Following on from our submission into the inquiry into the implementation of Portfolio
Committee No. 2 recommendations relating to cross-jurisdictional health reform and
government consultation with remote, rural and regional communities, RACGP Rural were invited to attend the public hearing with key health stakeholders at the NSW Parliament House in Sydney. Dr Ian Kamerman, NSW Representative – RACGP Rural Council, went along to discuss the recommendations made by the RACGP. A large part of what we do here at the RACGP Rural Faculty is advocating for those living in rural and remote areas and this is a great example of that in action.

Last month we saw a resounding success at GP24, where we celebrated many deserving RACGP Award winners and new Fellows as well as officially welcoming  our new RACGP
President, Dr Michael Wright. Our annual conference is always a highlight of the year, allowing us all to gather, conduct robust discussion and form professional relationships with GPs across the nation. Bring on GP25 in Brisbane!

I would like to say a big farewell (hopefully only temporarily) to our Rural Council NT
Representative, Dr Donna O’Kane. Donna will be leaving us here on the Rural Council to pursue further educational endeavours in 2025. Donna has been a fantastic advocate for the Northern Territory and she will be sorely missed. All the best for the future and we hope to see you back here soon!
 
Lastly, I know that many of our rural GPs will be working over the Christmas and New Year holiday period. Your dedication and service to your community is noticed and I want to thank you all for continuing to put the needs of others above your own.
 
To all RACGP members and staff I wish you a very happy holiday season and look forward to seeing you all in the New Year!


A/Prof Michael Clements
Chair, RACGP Rural

Reminder to Rural Generalists and primary care doctors with advanced skills to apply for the Workforce Incentives Program (WIP) - Rural Advanced Skills

Did you know that you can apply for the WIP-Rural Advanced Skills payment up to three times between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2025?

Doctors providing primary care and emergency and/or advanced skills in Modified Monash (MM) 3-7 locations can claim up to $21,000 each year.

If you are a doctor that received a WIP-Rural Advanced Skill payment for services provided in 2023, you can apply again for a second payment for services provided in 2024. You apply as soon as you have completed the service levels required for the maximum payment.
For more information regarding your eligibility, please refer to the WIP- Rural Advanced Skills Guidelines on the Department of Health and Aged Care’s website.

For information regarding Australian Government funded incentives and supports that are
available to doctors practicing in MM3-7 locations, please refer to the relevant Fact Sheets on
Incentives and support for GPs and general practices in Modified Monash locations 1-7.

Doctors for Women in Rural Medicine

RACGP Rural is seeking GPs at all stages of their career to join the Doctors for Women in Rural Medicine committee. Members must have either previous experience or a keen interest in working in rural or remote general practice at the time of joining.

The objective of the DWRM is to unite rural and remote GPs from around Australia through
facilitating connection, delivering educational activities and capturing the voice of and issues affecting female GPs in rural and remote locations.
 
Expressions of interest can be registered here.
 
Your feedback is essential to help us understand what supports women to thrive in rural general practice and help shape our activities. Visit the DWRM website, email us at rural@racgp.org.au, or connect with us through our Facebook group.

Rural Generalist Anaesthesia training program – Grandparenting deadline

Applications for grandparenting for award of the Advanced Certificate in Rural Generalist
Anaesthesia close on 31 December 2024. The grandparenting process is aimed at the current practicing rural GP anaesthesia workforce. Its purpose is to allow this workforce to easily transition to the new qualification.
 
Applicants who completed JCCA training in 2021, 2022 or 2023 or who have not yet completed all requirements for fellowship, have until 31 December 2025 to apply.
 
For more information about how to apply, please visit the ANZCA website.

Point of Care Testing Survey is now open

As part of the RACGP Advocacy Plan 2024-25, the RACGP will advocate  for more Point of Care Testing (PoCT), MBS items and increased funding to improve access to testing in
rural and remote areas.
 
To support this work the RACGP is surveying rural and remote GPs to understand their attitudes towards PoCT, where PoCT can be the most impactful and what are the barriers and enablers around PoCT. Your feedback will directly shape the direction of the RACGP’s PoCT advocacy and will be instrumental in guiding the next steps of the RACGP’s advocacy efforts.
 
The survey comprises eight, short, multiple-choice questions and provides an option for those interested in being part of future work to develop the RACGP’s PoCT advocacy. The survey will close on Thursday 19th December.
 
The PoCT survey can be accessed here.

Boost your skills with the Rural Procedural Grants Program

Did you know you may be eligible for the Rural Procedural Grants Program (RPGP) if you provide unsupervised procedural and/or emergency medicine services in rural and remote
areas classified as MMM3-7? This Department of Health funding enables access to relevant educational activities designed to maintain or enhance procedural and emergency medicine skills.   

2024 End of Year closure

The RPGP team would like to wish all our participants a lovely safe holiday break.  
 
The RACGP will be closed from the 24th of December 2024 and will
re-open on 2nd January 2025 
 
All claims processing closes off COB on the Tuesday 17th December 2024 at 4pm.
The last payment run for claims in the system for 2024 is Thursday 19th December 2024. The first payment run in 2025 will be Thursday 9th January 2025. 
 
If you have any questions about the RPGP, or your eligibility, we’re here to help. The dedicated RPGP team can support you throughout the application or claims process and assist with any queries. Please visit our website,  email the team or give us a call on 1800 636 764 for more information. 

The Rural Health Webinar Series will be back in 2025, presenting free monthly webinars on rural and remote health topics, delivered by GPs and medical professionals for rural GPs.
 
Check out the first three webinars below:
 

Online Emergency Medicine for Rural GPs

Date: Saturday 1st March 2025
Time: 1.00-5.00pm AEST
Location: Online via Zoom
Cost: RACGP member $395
 
Designed and facilitated by experienced rural GPs and emergency specialists, the emergency medicine for rural GPs workshop aims to enhance rural emergency medicine skills using case scenarios that reflect the challenges faced when living and working in
rural and remote communities.

This online workshop involves four, small-group interactive case scenario discussions, exploring critical considerations involved in managing rural emergency cases, packaging patients for retrieval, communicating effectively with retrieval teams, debriefing and self-care.
All the scenarios included in the workshop are written by experienced rural GPs from actual cases.
GPs can earn 1.5 EA and 4 RP CPD hours.