Can I register in both components of the grants program?

Yes, providing you meet the eligibility criteria for both types of grants.

Do I have to be an RACGP member to register in the program?

No. Non-college members can register.

Do grants program participants have to be vocationally registered?

No.

Is there a minimum amount of time per year a GP locum must complete in rural and remote services to be eligible for a procedural grant?

Yes. Locums need to complete a minimum of 28 days locum work per financial year.

Does a GP locum have to be based in MMM3-7 to be eligible for the program?

No, they can be based in any geographic location, including urban settings. They do need to be able to show, however, that they deliver locums in MMM3-7 locations in order to be eligible for registration.

Rural locums must obtain clinical privileges in at least one hospital/local health service in the region they are providing the locum services to be eligible for the program.

Rural locums will be deemed eligible for the program if they are VR GPs, have already obtained the relevant emergency medicine skills and undertake a minimum of 28 days of locum work per financial year within MMM 3-7 locations.

The period of locum work needs to be undertaken prior to lodging a claim for payment for eligible training under the program. Training can occur at any time during the relevant financial year, including prior to the completion of the period of locum work.

Can I access a grant to acquire skills to become credentialed in the disciplines targeted by the grants program?

No. Grants are only available for the maintenance or updating of existing skills not the initial acquisition of skills.

Can GP registrars apply for emergency medicine grants?

Only GP Registrars who have completed the curriculum and assessment requirements for a 12 month Advanced Rural Skills Post in emergency medicine and attained independent, unsupervised rights to practise emergency medicine would qualify.

Would a GP who has admitting rights to a hospital without an accident and emergency facility, but who deals with emergencies in the course of admitting and caring for their patients, be eligible for the grants program?

No. A GP must be providing emergency services in an accident and emergency facility which is available for 24 hours triaging (hospital or other appropriately equipped facility). In some remote communities, doctors who provided remote triage and retrieval would be eligible.

Who is ineligible for the emergency medicine component?

• GPs seeking to attend training to attain skills in emergency medicine;
• Doctors only performing emergency medical services, such as suturing of small wounds, x-ray, assessment and treatment of unscheduled presentations, in a medical practice treatment room or at an attached outpatients clinic;
• Doctors providing less acute mental health consultations in practice rooms or in planned appointment consultations at an outpatient clinic attached to a hospital or health care service delivery facility.

Am I eligible for the emergency mental health grants offered under the RPGP?

GPs practising emergency medicine and who are responsible for providing emergency mental health services or crisis intervention in an emergency department, will be eligible to claim grants for attending eligible CPD activities in emergency mental health.

How do I confirm my ongoing eligibility for the program?

You must advise the RACGP of any changes to your eligibility status and provide updated documentary evidence to confirm your ongoing eligibility for the program.

Are the procedural grants tax-free?

Grant payments are not subject to GST or PAYG documentation. However, recipients are encouraged to seek advice from their accountants on the taxation status of this funding.

How do RPGP grant allocations work?

By financial year. Your grant allocations start on the 1^st of July each year. Claims are paid according to the date of training and will be deducted from the grant allocation for the financial year in which the training takes place. Grant allocations do not roll over to the next financial year if they are not used.

You can claim for the current financial year and the previous financial year but nothing prior to that. There is a cut-off date two weeks prior to the end of the financial year for claims to be approved for the preceding financial year. Current financial claims can be put in at any time.

Am I eligible for the RPGP if I am already receiving government funding for training?

No, GPs that are participating in a training program where direct financial support is provided by the Commonwealth or State and Territory governments are not eligible for the RPGP.

Am I eligible for the RPGP if I hold another specialty?

If you hold fellowship of a non-GP specialist college such as FACEM or FANZCA you are excluded from the RPGP, even if you are also a GP.

What is the MMM classification system?

RPGP is available to you if you work in an MMM 3 to MMM 7 region (alongside other eligibility criteria). This generally means working in a rural community with a population of less than 50,000. A full description of the MMM classifications is available on the the Department of Health website.

If a Supervised Clinical Attachment (SCA) involves 60 hours over 9 days, what is the size of the grant?

While the activity involves enough hours for a 10 day grant, the GP only attended on 9 days, so this qualifies for a 9 day grant.

If a Supervised Clinical Attachment (SCA) involves 12 hours over 3 days, what is the size of the grant?

As the GP only completed 12 hours even though he /she attended on 3 occasions, this activity qualifies for a 2 day grant. 

Who assesses the eligibility of educational activities?

The RACGP assesses the eligibility of training for inclusion in the program.

What educational activities can I claim?

Eligible CPD activities must meet the following criteria:

• be for skills maintenance and/or skills enhancement;
• can be both formal (e.g. courses) and informal (e.g. clinical attachments) delivery modes;
• include a (physical) face to face component to assess the practical skills of the relevant course;
• assessed by the GP Colleges as meeting the required academic, practical/clinical standards of CPD, training and education, as well as being of sufficient length (time/hours);
• must be related to the relevant program discipline which is being claimed under; and
• all courses, workshops, seminars, conferences or clinical attachments must be a minimum of six hours of procedural upskilling contact time (excludes breaks, etc.). Online courses should have a minimum of four hours of in-person training delivery.

Only CPD activities conducted in Australia are eligible.

What type of training is eligible for the new emergency mental health grants offered under the RPGP?

The emergency mental health provision is considered as:

Acute inpatient mental health services provide voluntary and in-voluntary short-term in-patient management and treatment during an acute phase of mental illness, until the person has recovered enough to be treated effectively and safely in the community. These services are located within acute general hospitals.

Mental health centres often have emergency walk-in services or a mobile crisis unit with clinical staff able make an on-site evaluation of a person’s condition. The purpose of both is to deescalate, stabilize the individual and determine the next steps.

The priority of crisis intervention and counselling is to hasten the process of and achieve stabilization. Crisis interventions must be applied at the spur of the moment and in a variety of settings, as trauma can arise instantaneously.

Eligible training options could include:

• The assessment and management of the aggressive patient including psychiatric assessment and care
• Differential diagnosis of mental health
• Drug-induced and medical issues
• Sedation and post-sedation care
• Appropriate disposition of patients who display aggressive behaviour and those with mental health disorders
• Include the implications and summary of the new Mental Health Act.
• Rapid Treatment of Agitation
• Restraint and Seclusion Use
• Evaluation of Medical Comorbidities
• Implementation of Observation Units
• Active Treatment for Substance Intoxication or Withdrawal
• Improved Coordination and Communication around Disposition

Can I claim for activities which have not received CPD accreditation?

Yes. Please submit a program of activity and a certificate of attendance with your claim form.

If you would like CPD points for your training activity please upload your information on your RACGP profile or contact the RACGP CPD team in your state.

What online educational activities I can claim?

Only available until 31/12/2023.