Health systems and environmental

Australia’s first national Principles on the role of general practitioners (GPs) in supporting work participation has been developed following extensive stakeholder consultation with GPs

RACGP Rural recognises that rural doctors and health teams provide high-quality care in regional, rural and remote Australia and continue to do so in a safe and reliable manner

RACGP is concerned that many IMGs see the current 10 Year Moratorium as discriminatory

The RACGP advocates for a more collaborative Council of Australian Governments (COAG) dialogue which places increased value on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector input

GPs should abide by legislative requirements and consider the impact of billing changes on their patients when determining their billing policy or model

All patients should have access to high-quality GP-led primary healthcare services, provided by a multidisciplinary general practice team, including nurse practitioners

An overview of RACGP commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Online prescription, referral and medical certificate service delivery models put doctors in the difficult position of making clinical decisions without an understanding of the patient’s medical history and social context

RACGP Rural is committed to ensuring GP-led community palliative care is prioritised in policy so that our members are well-placed and supported in meeting patient needs

RACGP urges renewed government effort to strengthen the capacity of ACCHSs to deliver best practice chronic disease management and preventive care to their communities

After-hours primary healthcare is defined as accessible and effective care for people whose health condition is urgent and cannot wait for treatment until regular services are next available

Despite strong rural GP participation across all settings, the frequency of service results showed a clear under utilisation of the local GP workforce, with limited patient reach in each setting outside of the practice

RACGP endorsement for the continuation and expansion of initiatives that reduce cost barriers for accessing medications and encourages further investigation into new strategies

The RACGP agrees that comprehensive, coordinated and effective surveillance of AMR and antimicrobial use is a national priority and that a unified and strategic approach to addressing the problem is necessary 

The RACGP does not accept any form of racism and strongly supports action to challenge racism within general practice and the broader healthcare system

Stronger commitment to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector to ensure future policy is shaped by those with the best knowledge and expertise to produce culturally appropriate targeted services

The RACGP NRF strongly opposes the use of Geographic Provider Numbers as a solution to general practice workforce maldistribution

The RACGP acknowledges the importance of protecting children from sexual exploitation and harm

The RACGP considers that any future accreditation model must retain the GP peer surveyor model as this is paramount to fostering genuine collaboration and sharing of experience amongst peers

The RACGP supports marriage equality and recognises the polarisation of communities and significant distress that a public vote on marriage equality has caused lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer RACGP members and patients

The healthcare of asylum seekers in detention, whether offshore, on-shore or community detention, should be of a standard commensurate with Australian standards of health

The RACGP recognises that in many rural and remote communities across Australia, GPs with advanced skill sets provide the only access to ongoing specialist medical services; emergency medicine, mental health, aged care, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, palliative care, anaesthesia, surgery and obstetrics

During the 2016 federal election campaign, the Government announced that a Rural Health Commissioner would be appointed in order to lead the development of a National Rural Generalist Pathway, and act as a champion for rural health issues

The RACGP recognises the value for GPs and their patients to have access to telehealth services

The RACGP recognises the importance of general practice research and is committed to its advancement

RACGP believes that the development of prevocational and vocational training opportunities for medical graduates should be a priority, along with efforts to increase the number of doctors working in rural and remote Australia; not the implementation of new health profession roles 

The RACGP’s commitment to research as a core aspect of general practice is reflected in the Mission of the College

The RACGP believes that GP-led multidisciplinary teams are well placed to provide whole-patient, comprehensive, coordinated, continuing primary healthcare to individuals, families and communities

The RACGP has significant concern with moves to expand the role of community pharmacies beyond their core role

The inclusion of the GPP role in a team-based model offers the opportunity for practices to increases their capacity to offer medication management and education services

The current process of prescribing medicinal cannabis products in Australia is highly bureaucratic, time consuming and expensive