A voice for general practice in health reform
With health reform high on the government's agenda, there are a number of health reform initiatives currently underway.
The government’s health reform initiatives include:
- National Health and Hospitals Reform
- Maternity Services Review
- National Registration and Accreditation
- National Primary Health Care Strategy
- National clinical indicators for safety and quality in healthcare.
The RACGP has been actively involved in health reform, and has provided extensive feedback throughout the consultation process. Input provided by the college has focussed on the need to invest into and support the central role of general practice in the delivery of health care services. The college opposes any government initiatives that might fragment care and/or risk patient safety.
The college’s written responses (most recent responses first) on government health reform initiatives can be accessed below.
The RACGP welcomes members’ views regarding health reform. If you wish to provide input regarding health reform, please send your feedback to healthreform@racgp.org.au.
Over the next few weeks we will be preparing additional response statements, draft letters to Members of Parliament and patient fact sheets on a number of key health reform issues. These materials will also be available on our website soon. Watch this space!
10/02/2010
Submission to the Medical Board of Australia: Proposals for registration standards for limited registration, a code of practice for the medical profession and a revised list of specialties and specialist titles
Discussion within this submission is made in response to the consultation paper titled "Proposals for registration standards for limited registration, a code of practice for the medical profession and a revised list of specialties and specialist titles", issued by the Medical Board of Australia.
22/01/2010Submission to the Minister for Health and Ageing: Federal Budget 2010–2011
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) thanks the Department of Health and Ageing for the opportunity to contribute to discussion regarding the Health and Ageing Budget for 2010-2011.
13/01/2010Submission to the Department of Health and Ageing: Exposure Draft Healthcare Identifiers Bill 2010
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) thanks the Department of Health and Ageing for the opportunity to contribute to discussion regarding Unique Health Identifiers.
18/12/2009Response to the NHMRC Harmonisation of Multi-Centre Ethical Review Enabling System
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) thanks the NHMRC for the opportunity to contribute to development of the Harmonisation of Multi-Centre Ethical Review (HOMER) Enabling System. The HOMER system will reduce the administrative burden on general practice researchers by offering beneficial solutions to general practice researchers seeking to obtain ethics approval.
18/12/2009RACGP Response to the NHMRC Harmonisation of Multi-Centre Ethical Review Enabling System
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) thanks the NHMRC for the opportunity to contribute to development of the Harmonisation of Multi-Centre Ethical Review (HOMER) Enabling System. The HOMER system will reduce the administrative burden on general practice researchers by offering beneficial solutions to general practice researchers seeking to obtain ethics approval.
18/12/2009RACGP Response to the NHMRC Draft Strategy for Medical Research and Public Health Research
The RACGP commends the NHMRC on preparing a National Strategy for Medical Research and Public Health Research that acknowledges the important contributions of the public health and health services research to the improvement of health, and includes a flexible approach to support researchers who wish to pursue this goal.
06/11/2009Building Quality, Equity and Capacity in Health Systems: Revitalising General Practice
RACGP discussion paper in response to the Final Report from the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission, the Draft of Australia's First National Primary Health Care Strategy and its Primary Health Care Reform in Australia Report.
05/11/2009The Hon Nicola Roxon MP, Minister for Health and Ageing, Midwives/Nurse Practitioner Amendment
The Minister for Health and Ageing, Nicola Roxon has circulated an amendment the Government intends to introduce into the Health Legislation (Midwives and Nurse Practitioners) Bill and the Midwife Professional Indemnity (Commonwealth Contribution) Scheme Bill.
22/10/2009RACGP briefing to members on "Australia: the Healthiest Country by 2020"
The Government's National Preventative Health Taskforce aims to make Australia the healthiest country worldwide by 2020. The RACGP supports proposed initiatives aimed at educating young Australians on health related issues, and strategies aimed at lower socio-economic groups and indigenous Australians.
01/10/2009The Hon Nicola Roxon MP, Minister for Health and Ageing, Address to the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners National Conference
Thank you for having me here at your annual conference, and for giving me the opportunity to address the leaders of Australia’s General Practice community.
11/09/2009RACGP Briefing to Members on "A Draft Primary Health Care Strategy"
The draft National Primary Health Care Strategy report, Primary Health Care Reform in Australia, is largely positive for general practice. Core to the report is the recognition that general practice and primary health care are integral to the future Australian health care system.
28/08/2009RACGP fact sheet for: Non-medical practitioner access to MBS and PBS
The Federal Government is proposing changes to the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) that would allow independent nurses practitioners and midwives to prescribe medicines and refer patients.
24/07/2009RACGP submission to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare: Towards national indicators of safety and quality in health care
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has been funded by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care to develop national indicators of safety and quality in health care for Australia. This RACGP submission presents comments for the AIHW on its discussion paper "Towards national indicators of safety and quality in health care".
