Closed: 18 March 2016
The number of Medical Deputising Services (MDS) and dedicated after-hours services operating across Australia have increased significantly in recent years. It appears that the increase in the number of MDS and after-hours services has been driven by a number of factors:
- Medicare Locals administering after-hours funding in 2012 and subsequent changes to the RACGP Standards, allowing GPs to opt out of providing and/or organising 24/7 patient care
- difficulties in attracting GPs to work unsociable hours and difficulties in securing appropriate support and financial incentives
- other factors impacting the sustainability and viability of general practice (rebate freeze, inadequate support).
General practice has a long history of working with after-hours services. However, there have recently been concerns raised by RACGP Members regarding some after-hours services currently operating across Australia.
To date, particular concerns raised by RACGP Members include:
- fragmentation of care when there is no link to an established GP or practice
- the lack of infrastructure within some of these services which does not support the provision of quality care
- the aggressive approach to advertising that some services undertake, highlighting an entrepreneurial type of business model (making these services more appealing to patients)
- the increase in the use of after-hours patient rebates, and urgent after-hours items.
The RACGP Expert Committee – General Practice Advocacy and Funding (REC-GPAF) is currently considering the impacts of after-hours services on the provision of quality primary healthcare after-hours services in Australia.
To progress this work the REC-GPAF is seeking feedback regarding these types of services from the broader RACGP Membership.
All comments and feedback received will be used to ensure the RACGP is best placed to represent the views of the profession in its future advocacy work.
*Citations available upon request.