February 2024

As we welcome in the Lunar New Year, the return of NSW and ACT Governments to work, and the bringing together of the NSW&ACT Faculty Council, the month of February has been a very busy one indeed.

Our payroll tax advocacy work has continued, and I am very pleased to share that our Faculty Council Regional Representatives have been equipped with resources to support them in lobbying their local MPs in support of fairer outcomes for payroll tax in both NSW and the ACT. Our Payroll Tax Advocacy Support ‘One-Pagers’ provide an outline of the College’s requests to government and can be found on the payroll tax pages of the RACGP website. I warmly welcome you to access these resources and invite you to join us in advocating for the removal of barriers to the ongoing provision of primary care in our states.
I am continuing to lobby the NSW Ministers for Health and Finance to deliver on their promise of a follow-up meeting after our last in November 2023. I have met with Minister Courtney Houssos’ Chief of Staff to stress the importance of the NSW government’s continued engagement in this space.

In the ACT, I have met with Hon. Emma Davidson, Minister for Mental Health to discuss the importance of primary care in the effective management of mental health in the community as well as to reiterate the significance that payroll tax implications on independent GPs will have on the delivery of mental health care delivery in the Territory.

You might also have seen me across the media this month as I spoke out to share our concerns around the implications of payroll tax. We have worked hard to make our voices heard and I was incredibly pleased to see our views shared via multiple print and television outlets. Including a payroll tax segment shared on 7 News. watch here.

The NSW&ACT Faculty Council came together face to face on 17 February for our first meeting and strategic planning day of 2024. It was wonderful to reconnect, welcome our new members and set our strategic objectives for the year 2024. I greatly look forward to sharing more on this with you as the year progresses.

In other fantastic news, I would like to congratulate my colleagues Professor Charlotte Hespe on her receipt of the Member of The Order of Australia and Dr Starlette Beaumont (Isaacs) on her receipt of the Medal of the Order of Australia. Very well done, Two fantastically deserving recipients. More information and details of other state winners can be found here.

Until next month, take care, Bek

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

Dr Merium Irfan Dr Sasivathani Sayanthan Dr Ramandeep Singh Grewal Dr Nachaat Wahba Dr Wafa Ismail Dr Nour Baghdour Dr Chaudhry Mansoor Ahmed Dr Nafeesa Ferdous Dr Justin Carter Dr Edwina Butler Dr Salma Ali Dr Kate Coleman Dr Michele Ferguson Dr Fernanda Teruel Rodrigues Da Silva Dr Nguyen Do Dr Macrina Ige Dr Kyaw Pyae Dr Priyanka Kulkarni Dr Mandana Arefpour Dr Nervin Makar

 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.

 

Event	Date, time	Location	CPD
Tips and tricks to encourage sexual health testing	4 March 2024 7.30-8.30pm (AEDT)	Online	One EA CPD hour
Sepsis awareness campaign	19 March 2024 7.30-8.30pm (AEDT)	Online	One EA CPD hour
Approach to enhancing cancer screening and prevention in primary care	8 April 2024 7.30-8.30pm (AEST)	Online	One EA CPD hour
SafeScript NSW – New authority management functionality	9 April 2024 7.30-8.30pm (AEST)	Online	One EA CPD hour
Emergency medicine for Rural GPs	13 July 2024 8.30am-4.30pm	Lismore	1.5 EA and 6.6 RP CPD hours

Join us as we celebrate International Women's Day on Thursday 7 March 2024 in-person or online.

Women’s economic empowerment is central to a gender equal world. When women are given equal opportunities to earn, learn and lead – entire communities thrive.

Based on the priority theme for the United Nations 68th Commission on the Status of Women, Count Her In will examine the pathways to greater economic inclusion for women and girls everywhere.

Each capital city will host an in-person event where you can hear from amazing women who will have meaningful discussion on the International Women's Day Theme: #CountHerIn

Date: Thursday 7 March 2024
Time: 6.30pm – 8.30pm
Venue: North Sydney Office, Level 12, 1 Pacific Highway, North Sydney NSW 2060
Speaker: Dr Kate Manderson - GP Supervisor of the Year 2023

Register for in-person event 

Online event

Date: Thursday 7 March 2024
Time: 7.00 – 8.00pm (AEDT)
Venue: Online
Speaker: TBC

Register for online event

The NSW&ACT Fellowship Ceremonies are premier events on the RACGP NSW&ACT calendar. It is an opportunity for the general practice community to honour New Fellows and celebrate their achievement of Fellowship.

ACT Fellowship Ceremony

Date: Saturday 11 May 2024
Time: 9.30 am - 2.00 pm
Venue: Hotel Realm, 18 National Circuit, Barton ACT 2600

Register now

NSW Fellowship Ceremony – Save the date

Date: Saturday 17 August 2024 - Further details and registration will be available soon

Earlier this month the Scope of Practice Roadshow was in Sydney. The RACGP had a number of representatives attending, including NSW&ACT Faculty Deputy Chair – Dr Michael Wright, NSW&ACT Faculty Provost – A/Prof Michael Fasher and NSW&ACT Faculty council member – Dr Kim Loo

Dr Loo spoke about her multidisciplinary practice, which has a large team of GPs and nurses, PHN funding for a psychiatrist, a peer support worker, and pharmacists to help with complex patients, as well as telehealth diabetes care. This wrap around service for patients impressed Prof. Mark Cormack, who is leading to review, and earned a mention in his wrap up.

