August 2015

I am pleased to announce the RACGP 58th Council will be joined by two new Faculty Chairs. From 22 September Dr Bastian Seidel will assume the role of Chair of the Tasmania Faculty and Dr Edwin Kruys as Chair of the Queensland Faculty. Both Bastian and Edwin are outstanding representatives for the general practice profession. They share a common passion for advocacy and social media engagement. I am equally pleased to advise that A/Prof Morton Rawlin has been re-elected as Chair of the Victoria Faculty. Bastian has been heavily involved in the work o...

The RACGP has announced the five winners of its Facebook ‘Win a trip to GP15’  photo sharing competition . RACGP member medical students, interns, PGY2–3 doctors or GP registrars considering or currently working towards a career in general practice were invited to submit a photo demonstrating 'how general practice fits into your daily life'. We received 95 fantastic entries and are delighted to  announce our winners  Jessie Ling, Katie Drewett, Danielle Todd, Lawrence Ling and Benjamin Whittaker who will be joining us at GP15 in Melbourne next month.

Members are advised that due to a cease in government funding for the  Emergency Response Planning Tool  (ERPT), this service will no longer be available free of charge. Practices can still access the ERPT through a paid subscription, supported by software developer HealthPoint. The RACGP would like to clarify that use of ERPT is not required for the purpose of accreditation, however it is a user-friendly tool practices can use to fulfil their disaster management planning accreditation requirement.

The Care Coordination and Supplementary Services program is part of the Department of Health’s Indigenous Australians’ Health Programme (established in July 2014), formerly known as the Indigenous Chronic Disease Package. GPs can refer their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients to the program as long as their practice is participating in the Practice Incentives Program (PIP), and can access the Indigenous Health Incentive. Primary Health Networks (PHNs) are the facilitators of the Care Coordination and Supplementary Services program. PHNs...

The RACGP has received an overwhelming show of enthusiasm from members to become critical components of the seven  RACGP Expert Committees  (RECs), formerly known as the National Standing Committees. These committees are the ‘think tanks’ of our college and the quality of applicants reflects our increased sense of purpose and collegiality. The seven RECs are: Pre Fellowship Education, Post Fellowship Education, Quality Care, Research, General Practice Advocacy and Funding, eHealth and Practice Systems, and Standards for General Practices. RECs form...

The RACGP has launched a consultation process for the Competency Profile of the Australian general practitioner at the point of Fellowship. The consultation aims to ensure the Competency Profile accurately describes the skills and knowledge that a GP obtaining Fellowship should possess. All stakeholders are invited to comment and provide input on the Competency Profile and can do so by visiting the  RACGP website . Comments and suggestions will be considered and, where appropriate, incorporated into the final version of the Competency Profile to be ...

From 1 October 2015, the  18th edition of Medicines Australia’s  Code of Conduct  will require payments made to healthcare professionals from pharmaceutical companies be disclosed online to the public for the first time. Medicines Australia has developed a  series of FAQs and a fact sheet  to assist GPs with these changes. The new Code requires member companies from Medicines Australia to report when a company pays a healthcare professional for their service, or provides financial support for a healthcare professional to engage in education, includ...

Falls are the second leading cause of accidental or unintentional injury deaths worldwide. The risk of falls increases as you age, with approximately 30% of people in the community over the age of 65 experiencing a fall annually. Around 10% of falls in those over the age of 65 result in a fracture. Physical activity has shown to be the most promising falls prevention strategy. Multiple-component exercise programs focusing on balance retraining and muscle strengthening can reduce fall risk and increase the time before a person falls for the first tim...