No substitute for a good GP: doctors urge politicians to invest in general practice for South Australia

GPs are visiting the South Australian Parliament today to call for investment in general practice care to improve the health of South Australians, in a visit organised by the Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP).  

RACGP South Australia Chair Dr Sian Goodson said: “General practice care is essential – it keeps people healthy and out of hospital. 

“And the need for general practice care is increasing in South Australia because we have an ageing population, and an epidemic of chronic illness which requires high-quality general practice care – 90% or 1.5 million people in our state are living with at least one long-term health condition. 

“Pouring taxpayers’ money into hospitals won’t fix this, it won’t ease the pressure on our hospitals, or ambulance ramping. What we need is investment in preventive care and management of chronic conditions by GPs in the community. 

“There is no substitute for the quality care you get from a GP who knows you and your history – a strong general practice workforce is essential for South Australia. 

“GPs are visiting Parliament today to call for investment to grow the general practice workforce and expand access to high-quality general practice care for South Australians.  

“We need to ensure GP care stays at the heart of South Australia’s health system, keeping people healthy and reducing pressure on our hospitals. I’m looking forward to meeting with politicians today to advocate for solutions that will ensure access to high-quality general practice care to meet the needs of patients today, and in the future. 

“GPs are urging politicians to grow the GP workforce and strengthen primary care to improve the health and wellbeing of people across South Australia, including by: 

• Providing GPs in training with incentive payments of $40,000 to cover the pay cut they take when leaving hospital and encourage more to train in South Australia. Incentives work – there was a big increase in the number of GPs training in Victoria after they offered an incentive. 

• Ensuring junior doctors get the opportunity to experience general practice during training. 

• Ruling out the expansion of programs that jeopardise patient safety by allowing health workers to provide potentially complex healthcare that should be provided by specialist GPs. 

• Incentivising GP practices in South Australia to extend opening hours to boost access to essential healthcare after hours, improving access to GPs and reducing pressure on emergency departments.”