Almost 80% of GPs concerned over urgent care model: Poll

Over the last two years, urgent care clinics (UCC) have become a part of the Australian healthcare landscape, with 87 clinics established by the Federal Government – and there could be more on the horizon.
 
Earlier this month, the Labor Party promised to invest more than $600 million to establish a further 50 clinics if re-elected in the upcoming Federal Election.
 
The RACGP has been critical of the model and whether it is the answer to Australia’s health system challenges, citing concerns over cost effectiveness, staffing issues and continuity of care.  
 
Federal Health and Aged Care Minister Mark Butler said he is aware that the college ‘doesn’t particularly support this model’ but that ‘their members do’.
 
However, a recent newsGP poll, run earlier this month, suggests otherwise.
 
Asked whether they think the Government’s promise to rollout an extra 50 UCCs will place ‘additional strain or negatively impact the already limited GP workforce’, 79% of the 1536 respondents voted ‘yes’. Only 12% disagreed, and 8% said they were unsure.
 
RACGP President Dr Michael Wright said while GPs are ‘broadly supportive’ of the urgent care concept, it is clear to see they are ‘really worried’ about the current program’s impact on the viability and workforce needs of general practice.
 
‘What we see here is the majority of our members are concerned about the impact of these centres on the limited GP workforce,’ he told newsGP.
 
‘The college has been calling for an evaluation of these centres before they roll out further, to make sure that they’re providing value for money and not damaging existing practices by taking away limited funding and GP workforce.’
 
The Federal Government says an assessment is underway but has yet to indicate when it will be completed and reviewed by government.
 
A poll run by Healthed in November 2024, found 70% of the 795 GPs surveyed support UCCs in principle. However, a follow up survey, run by Healthed earlier this month, backed newsGP’s poll findings.
 
Of the 1204 GP respondents, 65% expressed support for UCCs in general, but only one quarter supported the initiative outright.
 
A third said while they support the idea in principle, modifications are needed, while 40% oppose the new clinics altogether, with concerns over staffing issues, cost effectiveness and a lack of evaluation, as well as continuity of care and triaging.

While Dr Wright said urgent care has a place, he highlighted that it is something every general practice can be equipped to do.
 
‘Funding would be better directed to allow existing practices to expand their hours and operations. That would be a better use of this funding,’ he said.
 
The RACGP president did however acknowledge that there are several members who work in UCCs, and said the college’s concerns are not a criticism directed at them.
 
‘They’re providing important care to their communities. I’m not criticising them with these comments,’ he said.
 
‘We need to make sure that this model is sustainable and fit for purpose in the Australian healthcare system.
 
‘Fundamentally, most GPs are supportive of the concept of urgent care and see that if they are properly structured, they have the potential to support the care offered by existing practices.
 
‘But that’s the important bit – it needs to support existing practices, not suck up resources that would otherwise go to maintaining the viability of existing practices.’
 
If Labor’s election promise comes to pass, Minister Butler has said that new UCCs will be established in each state and territory, with specific locations to be determined by Primary Health Networks, which will conduct an open tender process ‘at arm’s length from the government’.
 
‘What we do is we put out a call for general practices in the region who want to take their practice to the next level,’ he said.
 
‘We’re not about building new buildings. We’re about tapping into the existing connections and experience that existing general practices have.’
 
In the case that a practice is successful, they receive additional funding from the Commonwealth to be able to satisfy UCC program conditions, including being open seven days a week and having the relevant equipment.  
 
The Government’s aim is for four in five Australians to live within a 20-minute drive of a UCC.
 
Since their establishment, 1.2 million Australians have accessed a UCC, receiving fully bulk-billed non-life-threatening urgent care, with a third of patients under the age of 15.
 
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