Nominations now open for the 2020 RACGP Awards
It’s time to celebrate the excellence in Australian general practice.
If you know an extraordinary GP, GP in training, supervisor, or general practice going above and beyond to improve their health of the community, nominate them for an RACGP Award today.
State-based awards:
- General Practitioner of the Year
- General Practice Supervisor of the Year
- General Practitioner in Training of the Year (formerly the General Practice Registrar of the Year)
- General Practice of the Year
National awards:
- Rose–Hunt Award
- Corlis Award
- Future Leaders President’s Medal
- Honorary Membership
- Honorary Fellowship
- Life Fellowship
Visit the RACGP website to nominate now.
If you have already started your nomination form, don’t forget to press ‘submit’ when it’s complete.
RACGP Foundation grant applications close Monday 1 June
In much the same way general practice underpins health of all Australians, quality research is the foundation upon which modern healthcare is built.
General practice research is essential to ensuring Australians are able to access high-quality and evidence-based primary healthcare.
The RACGP Foundation is delighted to offer more than $450,000 in general practice research funding to GPs and GPs in training throughout the country.
If you would like to make a difference to patient care and improving general practice, submit your application for a Foundation grant.
Online grant applications close on Monday 1 June 5.00 pm AEST. More information is available on the RACGP Foundation website.
Your RACGP membership matters
We are living in difficult times, but the RACGP is always here to support you.
When you receive your RACGP membership renewal email this week, consider the value of the RACGP as the voice for Australian GPs.
When patients were worried about seeing you face-to-face during COVID-19, we successfully lobbied for new Medicare rebates for video and phone consultations.
We secured personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies for you when you needed it most.
We listened to you and created a stronger, simpler and more seamless continuing professional development (CPD) process.
The RACGP will continue to always champion your interests through our advocacy. We support actions promoting a healthy profession and a healthy Australia. We set the standards for professional excellence and support our members with high-quality education, training, assessment and CPD.
Exclusive member benefits
As always, when you renew your membership you will have access to a range of online resources and tools to benefit your personal growth and wellbeing, as well as your general practice. This year you will also have access to an exclusive benefits pack that contains special offers above and beyond existing benefits, available for a limited time.
To discuss membership concerns or questions, please email the RACGP at membership@racgp.org.au or call us on 1880 472 217. You can also visit our new RACGP Membership webpage to find out more about why your RACGP membership is so important.
Online survey: Help develop a new resource for GPs and patients
The RACGP is developing an exciting new resource for GPs and patients, First Do No Harm: A guide to choosing wisely in general practice.
The new resource will include information on:
- causes of low-value care and how to best respond to these
- tests or treatments where some patients may be better off without the intervention.
Improvements in screening technology and broadening disease definitions are some of the reasons a patient may end up undertaking treatment for a condition that may never have caused them harm.
We have published a short survey to help develop this resource. We would appreciate if you could complete it to help provide some suggestions for what you would like to see in the content.
Complete the survey on the RACGP website. The survey will close on Friday 19 June 2020.
Business resilience and continuity during COVID-19
‘Business resilience and continuity during COVID-19’, a three-part webinar series to support GPs and GP practice owners, is now available to view on demand.
The series is hosted by Dr Todd Cameron and proudly supported by CommBank.
Episode one provides an overview of the current Australian economy, while episode two outlines strategies and plans to drive business in a COVID-19 environment. The final episode explores the cause and effect from the broader health system and its impacts on GPs, as well as the importance of building business resilience.
Watch the series on demand via the RACGP now.
Webinar: How to boost the health of your practice with stimulus measures
To assist in making the lead up to 30 June as smooth as possible for practice owners, BOQ Specialist is hosting a webinar that will explain the two key tax concessions from the Federal Government’s recent stimulus package – the instant asset write-off scheme and the backing business investment incentive.
William Buck will also be available for an interactive Q&A session in which you will have the opportunity to ask questions about to best manage your practice’s cash flow and prepare for tax time.
Thursday 4 June 2020 7.00–8.00 pm (AEST)
Register for the webinar via the RACGP website now
COVID-19 and child mental health – On-demand webinar
Presented by RACGP Specific Interests and Emerging Minds, this webinar explains the current environment for GPs, families and children during.
It describes appropriate management options, including when to refer, for a child experiencing mental health issues.
Presented by:
- Dr James Best, GP and Chair of RACGP Specific Interests Child and Young Person’s Health network
- Dr Nick Kowalenko, child and adolescent psychiatrist, and NSW Director of Emerging Minds
- Dr Penny Burns, GP and disaster medicine specialist.
The webinar will be available until 30 June 2020.
Register via GotoWebinar now.
Rural health webinar – Breaking the ICE: Supporting methamphetamine withdrawal
RACGP members are invited to join RACGP Rural’s webinar ‘Breaking the ICE: Supporting Methamphetamine Withdrawal’ on Thursday 4 June from 7.30–8.30 pm AEST.
The webinar is accredited for two CPD points and will equip GPs to better support patients to safely withdraw from methamphetamine use.
Through case discussions, a panel of alcohol and other drugs (AOD) experts will explore how GPs can assess a patient’s stage of change, discuss harm minimisation strategies for pre-contemplative patients, and safely support patients in the contemplative and action stages of change to withdraw from methamphetamines. The webinar will also highlight clinical resources and support services available to GPs treating patients with AOD issues.
The RACGP Rural health webinar series presents free monthly webinars on important health issues for rural and remote GPs.
Sessions are held on the first Thursday of the month, with a focus on supporting GPs with relevant information and resources.
Visit Zoom to register.
Biosimilar Awareness Week
Today marks the last day of Biosimilar Awareness Week 2020, which aims to raise awareness on biosimilar medicines among patients and their carers, including the role they play in the future of a sustainable Australian healthcare system.
Some facts:
- Biological medicines made up eight of the 10 most expensive medicines subsidised by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) in 2018–19, with a combined cost of $1.87 billion.
- Once a biosimilar or generic brand is listed on the PBS in Australia, a statutory price reduction of 25% applies to all brands. Increased use of biosimilar medicines is therefore expected to improve market competition, improving the Australian Government’s capacity to fund expanded access to biological medicines.
- Since the first approval of a biosimilar medicine in the EU in 2006, years of international real world experience has found no difference in the safety or health outcomes of patients using a biosimilar medicine.
Head to the Biosimilar Hub for resources on biosimilar medicines and the role they play in the future of a sustainable Australian healthcare system.