November 2014

The RACGP has expressed its support for any move away from the Government’s proposed co-payment model which, if implemented, would result in unprecedented pressure on the general practice profession and pose serious risk to patient health outcomes. These foreshadowed changes to the co-payment proposal send a positive signal that the Government has been receptive to concerns of the profession and the Australian community. The RACGP remains cautiously optimistic and looks forward to discussions on the future sustainability of general practice in enhan...

This week saw United General Practice Australia (UGPA), joined by Shadow Federal Health Minister, the Hon. Catherine King, convene in Canberra for the final meeting of 2014 with key areas of discussion focusing on general practice training and establishing tenders for the new Primary Health Networks (PHN). Conversation regarding GP training focused on the need for future training models to be college-governed and managed as the Government absorbs General Practice Education and Training (GPET) functions into the DoH. The direction of these discussion...

Efforts to Close the Gap were bolstered yesterday with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), formalising the partnership between the RACGP and the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO). The MoU was signed by RACGP President, Dr Frank R Jones and NACCHO Chairperson, Mr Matthew Cooke at the launch of the RACGP’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) at the RACGP National Office in Melbourne. The RACGP has worked in partnership with NACCHO for many years, lobbying for increased investment in Aboriginal and Torre...

The  RACGP Standards for general practices   (4th edition) (the Standards) were developed in close consultation with general practice stakeholders, and are designed to be a template for safe and high quality care in Australian general practice. An estimated 80% of Australian general practices use the Standards for accreditation, covering a range of areas including practice services, patient rights and needs, safety and quality, and practice management. To inform RACGP’s work in this area, the RACGP invites  InPractice  readers to provide feedbac...

It brings me great pleasure to announce the RACGP has initiated a Governance Review, stemming from a 2013 RACGP Convocation item.  The member-led Review is designed to deliver a future RACGP that represents and benefits all. The RACGP will engage with as many members as possible throughout 2015 to ensure all voices are heard and I encourage you to become involved in the many communication options that will be made available to you. A Presidential Taskforce has been established to oversee this consultation program, and webinar options will be made av...

United General Practice Australia (UGPA) is set to convene tomorrow in Canberra for its final meeting for 2014, with meeting outcomes to be communicated in Friday’s issue of  In Practice . These meetings provide general practice leaders with a valued opportunity to develop a shared vision for the profession, and UGPA is privileged to be joined by Shadow Federal Health Minister, the Hon. Catherine King, at tomorrow’s meeting. UGPA comprises of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), the Australian Medical Association (AMA), the...

As today’s White Ribbon Day 2014 increases awareness of the alarming prevalence of violence against women in Australia, the RACGP encourages all GPs to access its  Abuse and violence: working with our patients in general practice  (4th edition) guidelines (the White book) to ensure they are best placed to treat patients who report or present with symptoms of violence. The White book offers GPs accessible, evidence-based guidance to prevent, identify and address a broad range of abuse, including abuse of a physical, sexual, emotional or financial na...

In March 2014, the privacy law reform introduced 13 new Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) that cover the collection, use, disclosure and storage of personal information. A number of the APPs are significantly different from the previous principles, including  APP 8 – Cross-border disclosure of personal information . APP 8 outlines the steps that should be taken to protect personal information before it is disclosed to an overseas recipient. GPs must ensure that an overseas recipient will handle an individual’s personal information in accordance...