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Fight ramps up to formalise GPs’ disaster response role
The RACGP say GPs should be integrated into emergency response plans, after doctors were turned away from evacuation centres due to poor planning.
The RACGP is calling on all levels of government to consider and implement its recommendations before the next disaster strikes.
A formal register must be established for GPs willing to scale up their services or be deployed in an emergency, according to a renewed push from the RACGP.
On Tuesday, the college ramped up its calls for GPs’ disaster management skills to be better recognised by local and federal leaders, and to be formally added to emergency planning regimes.
The RACGP also released a new resource offering vital information for GPs working in evacuation centres, including a step-by-step guide of what to expect in an emergency.
According to its new position statement, the college says GPs must be empowered to volunteer and practice as part of response teams in evacuation centres during disasters, having been overlooked in the past.
The new tranche of resources and RACGP recommendations include that:
- Primary Health Networks (PHNs) establish lists of GPs who can help in emergencies ahead of time
- practices be designated and prioritised as essential services during disasters
- dedicated funding be given to practices for preparation, response, and recovery
- reductions be made to red tape, including Medicare compliance activities
- the RACGP and PHNs be included in all government disaster planning groups.
The college says local practices impacted by a disaster must be supported to remain open and in operation where possible, and that PHNs should coordinate timely health-related messaging to these clinics.
It also called for an overhaul of how GPs are equipped to work within evacuation centres, including medicine management, documenting episodes of care, and ensuring patient details are safe.
The position statement states that GPs currently have no standardised training in disaster management and that this must be offered and funded in the future.
The importance of GPs within natural disasters was on display only months ago when severe flooding tore through Far North Queensland,
with local GPs opening pop-up clinics to keep their communities safe and healthy.
But despite GPs frequently demonstrating their ability to help in emergency situations, RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins lamented instances of them being turned away from evacuation centres due to a lack of planning.
‘That’s not a matter of poor judgment by emergency responders or a reflection on those GPs’ capabilities, it’s that the planning and policy settings weren’t there to recognise the training GPs have to treat evacuees in emergencies,’ she said.
‘Many GPs, and especially GPs in rural and regional areas, have also completed additional emergency medical training and work shifts in emergency departments of their local hospitals.
‘We are far, far more able to respond and keep people safe in disasters if the planning has already happened, and it’s important that emergency response planners consider what GPs can bring to the table, and that GPs engage with them.’
Lizz Reay, CEO of Wentworth Healthcare, provider of the Nepean Blue Mountains PHN, knows all too well the impacts of these emergencies.
The area has been ravaged by bushfires on several occasions;
in 2013 almost 500 homes were lost or damaged, and
in 2019–20, 63% of the Blue Mountains National Park went up in flames.
Ms Reay backed the RACGP’s calls and said the value of GPs in disaster responses was clear when the 2013 fires devastated her local community.
She said it forced many residents to flee their homes without regular medication or scripts, while others suffered wounds, respiratory complaints, and elevated anxiety.
‘At the request of the hospital, our organisation helped identify local GPs to assist in the response and developed a roster for GP attendance at the evacuation centres. This was all done on the run,’ Ms Reay said.
‘This highlighted to us the need for primary care to be officially recognised in emergency management plans and for GPs to be prepared prior to disasters, to improve response and recovery outcomes and to ensure community safety.
‘Learning from that disaster, our organisation advocated to be included in our local emergency response plan … this meant that during the 2019–20 bushfires, we were better prepared.’
She said the practical resources developed since include availability of triplicate pads of patient summary forms and prescription pads, a GP vest to clearly identify volunteer GPs, and medical packs with supplies to complement the GP’s own Prescriber Bag.
The RACGP is calling on all levels of government to consider and implement its recommendations to ensure Australia has prepared, strong, and resilient GPs when the next disaster strikes.
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