May 2021

Communication is ‘developing meaning between groups’, and to do this you must not only speak but be heard. By this measure, Victorian general practice has indeed been communicating effectively.

Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley confirmed that the advocacy undertaken by our former Chair Dr Cameron Loy around changes to general practice ECG MBS item numbers had been heard. Minister Foley cited many of Cameron’s points about the negative impact of the change in correspondence with Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt. Now we wait to see what our grassroots, faculty-led, Minister-supported campaign leads to.

When the telehealth numbers compliance issue erupted, RACGP President Karen Price and our policy team communicated effectively to bring compliance letters down from a potential 30,000 to 500. This issue affected many Victorian GPs who had filled gaps for their colleagues and communities. RACGP Victoria has helped numerous members achieve appropriate outcomes.

As a narrative evolved about Victorian GPs not seeing respiratory infections in clinic, resulting in overwhelmed emergency departments, Councillors Jennifer Anderson, Alison Green and I assertively communicated the reality in meetings with Primary Health Networks, the Victorian Department of Health and focus groups, and our message was validated. Our 19 May webinar will explore that conversation further.

When Federal delivery of the AstraZeneca vaccine dwindled in Victorian practices, I asked the State Government to divert its supply of doses from mass clinics into general practice. Divert it they did, and more than 52,000 doses went out to the community.

The list of our communication efforts is lengthy – and we’re being heard. Other efforts in May have included:

• former Chair Dr Cameron Loy and Co-Deputy Chair Bernard Shiu meeting Opposition MP Libby Coker
• Lara Roeske, Abhi Verma, Bernard Shiu and I representing general practice at the AMA Medical Careers Expo
• providing representation on the new state child protection bill
• and much more to come.

RACGP Victoria Women in General Practice Committee presents this unique weekend forum that brings together distinguished women in general practice and creates an opportunity for female practitioners to learn, network and decompress in a casual and supportive environment. 

Member can participate in person at the RACV City Club in Melbourne, and the conference will also be live streamed. 

Keynote speakers (including Natasha Stott Despoja) and workshops will cover topics that touch all aspects of women's lives: professional, financial and personal.

Be sure to catch up on the excellent webinar delivered by RACGP Victoria and the Victorian Department of Health on vaccine hesitancy and dispelling myths.

Face-to-face member events coming soon!

The Brainy women: A healthy mind and body conference will be our first in-person event for over a year and promises to be an experience you don’t want to miss. Registrations are filling fast – don’t miss out!

Special discounted rates in recognition of the difficulties of the past year are available for this event only.

GPADD21: Addiction matters – Focusing on vulnerability conference on 31 July 2021, brought to you by the Victorian Faculty Alcohol and Other Drugs Committee.

Join the first virtual member forum of our engageGP program to hear about RACGP advocacy initiatives and priorities from RACGP President Karen Price, CEO Matthew Miles and other key leaders.

Dr Sally Cockburn will host the forum and run a Q&A session for you to share your thoughts and experiences and ask questions of our expert panel:

• Dr Karen Price, President
• Dr Matthew Miles, CEO
• Dr Michael Wright, Chair, RACGP Expert Committee – Funding and Health System Reform
• Jay Moran, RACGP Government Engagement and Stakeholder Advisor
• Roald Versteeg, RACGP General Manager – Government Relations, Policy and Practice

More than a word – reconciliation takes action.

We all have a responsibility to listen and act in ways that strengthen our partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.

At the RACGP, we’re continuing our reconciliation journey with our second Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), which helps remind us reconciliation and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health is everyone’s business.

Join the national reconciliation movement by taking steps to support effective, culturally safe primary healthcare. You can use the resources on our RAP page and visit the Reconciliation Australia website.

Together, we can advocate for equity in health outcomes.

The third RACGP Practice Owners National Conference offers a dynamic program for both in-person attendees and digital participants.

Highlights include:

• financial structures of billing
• funding models and grants for rural practice owners
• financing the dream for aspiring practice owners
• financial literacy and reporting for practice managers.

We’re developing a national vocational training syllabus to better support GPs in training on their journey to Fellowship.

Join a focus group between 7–25 June to share your insights and ensure the new syllabus fits the needs of trainees, supervisors and educators.

If you’re keen, register for the appropriate group before 28 May 2021:

• GPs in training or New Fellows
• Supervisors, medical educators, cultural educators and cultural mentors
• RACGP education advisers, council or committee members

We’re also looking for medical educators to write syllabus content from late July/August 2021.

View the scope of works and apply.

For more information, contact eduframework@racgp.org.au

The Murdoch Children’s Research Institute has begun inviting Victorian parents and their newborns to take part in its GenV research project at more hospitals across Victoria. The project will continue to scale up to partner with all Victorian birthing hospitals throughout 2021.

Over two years, every baby born in Victoria and their parents will be invited to join GenV. It’s one of the world's largest birth and parent cohort studies and aims to solve problems including allergies, obesity and mental illness.

Health professionals can find information on the GenV website. If your patients have questions about GenV, encourage them to contact GenV directly or reach out via Facebook or Twitter.