New England Primary Care Research Network

22/04/2026

Please sign-up and share with colleagues :-)

08/04/2026

There are new clinical guidelines out for helping children and adolescents with suicidal ideation and those who are self-harming (not linked to su***de). Check them out here:

08/04/2026

Publications, successful grants - NEPCRN starting 2026 well! -

We’re delighted to invite you to participate in a major trial being conducted on improving antimicrobial stewardship in general practice that needs GPs to take part. The good news is that you will be paid for your contributions, and that the research findings will evaluate a new tool called the An...

25/03/2026

Got a primary healthcare research project on ageing well, or on improving general practice health services? Two major grants are available from the Australian General Practice Research Foundation (RACGP) with Expressions of Interest required by 21 April 2026.
Go here for the EOI application form https://www.racgp.org.au/foundation/research-funding

25/03/2026

OPTIMAS-GP Trial
The research team at the University of Wollongong invites you to participate in a 3 year implementation trial to improve the quality of antibiotic prescribing for acute respiratory infections in Australian general practice.

This implementation trial aims to determine the effectiveness of an Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) intervention (the AMS Toolbox) to improve antibiotic stewardship in Australian general practice.

The research is supported by a grant from the Australian Government Medical Research Futures Fund (ID: MRF2029531).

More information go to https://www.uow.edu.au/research/optimas-gp/

10/03/2026

Publications, successful grants - NEPCRN starting 2026 well! -

Welcome to 2026! We are excited that interest in primary care research is gaining momentum, from some successful collaborative grants through to emergence of entities like the Research Community of Practice co-created by Hunter Medical Research Institute and the Primary Health Network.

04/03/2026

Dr Jacqui Epps (on the right in the photo), holds the space for zoonoses research at the School of Rural Medicine, and more widely in the University of New England’s OneHealth priority research area. Her recent peer-reviewed article concludes:

‘To strengthen Australia’s capacity to respond to an apparently increasing health threat of leptospirosis in particular communities, especially those responsible for much of Australia’s agricultural production [such as the New England area], it is essential to assess more closely the real burden of disease that is not captured by the current surveillance systems, and implement strategies to make these communities more resilient and informed to manage the risk.

Understanding the seroprevalence of leptospirosis in Australia is an essential component in its current management and is vital in the event of future outbreaks which will become more likely with increasing frequency of extreme weather events and rodent plagues.’

Key facts:

Leptospirosis is a notifiable bacterial disease linked to flooding and warm weather.

Outbreaks are increasing in frequency and severity globally, and new subtypes of Leptospira bacteria are evolving.

Leptospira bacteria are found in the urine and faeces of infected rodents, cattle, sheep, horses, some domestic pets and native mammals.

Humans usually contract the infection through direct contact with an animal or indirectly via broken skin contact with urine, inhalation or through contaminated water, wet soil and vegetation.

28/01/2026

It's a new year, and time for planning, dreaming and scheming! If you have an interest in rural health care research, please get in touch with us, and keep in touch with us! We are expecting to be starting out some new projects in the next few months, so I'll be posting about them here!

26/11/2025

With all the thunderstorm weather we have been having in the New England, we should be aware of the incidence of "thunderstorm asthma", which can be triggered in people who are allergic to rye grass, and living in rural areas. Sadly, the statistics on deaths from asthma in Australia show almost no change between 2023 and 2024, and 50% of them are in women who are older than 75 years old. The National Asthma Council of Australia has some useful resources for health professionals (and also community members) https://www.nationalasthma.org.au/health-professionals

09/11/2025

NEPCRN news - Japanese Encephalitis Virus - now ENDEMIC in the New England and Northern NSW -

Welcome to the start of the New England summer mosquito breeding season - and the news that Japanese Encephalitis Virus has now been classified as endemic to the New England, North-West Slopes and plains and Northern NSW. There were 5 cases of which 2 ended as deaths in the 2024-2025 season, and NSW...

05/11/2025

Looking for input from all health-professionals who work with perinatal and neonatal care... expanding genomic screening using existing heel-prick blood spot - should we or shouldn't we?

NERCHA - New England Rural Club for Health Alliance UNE Medicine and Health Michelle Guppy A Nurse Out Where RACGP

Genomic Screening for Newborns – primary care responses sought by ebowles | Nov 4, 2025 | Blog, Current Research Opportunities | 0 comments Professor Bruce Bennetts from the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network is the lead investigator for a major NSW Health trial:  the NEWBORN GENomic SEQuencing...

05/11/2025

https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/ - helpful resource on dietary and nutrition guidelines in Australia and New Zealand.

The Australian Dietary Guidelines (the Guidelines) provide up-to-date advice about the amount and kinds of foods that we need to eat for health and wellbeing. The recommendations are based on scientific evidence, developed after looking at good quality research.