going All OUT for Outreach Media Kit here.

Going All OUT for Outreach launch

CheckUP hosted several events online and in-person to launch Going All OUT.

Above: Highlights from the launch of Going all OUT.

CheckUP Australia

CheckUP is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing for people and communities who need it most. CheckUP is committed to supporting communities and reducing inequities by strategically collaborating at a regional and local level to lead improvements and deliver a range of initiatives in the health and community services sectors. With a strong network of partner organisations and health providers CheckUP has an established presence in over 170 communities across Queensland.

Changing the landscape of diabetes care in Western Queensland

World Diabetes Day is held annually on 14 November. This year’s theme, Diabetes and Wellbeing, aims to put wellbeing into the heart of diabetes care, believing that with appropriate access to diabetes care and support for their wellbeing, everyone with diabetes has the chance to live well.

However, not everyone has the same access to diabetes care. Hospitalisation and rates of death related to diabetes are significantly higher in rural and remote communities than in major Australian cities.

CheckUP recently spoke with a few of the Outreach Credentialled Diabetes Educators who are improving the equity of diabetes care and changing the lives of Western Queenslanders.

Diabetes Australia is supported by funding from Western Queensland PHN through the Australian Government’s PHN Program, and we would like to extend our appreciation for this support.

I have been going out to my Western Queensland clinics for a year now. I have many clients who I see regularly. Many have needed insulin for years and did not receive it. I recognised the need and suggested appropriate treatment, which has made a dramatic improvement to their overall health and wellbeing.

A young woman who had unhealthy glucose levels for four years is now hoping to become pregnant as she has responded so well to insulin treatment.

Joanne Van Strien
Registered Nurse and Credentialled Diabetes Educator | Diabetes Australia
Cloncurry, Julia Creek and, Charleville

Diabetes is one of the top health priorities within Western Queensland, with diabetes contributing to a significant burden of illness and complications being one of the main reasons for hospitalisation within the region.

People living rurally and remotely are:

Statistics taken from the Western Queensland Diabetes Service Framework  pictured over an ariel photo of Mount Isa.

How have you had to adjust your diabetes care to support those living rurally and remotely?

I haven’t really had to adjust too much as I’ve always worked rurally. I am, however, always mindful of people’s access locally to fresh and healthy foods and activities.

There are often financial barriers to things like visiting the swimming pool. In addition to this, swimming pools in rural areas aren’t heated so are closed in the cooler months!

My patients and I have become very creative with improving physical activity – walking to the boundary fence or walking to the shed instead of riding the quad bike to name a few. The local dogs are becoming fitter from walking more often!

Anthea Suttor
Credentialled Diabetes Educator, Clinical Nurse Specialist (Diabetes) | AH Diabetes
Tara, Chinchilla, Miles, Dalby, Millmerran, and Inglewood

In some of Western Queensland’s remote communities diabetes impacts up to 20 per cent of the population, with many people also living with other health conditions.

Compared with non-Indigenous Australians, Indigenous Australians are:

Statistics taken from the Western Queensland Diabetes Service Framework  pictured over an aerial photo of  Lake Broadwater, Dalby.

What do you enjoy most about working rurally?

Meeting clients who, without services like this, would be unable to access the education and support they need to successfully manage living well with diabetes.

Emma Coates
Registered Nurse and Credentialled Diabetes Educator | Diabetes Australia
Mount Isa

World Diabetes Day
World Diabetes Day

World Diabetes Day (WDD) is the world’s largest diabetes awareness campaign reaching a global audience of over 1 billion people in over 160 countries.

World Diabetes Day is a day for people with diabetes, healthcare professionals, advocates, policymakers, and the public to unite to raise awareness of and take action on diabetes.

Get involved
Want to provide rural health services but not sure where to start?
Want to provide rural health services but not sure where to start?

Designed by regional, rural, and remote health professionals, CheckUP has created three free courses to support you on your rural health journey. The courses aim to address critical questions and manage the complexities of delivering effective outreach health services in rural and remote communities.

Onboarding: Gain the tools to support the smooth implementation of Outreach health services and build lasting partnerships within the regional, rural, and remote communities you serve.

Upskilling: Support the growth of the regional, rural, and remote health workforce; learn to identify skills gaps and empower the local workforce.

Teaching: Inspire the next generation of the rural health workforce, learn to foster positive learning environments, and successfully manage student placements.

Self-paced and online, register before 30 November 2024 to access the courses for free.

Suitable for anyone interested in regional, rural, and remote healthcare, whether you are just starting out or are an established Outreach provider.

Register for one of the courses before 30 November 2024 and go in the draw to win one of four $50 Visa gift cards!

Learn more