May 2025

It is hard to believe that it has been a month since I took leave with my family and enjoyed some time away from work with them. I encourage you all to take a breath and seek an opportunity to have a holiday and spend time with loved ones. It is also a couple of weeks since the Federal election was held and the RACGP will continue its strong advocacy with the returning Government.  

Visit our webpage for the latest resources to support GPs and practices in light of Federal Government bulk billing changes. This includes posters and on-hold scripts informing patients about whether your billing policies will remain the same or change. 

Since I last wrote to you, I have continued to press the NSW Government for a follow-up meeting to discuss prescribing of psychostimulants by GPs and I am pleased to say that this will occur in early June, in a joint meeting with AADPA, alongside attending a new representative working group as part of the Ministry of Health.  

Work on the Single Digital Patient Record continues to progress in NSW, with the first tranche of the pilot scheduled to commence in March 2026 in the Hunter New England LHD. Discussions have also commenced around the integration of NSW Health Pathology into this project, this is becoming a very exciting space – and I remain hopeful that it will be successful in its rollout. I am also meeting with the ACT Digital Health Record team in early June to understand that model, and any learnings that may be helpful for NSW GPs. 

Medicinal cannabis and telehealth continue to be an area of concern raised by members, and I recently had the opportunity to discuss these with the TGA. There will be more information to share in the coming months as we strive to address concerns around quality prescribing and patient safety. 

Plans are underway for visits to the Murrumbidgee region and the ACT at the end of June. I value the opportunity to meet members in different locations and to understand their practice and their communities. I am planning a member event in Wagga on Wednesday 25 June, and I am looking forward to connecting with local members then. You can register here.

I would also really love to connect with ACT members at a planned member event on Friday 27 June. You can find further details and a registration link here.  

Until next month.

Dr Rebekah Hoffman
RACGP NSW&ACT Chair
 

 

Event	Date	CPD hours
Women in Leadership webinar: Becoming Media Savvy - Telling Better Stories	Tuesday 27 May 6.00 – 7.00 pm Venue: Online
Reducing smoking and vaping in pregnancy webinar	Wednesday 28 May 7.30 – 8.30 pm Venue: Online	One EA hour (additional MO and PR hours offered)
The National Lung Cancer Screening Program: What GPs need to know	Tuesday 3 June 7.30 – 8.30 pm Venue: Online	One EA hour
Liver Health in General Practice webinar	Tuesday 24 June 7.30 – 8.30 pm Venue: Online	One EA hour
Culturally safe gambling harm minimisation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples webinar	Wednesday 25 June 7.30 – 8.30 pm Venue: Online	One EA hour
Addressing gambling risks in young people and supporting concerned parents in general practice webinar	Monday 7 July 7.30 – 8.30 pm Venue: Online	One EA hour

Join NSW & ACT Faculty Chair Dr Rebekah Hoffman and members of the faculty council for a relaxed evening at Hotel Realm in Canberra. 
 
It’s a chance to connect with colleagues, meet your faculty council and welcome new Fellows – all in a casual, friendly setting. 

Date: Friday 27 June 
Time: 6.30–8.30 pm 
Venue: Hotel Realm Canberra, High Courtyard North, 18 National Circuit, Barton, ACT 2600 
Cost: Complimentary for members, registration is essential 

Register now

Date & time: 28 June from 9.30 am – 2.00 pm 

The ACT Fellowship Ceremony is the premier event on the RACGP NSWACT calendar. It is an opportunity for the general practice community to honour New Fellows and celebrate their achievement of Fellowship.  

This is a reminder to eligible New Fellows, FARGP and FRACGP-RGs who recently received an email invitation – please register to secure your place.

Please email nswact.fellowship@racgp.org.au to see if you are eligible to register. 

The RACGP NSW&ACT Faculty congratulates the following New Fellows on achieving Fellowship of the RACGP. 

This milestone represents years of dedication, resilience and growth. We recognise the personal and professional commitment that brought you here, and we’re proud to welcome you as Fellows. Your work is making a meaningful difference in the lives of your patients and communities, and we’re honoured to stand alongside you as your career continues to evolve. 
 

