Flexible Funds Policy

1. Purpose

The Australian Government has provided an additional pool of flexible funding to the RACGP to support supervisors, training sites and registrars on the Australian General Practice Training (AGPT) Program.

This policy defines the principles, requirements and application of the RACGP’s use of Flexible Funds across Australia that is consistent with the business rules set out in the National Consistent Payments (NCP) Framework.

2. Scope

2.1 This policy applies to:

i. Registrars in the RACGP AGPT Program who are engaged in a Community General Practice Training Term (excluding Extension Awaiting Fellowship) or an Additional Rural Skills Training (ARST) term

ii. RACGP-accredited Supervisors who are engaged in the Supervision of an AGPT Registrar in Community General Practice Training Terms

iii. Practice Managers who are working in an RACGP-accredited community general practice

iv. RACGP-accredited Supervisors and Registrars who are engaged in an RACGP-approved AGPT Remote Supervision placement

v. Accredited Training Sites

2.2 This policy applies to the following payment types:

i. Supervisor professional development payments (refer to Schedule 1)

ii. Remote Supervision payments (refer to Schedule 2)

iii. Registrar financial support for Incentivised Placements (refer to Schedule 3)

iv. Registrar financial support for Additional Rural Skills Training (refer to Schedule 4)

v. Registrar travel to mandatory out of practice education workshops (refer to Schedule 5)

vi. Practice Manager travel to attend RACGP professional development events (refer to Schedule 5)

vii. Supervisor travel to attend RACGP Supervisor professional development events (refer to Schedule 5)

3. General principles

3.1 This policy is subject to the RACGP receiving flexible funding from the Australian Government for the AGPT Program.

3.2 The payments will be made to the claimant's nominated bank account. It is the responsibility of the claimant to ensure their account details are up to date in the Training Management System (TMS).

3.3 The RACGP is not liable for the recovery of payments made to incorrect accounts.

3.4 It is the responsibility of claimants to ensure that any claims submitted are correctly completed, signed and supported by the required evidence.

3.5 Accessing Flexible Funds payments does not exclude access to existing NCP entitlements and other RACGP claimable items.

3.6 All payments and claims will be paid:

i. in accordance with the relevant schedule

ii. for activities that relate to the current training semester

3.7 Payments and claims will not be paid:

i. where a claim for the same activity has already been paid by an alternative entity

ii. for retrospective semesters

4. Supervisor professional development payments

Details of the Supervisor professional development payments are outlined in Schedule 1.

4.1 New Supervisors who meet the following criteria are eligible for supervisor professional development payments:

i. have applied to become accredited as per the Accreditation Policy,

ii. have completed the Foundations of a GP Supervision Program modules as per Schedule 1, and

iii. are in an Accredited Training Site.

4.2 Accredited Training Sites supervising at least one Eligible Registrar and Training Sites in an Incentivised Location will receive a Supervisor professional development stipend each semester to support attendance at professional development activities as per Schedule 1.

i. Training Sites determine who will attend the Supervisor professional development and how the stipend is distributed among the Supervisors.

4.3 Supervisors located in MM 2–7, per the Modified Monash Model, or working in an Incentivised Location without an Eligible Registrar can claim for the travel costs associated with attending RACGP face-to-face supervisor professional development as per Schedule 5.

5. Remote supervision payments

Details of the Remote Supervisor professional development payments are outlined in Schedule 1.

Details of the Supervision payments are outlined in Schedule 2.

5.1 New Remote Supervisors who meet the following criteria are eligible for remote supervisor professional development payments:

i. have applied to become accredited as per the Accreditation Policy,

ii. have completed the Foundations of a GP Supervision Program modules as per Schedule 1,

iii. have completed the Remote Supervision in GP Training module, and

iv. are in an Accredited Training Site

5.2 Remote Supervision payments are payable to the Supervisor who is providing remote (offsite) Supervision to Registrars in GPT2, GPT3, or Extended Skills Training terms undertaking an approved Remote Supervision placement.

6. Registrar financial support for incentivised placements

Details of the Registrar financial support for Incentivised Placements are outlined in Schedule 3.

Information relating to travel claims can be found in Schedule 5.

6.1 Financial support for Incentivised Placements can be claimed by Registrars who:

i. are undertaking a term in community general practice (excluding Extension Awaiting Fellowship) in a GP Catchment or Training Site that has been identified as an Incentivised Placement, and

ii. reside within the same GP Catchment (or an adjoining GP Catchment), for a minimum of three nights in a calendar week, or within 80kms of the placement or are working in an identified Unique Training Location where residing in the GP Catchment is not suitable.

6.2 Reimbursement claims for expenditure incurred can be submitted for the following:

i. relocation costs,

ii. housing rental assistance,

iii. placement childcare and education costs,

iv. additional relevant training (eg X-ray courses),

v. travel for personal health care or wellbeing (respite), and

vi. internet connectivity.

7. Registrar financial support for additional rural skills training

Details of the Additional Rural Skills Training payments are outlined in Schedule 4.

7.1 Financial support for Registrars can be claimed by Registrars who are:

i. enrolled in Rural Generalist training,

ii. undertaking Additional Rural Skills Training, and

iii. have not claimed an Additional Rural Skills Training financial support payment during training in any location.

8. Registrar travel to mandatory out of practice education 

Details of the Registrar travel payments to mandatory out of practice education are outlined in Schedule 5.

8.1 Travel can be claimed by Registrars attending mandatory out of practice education workshops who are:

i. in a GPT1, GPT2 or GPT3 term, and

ii. training in an MM 2–7 location.

9. Practice manager travel to attend RACGP professional development events

9.1 Details of the Practice Manager travel payments for professional development are outlined in Schedule 5.

9.2 Practice Managers located in MM 2–7 or working in an Incentivised Location without an Eligible Registrar, can claim for the travel costs associated with attending RACGP face-to-face professional development events.

10. Amendment of this policy

The Chief Education and Training Officer (CETO) may, without the consent of the RACGP Board, make Minor, Moderate and Consequential Amendments to this policy at any time.

If the CETO makes amendments, they must advise the RACGP Board of those amendments as soon as practicable.

The CEO may make amendments to this policy at any time.

All amendments must be communicated to the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing as soon as practicable.

11. Responsibilities

11.1 CEO	Approving Major Amendments
11.2 Chief Education and Training Officer	Approving Minor Amendments Approving Moderate Amendments Approving Consequential Amendments
11.3 National Planner, GP Training Workforce	Annually reviewing this policy and confirming the incentivised locations for registrar support payments
11.4 Program Support Officers and Training Coordinators	Liaising with registrars, supervisors and practice managers affected by this policy Supporting stakeholders with access to paperwork and questions about policy requirements and scope Providing advice of incomplete information Accessing and recommending applications that meet all criteria for approval Providing advice to registrars, supervisors and practice managers whose applications do not meet criteria
11.5 Regional Director of Training	Identifying mandatory educational release activity
11.6 Regional Operations Manager	Approving or declining applications for payments
11.7 Registrar	Submitting applications for registrar support payments for identified incentivised placements to the RACGP on the correct form, including all relevant supporting documentation Ensuring the application form is completed in full and signed Responding to requests for additional information from the RACGP
11.8 Training site	Ensuring the bank details provided in the TMS are correct Ensuring supervisor professional development stipend payments are distributed to supervisors proportional to their participation in supervisor professional development activities Responding to requests for additional information from the RACGP