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RACGP President calls for national pandemic plan
Mixed messaging, inconsistent advice and communication breakdowns have marred the response to the coronavirus.
Dr Harry Nespolon believes general practice should be included in planning for public health responses to potential pandemics.
RACGP President Dr Harry Nespolon has warned public health failures in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak must not be ignored, and again called for a national pandemic plan that involves GPs and their practices.
‘This isn’t the first and won’t be the last [pandemic] – if we don’t address these problems now, we’re risking people’s health,’ he said.
‘While we have a national plan for pandemic influenza, it has not been implemented. Not implementing a plan is as good as not having a plan.’
Dr Nespolon said GPs and patients across Australia have battled a range of problems, including inconsistent advice from state and federal health agencies and unpredictable availability of protective equipment, such as face masks.
‘To take one example, there has been confusion about the type of face masks that GPs need to wear. This protective equipment is vital to keep GPs and their patients safe and stop the spread of this disease,’ he said.
‘We are also getting different advice from the states and territories on the tests for coronavirus and who should be taking them – should they be done by a GP in a clinic or should they be done in a hospital in a negative-pressure room?
‘So, at a time when GPs are on heightened alert and may be seeing more patients than usual, we have the extra burden of needing to call around to various health agencies to work out what the current advice is.
‘It has taken too long for state health agencies to update their advice in line with the federal advice. GPs have faced weeks of confusion trying to figure out which guidelines they should follow. It’s undermining the critical work GPs do in caring for patients and in controlling outbreaks like coronavirus.
‘It’s essential that we are receiving timely, evidence-based and consistent advice from the outset of an outbreak, so we can continue providing safe and high-quality care.’
The
latest advice from the Department of Health is that GPs should wear a surgical mask for consultations with patients who have mild or no respiratory symptoms, however; GPs were previously advised to use P2/N95 masks when taking specimens from all patients suspected of having coronavirus.
In addition to the changing advice, Dr Nespolon expressed frustration at GPs being
unable to source appropriate equipment.
‘We have heard that some GPs are still finding it difficult to get their hands on protective equipment like face masks,’ he said.
‘The Federal Government acted on
our call to release face masks from the national emergency stockpile; they have provided surgical masks, and some states have also released P2/N95 masks.
‘While we welcomed the response from government and appreciate this is an evolving space, the problem again was the lack of consistency. What it means for GPs on the ground is that some are receiving both masks while others are missing out.’
Dr Nespolon said GPs are being asked to take on greater responsibilities without adequate consultation, planning or remuneration.
‘GPs are called on to do more and more without much thought given to how this affects our day-to-day work,’ he said.
‘For example, some of the states have told people to call their GPs if they suspect they have coronavirus. The problem with that is GPs who are booked out are going to have to stop seeing practice patients and act as a free telephone triage service.
‘We are not remunerated for that and it can take up a lot of time. It’s just another instance of why we need a consistent nationwide approach.
‘The questions we are now asking are how can we solve these problems and how can we do better?
‘GPs are at the
frontline in the fight against coronavirus. It’s absolutely critical that they have the right information, the right resourcing and the right support to help their patients and control not just coronavirus, but any potential pandemics we will face in the future.’
Dr Nespolon has called for general practice to be included in federal and state government planning for public health responses to potential pandemics.
‘When our country faces a potential pandemic like coronavirus, the first place people turn to is their GP,’ he said.
‘General practice is fundamental to the response, clearly we need to be included in all of the planning for disease outbreaks, yet we are not involved. It’s a massive oversight and risk to people’s health.’
The RACGP has more information on coronavirus available on its website.
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