Capital Health Network

End-of-Life in Primary Care Webinar Series

With the introduction of Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) in the ACT fast approaching in November 2025, it is an important time for clinicians to refresh and update their knowledge of end-of-life care in primary care settings.

This seven-part webinar series brings together leading experts in law, general practice, nursing, and palliative care to explore the clinical, ethical, and legal aspects of end-of-life care in the ACT. The sessions are designed for GPs, practice nurses, allied health professionals, and others working in primary care who support patients with serious illness and their families.

Program Overview

• Session 1: End-of-Life Law for Clinicians in ACT📅 Tuesday 23 September 2025, 6:30–8:00 pmLed by Dr Katrine Del Villar (QUT) and Dr Paresh Dawda (Next Practice Deakin), this session covers consent, substitute decision-making, futile treatment, voluntary assisted dying, and the doctrine of double effect.

• Session 2: End-of-Life Discussions and Advance Care Planning📅 Tuesday 30 September 2025, 6:30–8:00 pmWith Janine Rath (ACP Manager, Canberra Health Service) and Dr Raymond Liu (GP/ANU), focusing on documentation, triggers for conversations, and patient-centred communication strategies.

• Session 3: Primary and Specialist Palliative Care Resources and Services in ACT📅 Tuesday 7 October 2025, 6:30–8:00 pmPractical guidance from Dr Louise Kenyon (HealthPathways Clinical Lead), Dr James Manley (ACT Health), and Dr Michael Chapman (Clinical Director of Palliative Care, Canberra Hospital), with input from Conder Surgery team members.

• Session 4: Symptom Management in Palliative Care – Pain📅 Tuesday 14 October 2025, 6:30–8:00 pmPresented by Dr Mike Yung (palliative care advanced trainee), covering pharmacological and non-pharmacological pain management.

• Session 5: Symptom Management in Palliative Care – Breathlessness📅 Tuesday 21 October 2025, 6:30–8:00 pmMary Roberts (Respiratory CNC, Westmead Hospital) and Dr Sarah McPherson will guide clinicians through strategies for managing breathlessness.

• Session 6: Certification of Death in the Community in ACT📅 Tuesday 28 October 2025, 6:30–8:00 pmDr Amanda Barry (Director, Clinical Forensic Medical Service, CHS) and Prof Lavinia Hallam will discuss practical, legal, and procedural aspects of certifying death in the community.

• Session 7: Voluntary Assisted Dying in ACT📅 Tuesday 4 November 2025, 6:30–8:00 pmKate Reed (Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner, ACT Health) will explain the new VAD legislation and model in the ACT, the intersection with specialist palliative care, and insights from other jurisdictions.

Learning Outcomes

Participants will:

• Gain clarity on the legal frameworks governing end-of-life care in the ACT.
• Develop confidence in holding advance care planning and goals-of-care discussions.
• Learn when and how to access palliative care resources and refer appropriately.
• Strengthen knowledge and skills in managing common palliative symptoms such as pain and breathlessness.
• Understand processes for certifying death in the community.
• Be prepared for the implementation of Voluntary Assisted Dying in the ACT, including clinical, legal, and ethical considerations.

Presenters

Speakers include experts across law, primary care, specialist palliative care, nursing, and health policy such as Dr Katrine Del Villar, Dr Paresh Dawda, Dr Raymond Liu, Dr Louise Kenyon, Dr Michael Chapman, Kate Reed, Dr Amanda Barry, and others.

Register Here

👉 This series is a must for primary care professionals in the ACT wanting to stay up to date with end-of-life care practices, palliative care resources, and the legal landscape surrounding VAD.

Join CHN and accredited education providers Curijo as they help you take the next steps in your Cultural Learning Journey. This face-to-face event will cover vital topics to support primary care professionals and staff members in providing culturally safe and responsive care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients.

Topics discussed include:

• Cultures, kinship, and family structures
• Historical overview
• Impacts of history
• Trauma awareness
• Overcoming bias
• Effective communication
• Cultural safety
• Reconciliation and accountability
• Community engagement

Presenters

Tina McGhie – Chief Operating Officer & Delivery Lead at Curijo

Register Here

Event Registration: From 5:00 PM – Main Event: Starts at 5:30 PM

This event will be fully catered and can be self-logged as 2.5 hours of CPD, including meeting the culturally safe practice requirements for registered medical professionals.

Paediatric Services Day is back!

The Centenary Hospital for Women and Children, Canberra Health Services, in collaboration with the CHS GP Liaison Unit and Capital Health Network, invites GPs and Nurse Practitioners to attend a face-to-face event focused on common paediatric presentations in primary care.

This full-day program will cover a wide range of practical and relevant topics, including:

• Recurrent UTIs
• Constipation
• Infant growth and development concerns
• Short stature and precocious puberty
• Childhood obesity (early identification and management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus)
• Diagnosis and early screening of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (new antibody screening)
• Chronic cough and asthma
• Food allergies and atopy
• Dermatology and rashes
• ADHD
• ASD
• School refusal and anxiety
• Child protection in general practice

Register Here

Join us for an engaging day of education, professional development, and networking with a morning tea, buffet lunch and afternoon tea included.

CPD: RACGP approved – 5 hours of CPD (Educational Activities)

As seats are limited, we kindly ask that you only register if you are confident you can attend. If your plans change, please let us know as early as possible so we can offer your spot to someone else

Webinar 6: Wednesday 22 October 2025

Dr Peter Scott & Dr Liam Guiney, Lipids and murmurs: What’s new in hyperlipidaemia and valvular heart disease

Register Here

This series is designed to equip GPs with current, practical knowledge to enhance cardiovascular care in the community.

