We have heard that general practice is in crisis for years, but we now are in urgent need of clear solutions and action to save our health system. We need to rapidly shift funding and focus away from the expensive hospital setting towards general practice, in order to get spiralling health costs back under control.
With my experience as a General Practitioner, practice owner, salaried GP, health economist, board director, senior executive and academic researcher, I think I am uniquely placed to lead the College and the profession through a period of crucial policy change, and to deliver a better general practice for our patients, and a better funded and more fulfilling professional life for RACGP members.
As part of my RACGP President campaign, 5 key priorities will shape and direct my presidency in the future. The videos below detail insights into each priority, accompanied with a distillation of select key action items to strengthen general practice.
Funding reform is both urgent and critical for the future of General Practice. This is a core platform underscoring my future presidency. This means working on immediate priorities to reverse funding cuts and increase MBS rebates, especially for complex, vulnerable patients and for longer consults; but also paving way for more foundational long term changes in the cultural attitudes towards General Practice funding and value among policy makers and politicians.
The healthcare workforce crisis is a critical challenge for the sustainability of General Practice and our healthcare system. As the RACGP, we need to collaborate with policy makers, politicians and health system stakeholders to systematically step up the support provided to doctors in training at every level from medical students, through GP registrars and fellows, especially in the face of declining medical student and early career doctors choosing GP as a career pathway. Additional work then needs to be directed towards effective policies to secure our future GP workforce.
RACGP is a uniquely diverse college. It is critical to ensure that we bring along all members in our advocacy and activities. This means reorienting the college to actively listen to member concerns and adapting to unique needs of such a diverse membership. This also means ensuring that the college’s vision is clearly outlined, increasing transparency and accountability for the Board and senior management. Our strength lies in our diversity, and we must support and elevate the issues facing all GPs across Australia.
Increasing administrative burden and regulatory red tape is interfering with clinician led efficiency and as a result, patient care. At the patient level, it’s a priority of mine to ensure that the College is enabling our GPs to be more focused on clinical care for their patients by removing unnecessary red tape. However alongside the granular day-to-day, I see the RACGP as a key stakeholder in the oncoming wave of digital innovation emerging in healthcare. This means supporting GPs to adopt safe and well-evidenced technologies and ensuring GP voices are heard when it comes to health system transformation.
We need to reclaim the space as the respected leaders of community health care. We have an urgent need to restore respect for our profession and this will come through positive messaging and a narrative which highlights the value and excellence of the care we provide. We need to strengthen and share the evidence of the impact of general practice through a clear research and advocacy strategy. GPs and general practice also have the opportunity to lead initiatives supporting doctor health and wellbeing, and improving the culture of the health system.
General practice is the greenest part of our health system and I want us to lead health system initiatives to reduce our carbon footprint and improve environmental sustainability. The RACGP can play a leading role in these areas, expanding its influence, reputation and ultimately impact and respect for both General Practice and the broader healthcare system.
Develop a Costed Proposal to Increase MBS Funding Targeting Vulnerable Patients and The GPs Providing Their Care
Shift the Focus of the Scope Of Practice Review From Access Towards Quality And Safety
Get RACGP Representation on Incentives Reviews, and Propose Review of Consultation Items
Arrange for Every Federal Politician and State Minister to Meet With an Informed RACGP Member
Provide Policy and Actions to Rebuke Unproven Services Fragmenting Care and Wasting Health Resources
Outline Clear Workforce And Funding Strategy To Increase Attractiveness And Sustainability Of GP Training
Provide Clear Resources about Options snd Implications f Payroll Tax in each State and Territory.
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