17 June 2016


RACGP presidential and member forum

Last night I participated in two new and innovative RACGP events: an active member forum for dialogue around RACGP and general practice issues aimed specifically at increasing member engagement, and a presidential candidate’s Q and A session.

Both sessions were well attended and well received, providing necessary and timely member input, and I look forward to sharing the recordings of these events with you next week.

The concept of a member forum was developed directly from member feedback as a way forward for the RACGP to increase engagement with members who are not currently on faculty boards, to be able to discuss emerging topics and important issues shaping the future of general practice.

There was an entertaining and deliberatively provocative panel discussion with audience participation around two urgent topics – funding for general practice and growing concerns around antimicrobial stewardship.

With the federal election just two weeks away, questions about funding for primary health and the future of Medicare were top of the list!

This was also an opportunity for the presidential candidates to make their case and outline their vision for the RACGP over the next two years, supplemented by a Q and A session.

The president is the key public figure and spokesperson for the RACGP and its Council, and has an essential role in engagement with members and critical stakeholders, which includes the highest levels of government.

I urge members to cast their vote for this important leadership role for our college. Voting details are below.

The forums will be available next week on the RACGP website.

Dr Frank R Jones 
RACGP President


RACGP elections

All eligible RACGP members are encouraged to take a strong interest in the Council election by visiting the RACGP website to read each candidate’s statement and supporting documentation. 

Voting for these positions will close Monday 27 June 2016, 4.00 pm AEST.  All eligible RACGP members should have received their voting details, including a unique, random password and a link to a secure external voting website. 

Please contact the Australian Election Company on 1800 224 420 or via email help@austelect.com for assistance. 

The faculty board nominations have now closed. RACGP members will shortly receive notifications about the faculty elections process, including those elected and those going to ballot. For those regions, the ballots open 9.00 am (local time) on Monday 20 June 2016 and continue until 5.00 pm on (local time) on Sunday 3 July. Please remember to vote to provide your voice toward your faculty representatives.


Convocation submissions open for one more week

The RACGP is still accepting submissions for Convocation to be held on Friday 30 September at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre at GP16.

Convocation is an opportunity for RACGP members to raise matters of importance with other members and inform Council about issues GPs consider important. Resolutions passed by Convocation are not binding on Council, however all items passed by Convocation will be considered.

Submissions close on Friday 24 June. Members will then have the opportunity to vote and make comments on the submissions made between Monday 1 August and Friday 19 August.


REC-GPAF meeting outcomes

The RACGP Expert Committee – General Practice Advocacy and Funding (REC-GPAF) met in early June and discussed a range of issues facing general practice, including measures announced in the May federal budget, the 2016 federal election and the future landscape of general practice funding.

As the committee responsible for recommending RACGP advocacy strategies to RACGP Council, REC-GPAF has played a key role in guiding the RACGP’s efforts during the 2016 federal election. REC-GPAF is also leading work on a project piloting new approaches for the RACGP to support general practice advocacy and engagement networks at a local or regional level.


Explanatory governance material released

Council considers the preferred governance model will provide you with both structural and membership benefits.

The model enables a broader distribution of member involvement by providing specialised bodies for different tasks. It delegates to decision makers with relevant skills and experiences, distributes workloads and speeds up delivery. Further, it mitigates the directors’ legal and governance risks inherent in the current structure, providing a purpose built representative body (Council), and a skills based overview body (Board).

Council is listening to your feedback and is keen for your participation. The materials are available for review on the RACGP website.


WONCA officer nominations close 30 June

The World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA) is calling for nominations for officers to be elected at the organisation’s World Council Meeting to be held from 30 October – 1 November in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

There are five positions up for election, one Young Doctor Representative of Executive Committee, three Members at Large of the Executive Committee, and the President-Elect. All nominations must be received no later than 30 June 2016. 

For more details contact manager@wonca.com.sg


Clinical Pearl

Financial abuse of the elderly

World Elder Abuse Day (15 June) is a timely reminder of the pivotal role of GPs in the recognition, assessment, understanding and management of elder abuse and neglect. 

GPs are often the first independent professional to see an elderly victim of abuse. However, a lack of awareness as well as time constraints can hinder a GP’s effectiveness in identifying and addressing cases of abuse.

When your older patients can’t afford to purchase medication or food for an adequate diet, consider financial abuse. This and other signs of abuse tend to happen as older people loose functional capacity. Other predisposing factors to abuse are dependency caused by dementia, mental illness, stroke, sensory impairment, or intellectual impairment.

For possible signs and symptoms of elder abuse, see Table 15 of the Elder abuse section of the RACGP White Book or watch the webinar led by Dr Libby Hindmarsh and Professor Sue Kurrle on this issue.


In Practice poll

What proportion of your patients are bulk billed for the services you provide?

There has been interest recently in the reported bulk billing rate of 83% for general practice services. That rate has been used as a quasi-indicator of patient access to general practice services, and is currently being used to measure the impact of the indexation freeze on Medicare rebates.

However, it has been widely reported that this statistic is not an accurate reflection of the number of services bulk billed – let alone the number of patients who are bulk billed. We therefore invite you to participate in this poll to help the RACGP better understand the proportion of patients (as opposed to services) who are bulk. We therefore invite you to participate in this poll to help the RACGP better understand the proportion of patients (as opposed to services) who are bulk billed. The results of this poll will be used to contribute to the current debate on healthcare affordability and investment in primary healthcare services.


Media enquiries

Journalists and media outlets seeking comment and information from the RACGP should contact:

John Ronan

Senior Media Advisor