Daylight savings has ended, and the new season brings us cooler autumnal nights and mornings. I hope you’ve enjoyed this change in weather over the Easter break, spending time with friends or family, or just doing whatever rejuvenates you.
I’d like to warmly congratulate our New Fellows who were formally recognised at the Fellowship ceremony conducted at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra on 15 April. It’s always a privilege to share the joy of this tremendous achievement alongside their friends and family.
The RACGP continues to advocate for all members, with recent efforts focused on the issue of payroll tax on medical practices. We lobbied both major NSW political parties in the lead-up to the election, and our focus now turns to stepping up advocacy with the newly elected Labor government. We also continue to lobby at the highest levels for Medicare reform and
medicines reform to make medications cheaper and easier to access, including increasing medication supply access from 30 days to 60 or 90, as per the TGA’s 2018 recommendations to the Federal Government. Our fresh, positive, solutions-focused approach is gaining traction across print, TV and radio outlets.
This month, an independent report from the former Victorian health department secretary Pradeep Philip found that claims of mass rorting of Medicare by doctors is
not supported by evidence, but that the MBS is impossible for many clinicians to understand. This reflects our response to those spurious media reports last year and is welcome news for all GPs on the front line who’ve been subsidising the healthcare system for a long time.
More locally, the RACGP NSW&ACT New Fellows Committee is running another
wellbeing weekend in May in Port Macquarie. This is the fifth of these weekends, which are designed to encourage all GPs to prioritise self-care, balance and well-being in our careers.
Registrations are now open.
I’ll be there and look forward to meeting as many of you as possible. I’m also looking forward to the opportunity to rejuvenate!
The lead-up to the cooler months will no doubt bring an increase in respiratory illness to both healthcare workers and the community. So please do try and stay safe and continue to keep all of the public health measures front of mind, including face masks, hand hygiene and reminders to stay home if people are feeling unwell.
Stay well and take care.