In Practice newsletter
27 November 2015
Role of the GP undefined in mental health reform package
The Federal Government’s announcement of a new mental health reform package was greeted with enthusiasm by some health professionals.
However, for general practice, there remain many questions to be addressed to ensure continuity of quality mental health care for our patients.
The package will see money redirected from current services – including Access to Allied Psychological Services (ATAPS), Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centres (EPPIC), Headspace service delivery and the Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program (MHNIP) – and given to Australia’s 31 Primary Health Networks (PHNs) to commission to their local communities. Its aim is to provide more tailored and personalised care to meet each communities’ needs.
Health Minister Sussan Ley said the reform would be phased in over three years from early 2016-17, with initial trial sites identified in the current financial year (2015-16).
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) will be cautious in its response and will seek clarification on how exactly the reform will impact the way GPs currently assess and support patients with mental illness and how it will support the coordination of care through the patients’ usual GP.
GPs in local communities are frequently the first professionals consulted by people experiencing mental health issues. For these patients, they provide essential support services: making a diagnosis and assessing patient needs, and managing and coordinating patient care.
We all know how important our role can be for patients in distress, particularly in rural and remote communities where GPs may be the only health professional available to support patients with mental health concerns.
The Federal Government is yet to disclose how the interaction between front-line general practice and the PHNs will occur under this new system, or indeed, how the role of the GP sits within this new approach to care.
Many of the new initiatives announced by Minister Ley yesterday require further investigation, and I will keep RACGP members informed as discussions with the Government and PHNs are ongoing.
Dr Frank R Jones
RACGP President
Australian Atlas of Healthcare Variation released
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has cautiously welcomed a report on healthcare variation in Australia, while warning that it does not provide information on health outcomes.
The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care’s Australian Atlas of Healthcare Variation, launched by Health Minister Sussan Ley on Thursday 26 November, presents a picture of substantial variation in healthcare use across the country, in areas such as antibiotic prescribing, surgical, mental health and diagnostic services.
RACGP President Dr Frank R Jones said the atlas represented the beginning of a journey towards understanding healthcare variation in Australia and optimising health service delivery. However, it did not offer answers to the question of how that variation could affect health outcomes.
“We must remember that there can be many reasons for variation, such as socioeconomic factors, patient need, and issues of access. Indeed, variation is likely in many instances to be an appropriate response for particular failings in these areas,” Dr Jones said.
“As clinicians we must engage with this information to see how we can improve the care we deliver.”
Read the RACGP’s media release for more information.
Environmental impacts on general practice
The RACGP National Faculty of Specific Interests is pleased to announce the establishment of the Environmental Impacts in General Practice network.
The purpose of the network is to promote understanding of the impacts of climate change on health, and encourage debate and discussion among GPs on the health issues arising from this global phenomenon.
Governments and other policy makers tend to look at climate change in isolation. The objectives of the Environmental Impacts in General Practice network are to broaden the conversation and examine and promote the health co-benefits of good climate change policy, climate action and low carbon lifestyles. Even climate change sceptics will accept that more walking and cycling and less consumption of processed food will have positive health benefits.
Membership of NFSI networks is open and free to all RACGP members. For further information please visit the RACGP website or email nfsi@racgp.org.au.
The RACGP supports the People's Climate March, taking place across Australia this weekend to mark the eve of the United Nations Climate Summit in Paris. More information is available from Doctors for Climate Action, or by following the hashtag #DrsForClimateAction.
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