December 2014

Following extensive consultation and dialogue with its membership, the RACGP has strengthened its position on the Government’s revised co-payment model, calling for an immediate halt to any measures that jeopardise general practice services. The RACGP stands resolutely against the proposed $5 cut in the patient rebate and the freeze to rebates until 2018, deeming this proposal unacceptable. The RACGP is extending its advocacy efforts to encompass the Government’s recent announcement, and GPs are encouraged to visit the RACGP website and download a n...

As the year draws to a close, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all RACGP members and stakeholders for your continued support. The general practice profession has faced unprecedented challenges this year, but we have faced them head on, with resilience and integrity.   From the moment it was first rumoured in December last year, the RACGP has stood resolutely against the Government’s proposed co-payment model, calling for greater investment in primary healthcare. The RACGP lobbied and advocated on behalf of GPs and their patients, promo...

The RACGP recently updated its  Assessment of General Practice Experience Policy . Guidance about the comparability of specific general practice posts has been updated and is shown in Appendix 1. Applicants are advised that, from 1 January 2015, Australian Accredited Medical Deputising Services will typically be assessed as partially similar. A table summarising the comparability rating that may be assigned to a general practice post has also been added to Section 4.4, ‘Comparability of general practice experience posts’. The RACGP Board of Censors ...

Over the past three weeks,  In Practice  poll asked its readers about their motivation to seek accreditation against the RACGP’s  Standards for general practices  (4th edition) (the Standards). The results indicate that nearly half of respondents (49%) choose to become accredited so they can access support via the Practice Incentives Program (PIP). However, 41% of respondents reported that achieving excellence in quality patient care is the main driver for seeking accreditation against the Standards. A small percentage of respondents (8%) indicated ...

After careful consideration of the Department of Health’s (DoH)  Invitation To Apply  (ITA) and Grant Program Guidelines, released 29 November, the RACGP has published its  position statement on Primary Health Networks  (PHNs). The RACGP supports, in principle, primary healthcare organisations that recognise general practice as the foundation for a robust and effective primary healthcare sector. For PHNs to be a success, they must be GP-centred, responsive to community need, and deliver a coordination of, rather than provision of, services. The RACG...

RACGP representatives, including National Rural Faculty Chair Dr Ayman Shenouda, are attending a roundtable meeting of an Independent Expert Panel in Canberra today. The stakeholder meeting is one of the final consultations prior to the release of the Modified Monash Model (MMM), which was announced by Federal Assistant Minister for Health, Fiona Nash, in October and will re-shape the rural classification system of general practice for the future. The agenda for today’s meeting includes how the General Practice Rural Incentives Program (GPRIP) and co...

The RACGP invites members to provide feedback on the final documents of the draft General Practice Patient Charter, developed via its National Standards Committee – General Practice Advocacy and Support (NSC-GPAS). The Charter aims to provide general practices with a resource that supports quality patient care through the promotion of mutual understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the practice and the patient, and serves as a set of principles applicable to general practice settings nationally. The Charter supports the RACGP’s principle of ...

Clinical recommendations for pneumococcal and influenza vaccination are different for Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians. There are also differences in other preventive health recommendations, such as the age at which to start screening for cardiovascular disease. Some Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) medications, such as Mupirocin nasal ointment or anti-fungal medications, are available only to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients. It is therefore important that all patients are identified as ...