This is significant reform that will shape the future of primary care. We consulted widely with members, and the overwhelming majority believe they can increase their scope of practice to benefit patients. Enabling GPs to do more, can improve access to care and reduce costs for patients.  

Monash University are hoping to get a contingent of supporters in Canberra to lobby against genetic discrimination in life insurance consultation. The plan is for the event to be held on the morning of Tuesday, 27 February 2024 (exact time TBA).

They have been in discussions with Senator David Pocock and Ms Kylea Tink MP, who are both very supportive of a total legislative ban. They are both keen to keep the momentum going and hold a public event at Parliament House this month to underline the importance of government action on this issue.

If you have community members/staff/associates in Canberra who you think would be interested and available to attend Parliament House on 27th, please let them know of this opportunity.

RACGP has also delivered a submission which supports the proposed ban.

More details about the event to follow.

The iDEA 2024 conference, an annual gathering of innovative minds and change makers, is headed to New South Wales  in April. So, clear your schedules for two days packed with exploration and knowledge sharing on all aspects of environmental and climate health.
 
Bringing together bright minds to give talks that are idea-focused, informative, and practical, iDEA fosters learning, inspiration, and action – and provokes conversations that matter. Expect to see some of the most engaged speakers from around Australia sharing their thoughts, learnings, and experiences.
 
Date: Friday 5 April – Saturday 6 April 2024
Venue: Parkroyal Darling Harbour, 150 Day Street, Sydney NSW 2000
 
More information

Enrich your understanding of and practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health during the ‘Storylines’ webinar series.
 
Hosted by Dr Danielle Arabena and Dr Kali Hayward, in collaboration with the RACGP and Joint College Training Services (JCTS), this series of ten webinars offers a unique educational experience. 
Whether you're seeking to enhance your clinical skills or eager to learn more about Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and cultures, ‘Storylines' promises a journey of learning and connection.
 
Date (Webinar one): Tuesday 27 February 2024
Topic: Preventative health screening in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health
Presented by: Dr Maureen Ryan
Time: 1.00–2.00 pm (AEDT)
 
Register now

Find out the “why, when and how’” of prescribing therapeutic vapes. The TGA, in partnership with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and Quit Centre, is hosting an information session for prescribers on the vaping reforms. Medical and nurse practitioners will learn about the regulatory reforms and what the changes mean, as well as hear practical information on prescribing therapeutic vapes and strategies for supporting smoking and vaping cessation. There will also be a demonstration of the SAS/Authorised Prescriber online system. 

Date: Thursday 22 February 2024
Time: 5.30–7.00pm (AEDT)
Where: Online (Webex)

Register now
 

The Get Healthy Service is a NSW Health program that provides free health coaching and online support to help your patients reach their health goals.

Patients receive:

• access to a university qualified health coach
• six or more regular confidential coaching calls at a time that suits them
• support to reach their health goals and overcome barriers
• high-quality information about their health concerns

 
More than 95% of participants in 2023 reported being satisfied or very satisfied with the Service.

Refer your patient today by visiting gethealthynsw.com.au/health-professionals or via referral forms available through Medical Director and Best Practice.

An opportunity to learn the outcome of two recent studies focused on e-cigarette surveillance and safety commissioned by NSW Health. Dr Celine Kelso and Dr Jody Moller, School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong will discuss the contents of e-cigarettes currently available in NSW and A/Prof Darren Roberts, Toxicologist from the NSW Poisons Information Centre will discuss the risk of accidental e-cigarette poisoning exposures particularly for young children. 
 
Listen now | Browse podcasts

NSW Health has launched a new mass media behaviour change campaign aiming to address the issue of vaping by young people. To find out more about the campaign, please visit the website.
 
For more information for young people, parents, carers, teachers, schools and health professionals go to the NSW Health Vaping Toolkit, which includes two new factsheets to support the campaign - Nicotine addiction and Vaping Quit Support.
 
The NSW Health: Guide to support young people to quit e-cigarettes supports all health professionals and others who work with young people to effectively address e-cigarette use, support young people to manage nicotine withdrawals, and assist young people in quitting e-cigarettes.
 
Media Release: https://www.nsw.gov.au/media-releases/new-anti-vaping-campaign#:~:text=Young%20people%20are%20being%20reminded,experienced%20the%20harms%20of%20vaping

The State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA) in partnership with the NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation (ACI) are launching an exciting new model of care.
 
The new Model of Care for the Management of Low Back Pain – Summary (the Summary Model) is a simple, evidence-informed guide on the management of low back pain. It provides best practice advice through early assessment, management, review and appropriate referral where needed.
 
GPs can now use the model to guide treatment, supporting injured people with faster return to usual activities.

Register for upcoming SIRA and RACGP webinars on the Summary Model and the personal injury schemes.