There are some things in life we tend to assume just don’t go together, and our assumptions are right on the money. Like Cadbury’s Vegemite Chocolate, for instance. Socks and sandals.
Then there are other pairings you’d assume would be colossal failures. Opera and soccer? Sounds like a terrible day at the marketing office. But Pavarotti’s rendition of Puccini’s ‘Nessun Dorma’ at the 1990 FIFA World Cup created a cult-like association between that piece and sports across the world. It also pushed the aria to number two in the UK charts, and opera was suddenly made mainstream cool.
A perennial assumption in Australia is that general practice and state governments go together about as well as two positively charged magnets. Blame federated funding models and a too-complex health system.
But that’s all changing in Victoria. Discontent about limited, outdated systems had already mounted well before the pandemic struck, but when it did, it brought with it the urgency and context needed to create action.
RACGP Victoria and the Victorian Department of Health have begun to partner in a way that I’ve not seen before. This isn’t just about being invited to meetings to represent GPs and provide advice. This is about moving the collaboration from ‘inform and consult’ to ‘co-design and empower’. It’s a simple idea, but it’s a huge moment. The state government is investing $24 million in GP respiratory clinics to ease strain on GPs and emergency departments alike as we come to terms with COVID in the community. It’s about recognising a single health experience across sectors and piloting a way to make that journey better.
It’s happened because we’ve been listened to. We were listened to because we offered perspective, collaboration and solutions. Get this right, this’ll be but the beginning.