August 2024

I had a wonderful time at the NSW Fellowship Ceremony in Sydney last Saturday, 17 August where we welcomed 225 New Fellows and celebrated their momentous achievement together with their families and loved ones. This busy but sentimental day is one of my favourite days of the year and I am already looking forward to planning for our next.   

Planning for the upcoming GP Health Checks @ Parliament event, which is being held at Parliament House, Sydney next month, is underway. Fellow representatives of the RACGP and I will be delivering health checks, reminding MPs of the important role of general practice and primary care both for their own health, and for that of their constituents. We will also be presenting our key advocacy goals which will focus on workforce and scope of practice to begin discussions ahead of the next NSW budget. 

Advocacy work is also pressing on in the ACT as we have finalised our ACT election platform, keeping general practice and GPs front and centre in politicians’ minds. Our platform’s focus is on payroll tax and workforce as well as keeping the ACT Government accountable for transparency around nurse-led walk-in centres. 

Last week, I wrote to the NSW Minister for Health Ryan Park, the Minister for Finance Courtney Houssos, and NSW Revenue to express our frustration over their delay in releasing necessary payroll tax information to support general practitioners, and to request an urgent extension of the payroll tax amnesty for medical practices until 30 June 2025. 

The annual Faculty election process is in full swing. The NSW&ACT Faculty Council is here to represent members’ interests, inform the work of our faculty, and is an established advisory body to the National Board. Nominations for the Faculty Council are open to all members, and I greatly encourage everyone to recognise the unique contribution you can bring to the Council and consider putting yourself forward as a candidate. You can find more information and nominate via the website.  

We are now coming to the end of the 2024 State Faculty Award cycle, and I have really enjoyed reading all the wonderful nominations we have received for 2024. The NSW&ACT Awards Committee and I came together to make the challenging decisions of who amongst very strong cohort would be our winners and I am very much looking forward to making the announcement in the coming weeks. 

Here’s hoping that the sunshine is here to stay. 

The RACGP NSW&ACT Faculty are seeking expressions of interest to join a Project ECHO community of practice focusing on the prescribing and management of patients participating in NSW Health opioid treatment programs (OTP) including chronic health needs.    

Details of the session:   

•    Reviewing Performance CPD hours. 

•   An hour session, once a month for 9-12 months (potentially from September 2024). 

•    Provides clinicians with access to subject matter experts and a network of peers. 

•    Online interactive learning. 

•    Closed group learning that allows participants to discuss and build trust in each other. 

•    No cost to join; participate from your preferred location 

EOI registration and further information can be found at: https://www.racgp.org.au/racgp-digital-events-calendar/online-event-items/webinars/alcohol-and-other-drugs-project-echo

The ACT Health Directorate is working with the Australian Digital Health Agency (the Agency) to better understand how prescribers and dispensers are using Canberra Script. This research will identify improvements or refinements that could be made to the system to improve its effectiveness and provides an opportunity to check if there are any clinical safety risks associated with or exacerbated by the system. 

The Agency is inviting RACGP members in the ACT who use Canberra Script to fill out a survey to inform research being conducted by Fiftyfive5, an independent social research organisation. It is completely confidential and anonymous and the survey will only take about 15 minutes to complete (depending on your responses). It is important to allow time to complete the entire survey in a single sitting, as your responses may not be saved if you leave and return later. 

Click here to start the survey: https://paralleldata.decipherinc.com/survey/selfserve/622/J2400453Q3?list=23 

Please complete the survey as soon as you can, and no later than Friday 30 August 2024. 

RACGP NSW&ACT congratulates the following GPs who attained Fellowship of the RACGP last month: 

Congratulations on achieving Fellowship of the RACGP! We recognise the sacrifice and hard work that has gone into your general practice journey. 

Transitioning from being a GP in training to an independent, practising GP is a major career-change (and life-changing) milestone. The Next Five Program extends support to New Fellows as they navigate their first few years of unsupervised practice. 

