‘I’ve enjoyed it immensely’: Bruce Willett reflects

It was the Christmas of 2019 when Dr Bruce Willett’s phone rang.
 
On the other end was Queensland’s Chief Health Officer, just checking in about ‘this virus in China that we’re quite concerned about’.
 
Little did any of us know what havoc this virus would wreak on our lives for years to come, but at this moment, it was interrupting Dr Willett’s break. A year later, the state’s borders opened just in time for the festive season, so once again he was called into action at a time when he really should have been with family.
 
‘I can remember spending Christmas Eve and Boxing Day writing and reviewing COVID policies,’ he told newsGP.
 
‘I remember celebrating a whole Christmas with Queensland Health over COVID, so those are the things I won’t miss.’
 
Last week was Dr Willett’s last as the RACGP’s Vice President and Queensland Chair, having taken on the roles in 2019 and 2017, respectively.
 
His advocacy for the improvement of general practice has taken him far and wide, across the country and splashed across newspapers, but it was never something Dr Willett sought out.
 
‘I just fell into it; it was definitely not a big game plan or something I’d been planning on doing,’ he said.
 
‘I enjoyed working for the betterment of general practice because it’s something I believed in, and then it was the business of people suggesting that I do a bit more, then a bit more, and then getting sucked into it.
 
‘I do particularly enjoy the advocacy side of it, I enjoy the argy-bargy, building relationships with decision-makers, and the negotiation part of it.’
 
But long before he was Vice President, Dr Willett was a student with his mind firmly set on general practice.
 
‘I’m a proud GP and all the way through medical school, it’s what I wanted to do,’ he said.
 
‘I probably saw myself being more of a rural GP to be honest and perhaps if I was coming through now, I would be.
 
‘I was a science person, but was also interested in the way people work, which people think is diametrically opposed, but I don’t think so.’
 
And a lot changed during Dr Willett’s tenure, both within the college and the wider world.
 
There was a global pandemic which changed billions of lives and pushed healthcare to its limits, while closer to home, general practice training returned to the RACGP and Medicare underwent a makeover.
 
There were wins and losses, with Dr Willett naming recent payroll tax exemptions in Queensland as one of his advocacy highlights.
 
But there is also no denying the challenges facing general practice, as patient demand and GP workloads increase, while funding and resources dwindle. 
 
‘The underfunding of Medicare has become a big issue for both GPs and for patients … the rebate is worth essentially half of what it would be if it had been properly adjusted for inflation,’ he said.
 
‘And we do see people in disadvantaged communities struggling to access care and we’ve seen the increase in ageing and chronic diseases, and the strain that’s putting on the system.
 
‘I think the major threat to the healthcare system is now that fragmentation of care – we’ll see pharmacists, and nurse practitioners, and nurses working completely independent of GPs.’
 
But Dr Willett said the positives have far outweighed the negatives as GPs cement themselves at the heart of the healthcare system.
 
‘Only GPs have the extensive training and both the depth and breadth [of expertise] – there are a lot of other people who’ve had the depth, a lot of other people who have wide training, but many GPs have that combination to bring the two together,’ he said.
 
‘We’ve seen general practice be reinvigorated and reborn in a way that’s essential to not just general practice, but for the whole healthcare system.
 
‘I’ve enjoyed it immensely and I think it’s been an incredibly important couple of years.’
 
Incoming RACGP Vice President Associate Professor Michael Clements first met Dr Willett in 2017. He was a new practice owner and wanted to be more involved in the RACGP, but had no idea that Dr Willett would be a friend and mentor for years to come.
 
‘I don’t think anybody will ever truly be able to quantify or describe how significant his contribution was to the landscape over the last few years,’ Associate Professor Clements told newsGP.
 
‘He’s always had a big influence on us as individuals, but also the organisation, and when I reflect on some of his key achievements, we will always be grateful to him.’
 
But, despite a mountain of achievements, Dr Willett is perhaps best known for his extensive – an eclectic – shoe collection.
 
‘I’ve had the privilege of travelling Australia with him and it was a daily occurrence to check which shoes he had on,’ Associate Professor Clements said.
 
‘There was always a sigh of disappointment when he went back to the black sneakers.’
 
And with Associate Professor Clements now stepping into those famous shoes, he says the pair’s relationship is far from over.
 
‘The thing I’d like to copy is his ability to take pause and listen, and make sure we’ve got the perspectives from everybody in the room,’ he said.
 
‘He has a very high moral compass in terms of what’s right for the profession, what’s right for the members, what’s right for individuals.
 
‘He was always respectful when he needed to disagree, but he was very considerate, and I’ll certainly be trying to copy his ability to listen before speaking.’
 
Reflecting on his tenure with the college, Dr Willett said it has been a privilege and an honour, but now it is time for the next chapter with his family, and within his practice.
 
‘One of the issues for families of people in these roles is there’s two kinds of absences, the absence where you’re physically not there, but then there’s the absence when you’re mentally not there, when your mind is chewing over something that’s happened,’ he said.
 
‘As much as possible, I think my responsibility is to hand the job over to the new person and then get out of their way.
 
‘My main project for the next six months is to get bored and to really meet my patients again.’
 
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