We are modernising the RACGP. I’m so excited to announce we are implementing a Parental Leave Policy for our members. As a working medical parent, I understand what it’s like to get those bills for indemnity insurance, registration and College membership at a time when you are not earning.  

I want to thank you all for your feedback on how the RACGP can better support us as members. You have been heard. 

Parental Leave Policy

The RACGP has established a new Parental Leave Policy to better support members during this important time. While membership concessions exist, until now the College did not have a specific policy for those on parental leave. 

One of the College’s key advocacy requests is for governments to provide subsidised parental leave for GPs in training, so it only makes sense that we lead by example and also offer members support during this milestone time in their lives. 

Members with no income due to parental leave may not renew their membership, therefore losing their eligibility for life membership, and we don’t want them to miss out on this opportunity for family reasons. 

The RACGP exists to support members, and this is just one of many initiatives we are delivering to improve member experiences. This policy will be in place from October, when the membership section of our website will include the new provisions and application process via an online form. In the meantime, our Member Services team is available for any queries.  

I want to thank our Chief Member Experience Officer, Lydia Sandercock, and her team for making this a reality for our GPs. 

Women’s Health Week

This week we celebrate Women’s Health Week: encouraging women to take ownership of their health, feel empowered, and connect with their GP. It’s also a timely reminder to acknowledge our growing female GP workforce, as well as for us, as GPs, to ensure we set aside the time to look after our own health.  

This Women’s Health Week, I want to thank all the female GPs, but male GP allies too, who look after women’s health.  

Women’s health is complex, and the data is showing that female GPs provide the lion’s share of it. 

Women’s health consultations usually take longer because of these complexities, and female GPs tend to see more patients with mental health issues than our male colleagues. The 2023 Health of the Nation report found almost eight in 10 female GPs reported mental health among their top three reasons for patient presentations. 

Many of our patients are women aged older than 65 – contraception and menopause is GPs’ bread and butter. As is pregnancy care. Women are more likely to have had contact with a GP for pregnancy, contraception, child health and routine screening.  

These are areas of health that require time and trust, which is why we continue to advocate for longer consultations to be properly funded (more on that below). 

As female GPs, as well as patients, we bring our own lived experiences, often in the role of carers. For female GPs it’s also crucial that we have our own GP to make sure we keep up to date with all of our checks. 

The female GP workforce is also growing: 61% of general practice registrars are women and 50% of GPs are women. By 2048 that will be almost 56%. Workforce data is showing that women are increasing their work hours in general practice and men’s are reducing and coming into alignment.  

Streamlining the MBS

The RACGP met with the Department of Health and Aged Care last night to discuss MBS billing. 

First cab off the rank was antenatal item numbers – topical for Women’s Health Week. 

There are also online discussions happening about co-billing items 16500 and 23. While not the intent, this reflects a poor rebate and no bulk-billing incentives for antenatal care. It is discriminatory and contributes to the gender pay gap and increased out-of-pocket costs for pregnant women.  

We’ve long been advocating for pregnant people to be able to access Medicare rebates for longer appointments. The item descriptor and attached rebate for MBS item 16500 remains out of date.  

RACGP advocacy in the media

Our spokespeople regularly appear in media, either advocating on the back of our media outreach or responding to issues in the news. In the past week, the RACGP featured in 146 unique media stories, or 767 including syndications. 

• To expand the reach of our research, we showcased the latest edition of the Australian Journal of General Practice, which focuses on skin cancer, including articles on managing patients on immune-checkpoint inhibitors and overdiagnosis. 

• We officially started our ACT election media campaign by calling for the ACT Government to match general practice training incentives in other jurisdictions and pointing out that Canberra has the fewest GPs per capita of any capital, and by some margin. As NSW&ACT Chair Dr Rebekah Hoffman said: ‘For Australia’s national capital to have such poor access to essential healthcare is simply not good enough.’ 

• Following media coverage of a major outbreak of meningococcal B in Far North Queensland, we urged families to protect themselves by getting vaccinated. 

• With the ABC’s attention on practices using a subscription model while allegedly bulk billing, I warned about the potential for models to breach Medicare rules and when defending GPs in the face of fresh scrutiny of billing on the ABC, emphasised the failure of Medicare rebates to cover the cost of care. 

• Deputy Chair of Specific Interests, Associate Professor Carolyn Ee, discussed management of hirsutism caused by PCOS with The Age. 

• With Victorian Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas detailing early findings from a women’s pain inquiry, Victoria Chair Dr Anita Muñoz told the AAP women have long reported they have difficulty being heard, and the current rebate system rewards GPs for spending less time, not more, with patients, and called for GPs to be eligible for paid time off to study, as in other health professions. 

Members impacted by weather events

We’ve seen some extreme weather in many parts of Australia recently, particularly in the southern states with severe wind, rain, and flooding. The RACGP is aware that many practices may be impacted, and we encourage them to review emergency response plans.  

I’d like to acknowledge the resilience and commitment to providing essential healthcare services to your communities during these times. Look after yourselves and each other, and please reach out to your local RACGP faculty, or keep checking our regularly updated disaster management webpage. 

Finally, a quick reminder that voting for contested electorates in the RACGP Faculty elections is still open until midday, 9 September. This is your chance to have your say on the future of the college and ensure the voice of your general practice community is heard. 

Dr Nicole Higgins 
RACGP President