2016 Newsletters

Member engagement and consultation is always a core priority of the work of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP). There are more primary healthcare reviews than ever before and canvassing members’ opinions is vital to the ongoing advocacy work the RACGP does on your behalf. Your feedback over the past year has ensured the RACGP’s submissions on the  MBS Review ,  Primary Health Care Advisory Group  and  private health insurance , to name a few, have been reflective of member views. To enhance members’ involvement in RACGP ...

The Department of Health has released early advice on the 2016 National Immunisation Program (NIP)  influenza vaccine . Key features of the 2016 program: Influenza vaccines will be available from early April, subject to vaccination supply. Two age-specific quadrivalent influenza vaccines will be available to eligible people free of charge under the National Immunisation Program. Both quadrivalent influenza vaccines and trivalent influenza vaccines are available for purchase on the private market. State and territory health departments will del...

A  whooping cough booster  for children aged 18 months has been added to the NIP and will be available to vaccination providers from March. While there have been media reports regarding shortages of vaccines containing pertussis on the private market, the NIP has experienced is no shortage of these vaccines. The commencement of the program has been scheduled to ensure there are adequate supplies of the vaccine available for program roll-out. More information is available on the  Immunise Australia website .

As part of the Federal Government’s mental health reforms, announced in November 2015, Primary Health Networks (PHNs) will take on responsibility for the Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program (MHNIP) from 1 July. MHNIP funding will transition to the PHN primary mental health flexible funding pool in 2016–17. It will be quarantined in this first year and PHNs will be required to commission mental health nursing services from the current network of MHNIP providers. The emphasis will be on ensuring service continuity, however, mental health nurse fund...

New treatments for hepatitis C The new hepatitis C treatments made available this week present a fantastic opportunity to facilitate access to a successful cure for an estimated 230,000 people with the infection in Australia.  There is a requirement for specialist input, which can take the form of fax, phone or email, rather than formal consultation. GPs will need to establish consultation pathways with specialist colleagues. GPs should also inform patients that pharmacies may need extra time to supply the item. For health professionals involved i...

ePIP eligibility criteria Over the past three weeks, the RACGP has surveyed members’ views on whether they will upload shared health summaries to the My Health Record in order to continue to maintain their eHealth Practice Incentive Payment (ePIP) eligibility. While majority of respondents indicated they would upload shared health summaries to ensure their practice continues to receive ePIP payments, nearly half of all respondents (45%) said they would be doing so reluctantly, while a significant 19% of respondents said they will no longer particip...

This year marks the beginning of a new era in general practice training, with fewer providers covering larger regions in a tighter fiscal environment. The negotiations and decisions taken in 2015 were not easy, but foremost in the deliberations of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Council was stability for the general practice training system, as well as sustainability of the profession to maintain a quality primary healthcare system for all Australians.  The Fellowship of the RACGP (FRACGP) is established, respected and...

A new  rural medical training package  to support stronger health workforce outcomes was announced in the Federal Government’s December mid-year budget update. The $93.8m Integrated Rural Training Pipeline for Medicine shows a commitment to enabling integration through 30 new regional training hubs, a Rural Junior Doctor Training Innovation Fund and expansion of the Specialist Training Program. The second measure commits $131.2m to expand the  Rural Health Multidisciplinary Training Program  to include three new sites. Providing a much needed boost ...