The body that represents over 90% of Australia’s GPs and fights for the interests of their patients, has welcomed the ACT Government’s spending on preventative healthcare in today’s 2017-18 ACT Budget.
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners NSW and ACT Chair Dr Guan Yeo says Health Minister Meegan Fitzharris should be applauded for securing $1 million over three years to improve access to GP bulk-billing and allied healthcare such as psychologists and physiotherapists for people living in Canberra’s south.
“It’s so good to see a state or territory government putting any money at all into preventative healthcare through general practitioners - and it’s pleasing that this move is part of a strategic 10 Year Health Plan.
“Over 85% of Australians visit their GP for preventative healthcare every year. The care they receive saves taxpayers and patients up to 10 times the cost of similar care in a hospital.
“However, it’s sad to see that so much continues to be invested in the hospital system year after year at a state and territory level across Australia while so little is invested in preventative healthcare.
“The funding for new nurse led Walk in Centres in the Gungahlin, Inner North and Weston Creek regions sounds exciting at first glance – but unfortunately it doesn’t stand up to deeper analysis.
“Gungahlin has nine general practices in Gungahlin town centre and two in Franklin - and five of these are fully bulk billing all of their patients.
“One GP has also purchased land to open up a new bulk billing medical centre with a capacity for eight to ten GPs.
“These are GPs who have recognised their patients’ needs, invested in servicing those needs, but are now being undercut by an expensive Walk In Centre.
The ANU’s evaluation of the ACT’s first Walk In Centre for ACT Health showed it cost more per service and generated higher on-costs. It found:
- the cost of each service was $196 - compared to $37 for the same service from a GP and $281 from a hospital emergency department
- the socio-economic mix of patients attending the Centre was similar to the rest of the ACT community (i.e. the Centre was not addressing an inequity)
- on costs included: 21% of patients redirected to a GP for treatment or follow-up and 5% redirected to a hospital emergency department. These on costs for 26% of patients compared to redirections of less than 10% for patients visiting a GP.
“The RACGP also has concerns about the fragmentation of services through the provision of preventative healthcare by nurses rather than more fully trained GPs as detailed in our position statement about Nurse practitioners in primary healthcare.
“Raising the profile of preventative healthcare has helped GPs and the community put pressure on the Australian Government to end the Medicare rebate freeze, review the Medicare Benefits Scheme and improve the quality and reduce the cost of after-hours services.
“We’re hoping the end of the big freeze signals a shift amongst governments across Australia towards preventative healthcare and building a world class health system.”