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RACGP to address Tasmania’s acute care inquiry


Paul Hayes


11/12/2017 4:01:24 PM

RACGP Tasmania is calling for increased government support for general practice to ensure the state’s patients have access to the best possible healthcare.

RACGP Tasmania Chair Dr Jenny Presser and President Dr Bastian Seidel believe increased support for GP-led community health will help to ease the burden on Tasmania’s acute care sector.
RACGP Tasmania Chair Dr Jenny Presser and President Dr Bastian Seidel believe increased support for GP-led community health will help to ease the burden on Tasmania’s acute care sector.

In addressing today’s Acute Health Services in Tasmania Inquiry, RACGP Tasmania Chair Dr Jenny Presser and President Dr Bastian Seidel will outline a submission based on the principle that supporting identified aspects of general practice will bring benefits to patients, funders, the profession and the wider community.

‘RACGP Tasmania estimates that unexpected or unnecessary re-admission to hospital of general practice patients post-discharge costs the Tasmanian health system up to $1.5 million per year,’ Dr Presser told newsGP.
 
‘Patients seeing their regular GP post-discharge removes the work from the acute care space and ensures that any return to hospital is triaged by a specialist GP who knows the patient and their particular situation.’
 
The RACGP submission details three key strategies for investing in patient healthcare to support the Tasmanian acute care sector:

  • A $50,000 ‘GP Innovation Payment’ to support practices in ensuring vulnerable patients are not readmitted to hospital following discharge
  • Commitment to fund public specialist services in all regions, recognising GP ‘backfilling’ in the absence of specialists with appropriate remuneration
  • Commitment to more mental health services, beds and support for GP-led mental health in the community
‘GP-led community care offers the Tasmania health sector the best option for easing the weight on our public hospitals, and anything that supports our ailing acute care sector offers support to our patients in general practice,’ Dr Seidel, who practises in Tasmania’s Huon Valley, told newsGP.
 
‘We need to act immediately to increase the capacity of public mental health services to support the work that GPs undertake in the community. A further commitment from the Tasmanian Government would increase the ability to provide the full scope of care required for patients needing mental health services.’
 
Dr Seidel and Dr Presser are scheduled to address the inquiry at 2.15 pm.



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Philip Dawson   12/12/2017 1:10:40 PM

How about getting some General Physicians back into the system? we used be able to get their advice in dealing with chronic disease and multiple comorbidity, now we cant get them seen publically or privately, just have to do our best until they are acute enough to need admission.


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