January 2017

The RACGP extends sincere congratulations to all GPs acknowledged in the 2017 Australia Day Honours List. These 16 members have shown tireless dedication and commitment to primary healthcare and community wellbeing in Australia. Congratulations to: Member of the Order of Australia (AM) Dr Andrew Wright Dr Susan Downes Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) Dr Albert Foreman Dr Anne Ellacott Dr Cameron Bardsley Dr David Chen Dr George "Tony" Simpson Dr John Murray Flynn Dr John Terrence Flynn Dr Michael Armstrong Dr Mirza Datoo Dr Patr...

Inquiry into the complaints mechanism administered under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law The RACGP is interested in your feedback and experience regarding the complaints mechanism administered under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law. The Senate Community Affairs References Committee has announced an inquiry looking into the complaints mechanism administered under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, including the role of Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). The inquiry follows the  201...

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC), in collaboration with the RACGP, has developed the National General Practice Accreditation Scheme (the Scheme). The Scheme commenced 1 January 2017, and aims to: provide greater choice for practices seeking accreditation improve support programs for implementation of accreditation provide practices with access to national data on accreditation performance and enable benchmarking. Under the Scheme, general practices seeking accreditation must be assessed by an approved acc...

The Practice Incentives Program eHealth (ePIP) Incentive shared health summary (SHS) upload requirements must be achieved by 31 January 2017. Under the temporary amendment to the ePIP, general practices have been able to achieve their SHS upload requirements over a period of nine months rather than as three separate quarterly targets. This extension provided time to resolve any transitional issues and to allow practices that opted out of the first quarter an opportunity to meet the requirement and claim the incentive. Practices are encouraged to ta...

The RACGP Quality Improvement and Continuing Professional Development (QI&CPD) 2017–19 triennium commenced 1 January. The focus of the 2017–19 triennium is to encourage and facilitate reflective learning in order to help GPs identify opportunities that enhance their daily practice with changes that will improve patient safety and care. The 2017–19 triennium requires a minimum of 130 QI&CPD points, consisting of: one planning learning and need (PLAN) quality improvement activity one Category 1 activity one cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) act...

GP17 is your opportunity to present your research and findings to your general practice colleagues. The call for abstracts closes on 2 February 2017, so  submit your abstract now . Some of the benefits of presenting at GP17 include: raising your profile in the general practice community sharing your research and innovations presenting to your general practice colleagues networking with like-minded GPs, who share your interests. GP17 is your chance to collaborate and connect with colleagues and gain further insights into general practice. The...

Increase your knowledge, skills and confidence in managing life-threatening emergencies with the RACGP Clinical Emergency Management Program (CEMP). The one-day intermediate CEMP workshop (40 Category 1 QI&CPD points) includes CPR practice and assessment, as well as basic life support (BLS) and advanced life support (ALS). The two-day advanced workshop (80 Category 1 QI&CPD points) will enhance your adult trauma and paediatric emergency skills. Participants may be eligible for Rural Procedural Grants Program training grants of $2000 a day. Registr...

Be ‘sun smart’ this summer Primary prevention of skin cancer is being ‘sun smart’. Everyone, particularly children, should be advised to adopt protective measures when UV levels are three or above. These measures include use of shade; broad-brimmed, bucket or legionnaire-style hats; protective clothing; sunglasses; and sunscreens with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or higher. Sunscreen must be applied properly to provide skin protection. About two teaspoons of sunscreen are needed for the head, neck and arms. Ideally, it should be applied abou...