May 2015

Homeopathy came under the spotlight earlier this year following National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) findings that showed there are no health conditions for which there is reliable evidence that the therapy is an effective treatment. With interest in alternative therapies continuing to grow in Australia, the RACGP has developed a  position statement on homeopathy . The statement maintains there is robust evidence that homeopathy has no effect beyond a placebo. In the absence of evidence of any health benefits, doctors should not pre...

Time is running out to voice your opinion on the RACGP’s  vision for a sustainable health system , a bold new primary healthcare funding model to better look after the health of Australians and tackle rising health costs. Designed to meet the needs of patients, GPs and governments, the RACGP’s vision sets out a way to better support the delivery of quality, sustainable and effective patient healthcare. The RACGP welcomes feedback on the model from the public and other stakeholders. All comments received will inform the ongoing development and refin...

Australians are living longer often with multiple chronic conditions and most die expected, rather than sudden, deaths. Despite this, the majority of older people still die in hospital when they would have preferred to die at home.   GPs are the primary healthcare providers for older patients and face new and complex clinical challenges as they try to deliver the right care in the right place at the right time. To help GPs care for these patients, the RACGP has collaborated with  Australian and New Zealand Society of Palliative Medicine (ANZSPM)  –...

The recent  2015–16 budget  saw the Federal Government commit to the re-establishment of the Practice Incentives Programme (PIP) after-hours funding, with a goal to boost after-hours care options for Australians. The new PIP for after-hours was a key recommendation of the  After Hours Primary Health Care Review , which reviewed after-hours arrangements and made recommendations to increase uptake and support for practices delivering after-hours services. The revamped model has five tiers available to eligible general practices registered for the PIP...

As Australia’s largest professional general practice organisation representing urban, regional, rural and remote GPs, the RACGP continues to play an important role setting the professional standards for general practice in Australia. During a time of much change in general practice and primary healthcare, our membership community has continuously urged the RACGP to build upon its advocacy efforts and leadership of the general practice profession. Earlier this year the RACGP commenced work on a community awareness campaign designed to improve the un...

The availability of effective palliative care services is a significant issue facing Australia’s healthcare system and is being highlighted as part of  National Palliative Care Week  which began on Sunday. Run by Palliative Care Australia, this year’s theme –  Dying to talk; talking about dying won’t kill you –  encourages Australians to talk about death so that loved ones know what their wishes are and the type of care they want. To coincide with the week, the RACGP’s National Rural Faculty (NRF) released  results of a member survey  examining the ...

This week the Federal Government announced changes to the GP Rural Incentives Program (GPRIP), which is designed to attract GPs to rural and remote areas of Australia. The changes will see money redirected away from larger towns to smaller towns and will mean that the new GP rural incentive payment will no longer be available to doctors working in 14 regional cities with a population of more than 50,000. Under the changes, the highest incentive paid to work in remote Australia will increase from $47,000 to $60,000 a year and the maximum incentive t...

As part of Choosing Wisely Australia, the RACGP recently released its top five tests, treatments and procedures that should be questioned by GPs and their patients, and decided to look at each of these in detail as a Clinical Pearl. Major risk factors for vascular disease include older age, male gender, hypertension, smoking, dyslipidaemia and diabetes. Calculators using cardiovascular risk factors are widely available to determine a patient's individual risk for a vascular event. The additional information obtained by screening asymptomatic adults ...