Dr Melanie Conroy	Dr Remi Banuelos
Dr Preyangka Nath Pea	Dr Sabiha Deol
Dr Tian Priyamanna	Dr Stephen Wu
Dr Christopher Pinto	Dr Aidan Simmons
Dr Shelley Qian	Dr Adrian Aho
Dr Chau Dao	Dr Zi Ye
Dr Saira Gugnani	Dr Sarah Leigh Josepha Konsten
Dr Tara Hajimir	Dr Muntazir Gulamhusein
D rMahu Anderson	Dr Kate Steinweg
Dr Angelina Vasilyeva	Dr Elliot Wichlinski
Dr Prabhjot Gupta	Dr Elton Lin
Dr Shivraj Saini	Dr Alexandra Hawthorne
Dr Noosha Diba	Dr Joel Winney
Dr Son Truong Pham	Dr Mark Moussad
Dr Shaimaa El Gayar	Dr Jasenthu Fernando
Dr Omar Alsayed	Dr Joseph Hockey
Dr Zi-You Cui	Dr Arshiya Arshiya
Dr Anthony Boshell	Dr Edward Ford
Dr Jacqueline Tedder	Dr Yuet Ling Lui
Dr Priyanka Bhaskar	Dr John Nguyen
Dr Amy-Rose McCorkindale	Dr Shagufta Kanwal
Dr Zakieh Nazari	Dr Claire Connelly
Dr Perry Tyler	Dr Phillip Mullany
Dr Ronny Wu	Dr Tess Tweeddale
Dr Maree Howard	Dr Kritika Gupta

Transitioning from GP in training to independent practice is a major milestone – professionally and personally. The Next Five Program supports New Fellows through their first five years of unsupervised practice, offering tailored resources, networking and guidance.

It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3.  

1. Log in to myCPD Home and click on ‘Professional Development Plan’ box 

2. Select and complete the ‘RACGP PDP Tool’  

3. Claim up to five Reviewing Performance (RP) hours and click on ‘Submit PDP’.  

In-Practice CPD: The Measuring Outcomes Tool    
Did you know that you can log short and simple Measuring Outcomes (MO) activities through your myCPD Home? 
Check out the options under the menu heading ‘Log’. If you’ve encountered a challenge in your work (this can be patient-facing or related to practice systems and processes) you can record any changes you’ve made to improve outcomes with the Measuring Outcomes Tool. The tool will help you document what you did, why, and what happened, for MO CPD. You can record small changes for one to two hours, or bigger changes that have had a broader impact on your work for five or more hours.    
We’re here to help   
Contact us on our dedicated CPD support line 1800 716 853 for personalised assistance navigating your CPD requirements or email cpd.assist@racgp.org.au     

Upskill in all topics dermatology and enrol in modules, or the whole certificate and claim CPD hours.   

Enrol in a half-day workshop (Friday afternoon) to get an introduction to the course and learn some skills.   

Upcoming half-day practical workshop dates now available in Sydney and Melbourne:   

Melbourne 
Date: Friday 18 July 
Time: 12.30 – 5.00 pm 
Location: RACGP East Melbourne Office – 100 Wellington Pde, East Melbourne VIC 
Register here 

Sydney 
Date: Friday 31 October  
Time: 12.30 – 5.00 pm 
Location: Karsten’s Conference Centre - 111 Harrington Street, The Rocks, Sydney NSW 

Register here 

Enrol in module 4: Practical procedures in dermatology and a two-day (Saturday and Sunday) workshop to practise and solidify your skills:   

Melbourne 
Date: Saturday 19 – Sunday 20 July 
Location: RACGP East Melbourne Office – 100 Wellington Pde, East Melbourne VIC 
Register here 

Sydney 
Date: Saturday 1 – Sunday 2 November 
Location: Karsten’s Conference Centre - 111 Harrington Street, The Rocks, Sydney NSW 

Register here 

These awards recognise excellence in general practice and outstanding dedication to holistic patient care.

We want to hear about the GPs, practices, registrars, supervisors, medical educators and researchers going above and beyond to improve health outcomes for all Australians.

Do you know someone who fits the bill? Submit your nomination today. 

A full list of award categories and criteria is available on our website. Nominations close Monday, 30 June and national award winners will be announced at a ceremony at GP25 in November. 