The RACGP is your CPD Home. We’re here to support you to complete your 2024 CPD during the 2024 calendar year.    

The Medical Board of Australia has notified CPD homes that all doctors must complete 2024 CPD requirements in the 2024 calendar year. There will be no grace period at the end of 2024.  With five months left in 2024, now is the right time to review your CPD progress.   

Login to myCPD and identify your incomplete requirements:   

• start your Professional Development Plan, and meet your Program-Level Requirements  

• find activities in our CPD home that interest you   

• log the CPD you do in your everyday work.   

Curious about how to handle formal complaints? Join Dr Maria Li on 4 September at 7pm AEST for a webinar as she shares practical pointers on what regulators look for when dealing with complaints, and approaches that can help you as a GP.  This webinar attracts 1.5hrs EA CPD and will provide recommendations that you can take back to practice for additional RP and MO CPD hours. Register now 

Please reach out as soon as possible if you need support to meet your 2024 CPD requirements.   

Contact your NSW/ACT CPD team for assistance on nswact.cpd@racgp.org.au or call 1800 716 853. 

One of the library’s key resources, the Murtagh Collection, is now part of a new resource,  AccessWorldMed , which is available for member access. AccessWorldMed still has the world-renowned Murtagh texts and case materials at its core, but also there are further Australasian texts covering a range of specialties, procedural videos, diagnostic flashcards, Q&As and other learning resources.  

A useful user guide tells you more about AccessWorldMed and steps you through the search options, setting up a MyAccess Profile, and how to use other useful tools. 

AccessWorldMed is a member-only resource (RACGP website login required). 

Empowering the next generation of GP scholars. 

The RACGP Foundation is pleased to offer two PhD top-up scholarships to support outstanding GPs and GPs in training to undertake PhD research in 2025. 

Benefits include: A $25,000 per annum stipend plus a $5,000 annual professional development bursary is available for up to 3.5 years for full-time PhD candidates, or pro-rata for up to 7 years for part-time candidates. 

Applications open: 2 September 2024. 

To find out more head to our website. 

Faculty elections: Applications are due by 4.00 pm (AEST) on Friday August 23.  Voting will open at 12.00 pm (AEST) on Friday August 30, and close at 12.00 pm (AEST) on Monday September 9. 

visit the elections website. 

Register today [https://www.racgp.org.au/gp24/registration/register] and secure early bird rates for this year’s conference, taking place in Perth from 21-23 November.    

This year’s conference will feature keynote presentations on health equity, GP wellbeing and sustainable performance, technology and innovation, medical education, digital health and more. Don't miss this chance to connect with peers and industry leaders over three days of inspiring sessions, networking events and interactive workshops.     

By attending the full conference you'll also receive a minimum of 13 hours CPD, with a range of optional activities before, during and post-conference to help you meet your annual CPD requirements. Find out more about GP24 CPD here [https://www.racgp.org.au/gp24/cpd/cpd]. 

The Smoke-free Environment Act 2000 bans the use of e-cigarettes (vaping) in all smoke-free areas, even if they have been prescribed for smoking cessation.  

NSW Health have created posters to raise awareness that vaping is banned in all smoke-free areas. Posters are available in English and translated into 10 community languages. Resources for Aboriginal communities are also available. These do not replace ‘No Smoking’ signage mandatory under the Act. 

We encourage clinicians to display these posters in their health settings.  Posters can be downloaded or ordered for free here.  

More information on smoke-free laws is available here. 

New clinical guidance for the use of long-acting injectable buprenorphine for the treatment of opioid dependence has been published by NSW Health. 

Also known as ‘LAIB’ or ‘depot bupe’, these long-acting formulations have been a game changer for the treatment of opioid dependence. The updated advice incorporates a growing body of clinical and consumer experience, research evidence, and reflects updated product information for both LAIB formulations available in Australia.

It contains information about training to deliver opioid dependence treatment, and where General Practitioners can go for further advice in clinically complex situations. See www.health.nsw.gov.au/aod/resources/Pages/laib.aspx for more.