17/07/2009National Registration and Accreditation Scheme: Response to Exposure Draft of Bill B
A submission was made in response to the National Health Workforce Taskforce's (NHWT) call for submissions in relation to the exposure draft of the "Health Practitioner Regulation National Law" legislation (alternatively known as "Bill B").
18/05/2009RACGP response to AHWMC Communique of 8 May 2009 regarding proposed National Registration arrangements and proposed Accreditation arrangements
This submission was made in response to the Australian Health Workforce Ministerial Council's (AHWMC) communiqué of 8 May 2009 regarding the design of the proposed national registration and accreditation scheme.
30/04/2009RACGP submission to the 'Senate inquiry into national registration and accreditation'
The RACGP made a submission to the ‘Inquiry into National Registration and Accreditation Scheme for Doctors and Other Health Workers’, which is being conducted by the Senate Community Affairs Committee. While the RACGP supports, in principle, the implementation of a national registration scheme for health care professionals, the college has a number of concerns about the current Council of Australian Government (CoAG) proposals, the consultation process and the implementation process.
03/04/2009The RACGP response to NHWT’s “Health education and training: clinical training – governance and organisation” discussion paper
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) welcomes the opportunity to contribute to discussion regarding proposals for a national body responsible for clinical placement and training.
07/03/2009RACGP response to the recommendation of the Maternity Services Review
The RACGP is committed to ensuring high quality maternity services in Australia and believes that general practice is ideally placed to play an active role in pregnancy care.
04/03/2009National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission Interim Report
The RACGP welcomes the National Health and Hospital Reform Commission's strategic intent and directions, notably building the health system around primary health care, achieving greater equity, and emphasising comprehensive support in the early years.
27/02/2009RACGP response to government discussion paper titled “Towards a National Primary Health Care Strategy”
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) welcomes the opportunity to continue to contribute to discussion regarding the National Primary Health Care Strategy. The College congratulates and supports the government in its ongoing efforts to maintain a highly qualified and skilled healthcare workforce.
20/02/2009Initial RACGP briefing to members on the Interim Report of December 2008 from the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission
The College has provided ten submissions, available at www.racgp.org.au/reports, over the past six months on government health reform issues.
13/02/2009Response to CoAG’s “Proposed arrangements for specialists within the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme for the Health Professions” consultation paper
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) welcomes the opportunity to continue to contribute to the two separate discussions regarding proposals for medical and allied health professionals.
24/12/2008RACGP response to National Preventative Health Taskforce Discussion Paper: Australia, the healthiest country by 2020
Australia’s general practitioners stand ready to support a concerted campaign in prevention. General practitioners provide the majority of the 96 million non specialist services paid by Medicare each year (BEACH 2006). Many of these consultations provide an opportunity to address care requirements as well as “helping people to become more self reliant and better able to make the best choices to manage their own health needs”.
23/12/2008Response to CoAG's "Other matters for inclusion in Bill B" consultation paper
The RACGP continues to support the concept of a national registration system that will allow for greater workforce mobility and flexibility throughout Australia. However, the proposed CoAG model for national registration remains unnecessarily complex with a number of components, including accreditation, which are not related to the implementation of a national registration scheme.
19/12/2008RACGP Response to CoAG's "National Registration and Accreditation Scheme: proposed arrangements for information sharing and privacy"
Discussion within this submission is made in response to the information contained in the CoAG Consultation Paper entitled 'Proposed arrangements for information sharing and privacy'.
19/12/2008Response to CoAG's "National Registration and Accreditation Scheme: proposed arrangements for accreditation"
The college acknowledges the difficulties associated with the implementation of a national system for accreditation, including issues regarding the variations between health professions nationally.
21/11/2008RACGP Response to CoAG consultation paper regarding the proposed complaint arrangements
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) welcomes the opportunity to continue to contribute to discussion regarding the implementation of a national registration system for medical and allied health professionals. The RACGP congratulates and supports the government in its ongoing efforts to maintain a highly qualified and skilled health care workforce.
31/10/2008RACGP Response to improving maternity services in Australia
The RACGP supports review of Australia's maternity services with a view to ensure access to safe, high quality care to women before, during and after birth.
29/10/2008Response to consultation paper regarding proposed registration arrangements
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) welcomes the opportunity to continue to contribute to discussion regarding the implementation of a national registration system for medical and allied health professionals. The RACGP congratulates and supports the government in its ongoing efforts to maintain a highly qualified and skilled health care workforce.
05/09/2008The RACGP response to CoAG national registration and accreditation proposals
The Council of Australian Governments (CoAG), at its meeting on 14 July 2006, agreed to establish a single national registration and accreditation scheme for health professionals for implementation on 1 July 2010. The RACGP has provided input throughout the development process, and this week has provided comment following a recent consultation document issued by the Practitioner Regulation Subcommittee (on behalf of the Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council) regarding issues supplementary to the COAG Intergovernmental Agreement.
29/08/2008The improvement of general practice primary care services. Submission to the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (the RACGP/College) is pleased to have the opportunity to make a submission to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health and Ageing Inquiry into Health Funding.