✅ CPD Points: Each session is 1.5 hours and contributes to a total of 7.5 hours of Educational Activities CPD.

Australia is home to diverse cultures, and everyone hopes for a good death and a quality life to the very end. This forum will provide health professionals with an opportunity to explore palliative care for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities and consider the impact of cultural factors on the provision of end-of-life care. It aims to support health professionals in delivering culturally sensitive palliative care.
Capital Health Network invites health professionals to this half-day forum, held in collaboration with Paalam – The Bridge to Humanity and Canberra Multicultural Community Forum Inc.

Topics:

• Introduction to palliative care for ethnically diverse groups in Australia

• Palliative Care and cultural considerations

• Identify how cultural beliefs impact response to diagnosis of cancer – Case Study

• Identify how cultural beliefs impact response to chronic illness – Case Study

• Optimising advanced care planning and initiating goals of care discussion among CALD communities

Register Here

Session details:

Session 1 – Welcome by Ros Kirk Palliative Care Planning Manager – CHN

Session 2 – Palliative Care and Cultural Considerations by Dr Sivaraj Rajadorai – Director Capital Palliative Care & Senior Clinical Lecturer ANU

Session 3 – Identify how cultural beliefs impact response to diagnosis of cancer – Case Study by Dr Prema Rajendra – GP at Next Practice Deakin

Session 4 – Identify how cultural beliefs impact response to chronic illness – Case Study provided by Associate Professor Dr Raymond Liu – GP at YourGP@Crace

Session 5 – Optimising advance care planning and initiating goals of care discussion among CALD communities by Chin Wong – Secretary, Canberra Multicultural Community Forum Inc

Note: Brunch will be provided at this forum.

End-of-Life in Primary Care Webinar Series

With the introduction of Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) in the ACT fast approaching in November 2025, it is an important time for clinicians to refresh and update their knowledge of end-of-life care in primary care settings.

This seven-part webinar series brings together leading experts in law, general practice, nursing, and palliative care to explore the clinical, ethical, and legal aspects of end-of-life care in the ACT. The sessions are designed for GPs, practice nurses, allied health professionals, and others working in primary care who support patients with serious illness and their families.

Program Overview

• Session 1: End-of-Life Law for Clinicians in ACT📅 Tuesday 23 September 2025, 6:30–8:00 pmLed by Dr Katrine Del Villar (QUT) and Dr Paresh Dawda (Next Practice Deakin), this session covers consent, substitute decision-making, futile treatment, voluntary assisted dying, and the doctrine of double effect.

• Session 2: End-of-Life Discussions and Advance Care Planning📅 Tuesday 30 September 2025, 6:30–8:00 pmWith Janine Rath (ACP Manager, Canberra Health Service) and Dr Raymond Liu (GP/ANU), focusing on documentation, triggers for conversations, and patient-centred communication strategies.

• Session 3: Primary and Specialist Palliative Care Resources and Services in ACT📅 Tuesday 7 October 2025, 6:30–8:00 pmPractical guidance from Dr Louise Kenyon (HealthPathways Clinical Lead), Dr James Manley (ACT Health), and Dr Michael Chapman (Clinical Director of Palliative Care, Canberra Hospital), with input from Conder Surgery team members.

• Session 4: Symptom Management in Palliative Care – Pain📅 Tuesday 14 October 2025, 6:30–8:00 pmPresented by Dr Mike Yung (palliative care advanced trainee), covering pharmacological and non-pharmacological pain management.

• Session 5: Symptom Management in Palliative Care – Breathlessness📅 Tuesday 21 October 2025, 6:30–8:00 pmMary Roberts (Respiratory CNC, Westmead Hospital) and Dr Sarah McPherson will guide clinicians through strategies for managing breathlessness.

• Session 6: Certification of Death in the Community in ACT📅 Tuesday 28 October 2025, 6:30–8:00 pmDr Amanda Barry (Director, Clinical Forensic Medical Service, CHS) and Prof Lavinia Hallam will discuss practical, legal, and procedural aspects of certifying death in the community.

• Session 7: Voluntary Assisted Dying in ACT📅 Tuesday 4 November 2025, 6:30–8:00 pmKate Reed (Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner, ACT Health) will explain the new VAD legislation and model in the ACT, the intersection with specialist palliative care, and insights from other jurisdictions.

Learning Outcomes

Participants will:

• Gain clarity on the legal frameworks governing end-of-life care in the ACT.
• Develop confidence in holding advance care planning and goals-of-care discussions.
• Learn when and how to access palliative care resources and refer appropriately.
• Strengthen knowledge and skills in managing common palliative symptoms such as pain and breathlessness.
• Understand processes for certifying death in the community.
• Be prepared for the implementation of Voluntary Assisted Dying in the ACT, including clinical, legal, and ethical considerations.

Presenters

Speakers include experts across law, primary care, specialist palliative care, nursing, and health policy such as Dr Katrine Del Villar, Dr Paresh Dawda, Dr Raymond Liu, Dr Louise Kenyon, Dr Michael Chapman, Kate Reed, Dr Amanda Barry, and others.

Register Here

👉 This series is a must for primary care professionals in the ACT wanting to stay up to date with end-of-life care practices, palliative care resources, and the legal landscape surrounding VAD.