During National Reconciliation Week, we reflect on the importance of truth-telling, equity, and respect in building a just, inclusive Australia. In health care, reconciliation means more than words; it requires real action to ensure culturally safe, person-centred care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The National Guide to Preventive Healthcare for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, developed by NACCHO and the RACGP, is one such action. It is a vital resource that supports GPs and the primary health care workforce to deliver evidence-based and responsive care that respects the priorities, strengths and knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. 
This Reconciliation Week, we encourage our members to listen, learn, and lead with respect and to use tools like the National Guide to help close the health gap and walk together toward a healthier, fairer future. 

Learn more here.

Are you a new Fellow seeking guidance or an experienced GP interested in mentoring? The RACGP Mentoring Program connects Fellowed GPs in their early stages of their career with experienced mentors for career support and professional development.  

For mentees, the program helps enhance communication skills, strengthen relationships, and improve job satisfaction and collegiality. This program is exclusively available to RACGP Fellows.   

For mentors, this is an opportunity to guide new Fellows, share your experiences and help them succeed in their careers.  

This program runs for eight months and includes matching and training. Applications open 8 May.

Apply now

Do you have a research idea that could transform general practice and improve patient care? The Australian General Practice Research Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the RACGP, is offering a range of general grants and awards to help turn your ideas into impact. Applications are open from 12 May to 20 June. For more information, or to support the Foundation, visit here.

The RACGP is seeking to accredit new training sites in areas of identified workforce need across Australia.

We invite expressions of interest from practices and supervisors in the targeted MMM2-7 regions or MMM1 regions listed on our website.

By becoming an accredited RACGP training site, you’ll: 

• contribute to your community’s GP workforce needs 
•  boost your practice’s reputation as a training site 
• play a key role in shaping future GP registrars in your area. 

As an accredited training site, you’ll also have access to RACGP support and resources, as well as financial incentives in the form of supervisor and teaching payments to assist with the training of GP registrars. 
Click here to submit your EOI.
Please note, practices in MMM2-7 that have not been targeted are still able to submit an EOI at any time and will be kept on file and contacted should additional capacity be required.

Our first Advocacy Plan resulted in some great commitments in the latest Government budget, with a $8.5 billion boost to Medicare and significant investment in the GP workforce secured. We want to build on these wins with a new Advocacy plan aligned with the 2025 – 29 RACGP Strategic Plan. 

We’re committed to member-led advocacy, and we want to ensure this plan is built by and for members. Submissions will be open until 20 June. All submissions will be reviewed, and the combined feedback will be used by Faculty Councils, RACGP Expert Committees, and other groups within the RACGP to define clear advocacy objectives.

If you would like to help us shape the new plan and make sure the RACGP’s advocacy reflects your priorities and the priorities of your patients, make a submission today.

Click here to get started.

NSW Health has updated the Managing Nicotine Dependence Guide for NSW Health Staff to support general practitioners in helping patients quit smoking or vaping. 

The guide offers practical, evidence-based strategies, including behavioural interventions, pharmacotherapy, and tools such as a ‘Quick reference on drug interactions’ and ‘Tips for maintaining a smoke- and vape-free lifestyle’. It also outlines how GPs can integrate cessation support into routine consultations. 

With infectious syphilis rates rising in NSW, including among pregnant people, it is important to routinely test for STIs across diverse patient groups. The updated NSW Health STI Testing Tool, offers step-by-step guidance for:  

• Offering STI testing  
• Taking a brief sexual history  
• Selecting recommended tests  
• Conducting contact tracing  

It includes support for both clinicians and patients, including the Sexual Health Infolink. 
Looking to build your sexual health care knowledge and confidence? Click here to access a free, one-hour online learning module which is RACGP CDP accredited.  
For latest updates, listen to our podcasts on syphilis and Doxy-PEP, pelvic inflammatory disease and mycoplasma genitalium. 

Voluntary assisted dying will be available to eligible people in the ACT from 3 November. We want to make sure all health professionals are informed and feel supported about voluntary assisted dying. 
All forums will cover the same information: 

• how voluntary assisted dying will be implemented in the ACT 
• your obligations as a health professional under the law 
• how to become a voluntary assisted dying practitioner 
• what support will be available.  

You will also be able to ask questions and connect with other health professionals. 
Register now to attend an in-person or online forum.