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GPs must be equipped to ‘deliver the care our patients deserve’
The RACGP President has laid bare the changes facing general practice and the remedies needed, speaking directly to the nation’s healthcare decision makers.
RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins speaking to media.
‘This is the future I envision – a future where general practice is the engine that drives a healthier nation, where we are equipped with the tools, resources, and support we need to deliver the care our patients deserve.’
That is according to RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins, who addressed the Department of Health and Aged Care’s Primary Care Conference 2024 in Canberra this week.
The conference brought together primary care leaders from across Australia, with discussion topics including how to prioritise those most in need, working with other sectors for public health improvement, and how primary care can continue to contribute to an improved healthcare system.
Attendees included Primary Health Networks, Commonwealth, state, and territory officials, peak bodies, practitioners, academics, and consumers.
Dr Higgins’ ‘Changes in general practice’ presentation saw her address a crowd filled with health heavyweights, speaking about the work GPs are currently doing and how much more could be done if they are adequately funded.
‘We are standing at the crossroads of a transformative era in general practice,’ she said.
‘Purposeful change energises and ignites people, and leads to success, while change without a common purpose demotivates, divides, and can be costly.
‘It’s important to bridge the gap between the inspiration and motivation that purpose brings, and the practical, implementable, prioritised changes needed for delivery.’
Dr Higgins spread a positive message about the workforce, saying that more GPs are recommending general practice as a career, there has been an increase in training numbers and an influx of doctors fleeing the NHS wanting to work in Australia.
Currently, less than 2% of people are unable to see a GP when they need to, and patients rate the care they receive from their GP highly.
But amid that positivity are significant and persistent challenges facing the profession, including funding shortfalls which are impacting the day-to-day ability of GPs to do their jobs.
Federal funding for general practice is down – falling from 7% of the healthcare spend to just 5.7% in 2021-22.
Dr Higgins said spending per person is also far greater in public hospitals than in general practice, $3484 compared to $443.80, respectively.
Currently, seeing a GP is $22 cheaper than seeing an allied health professional, and $65 cheaper than seeing a non-GP medical specialist.
On top of that, the further away a patient is from the city, the less health resources they have access to.
And Dr Higgins said GPs continue to be undervalued compared to other health and medical professionals.
With this funding dropping, she said investment into general practice is crucial and offers best ‘bang for your buck’, and that GPs already work within care teams and with adequate funding, this can be done more affectively.
‘General practice and primary care are the solution to the wider healthcare crisis,’ she said.
‘GPs are not afraid of change; indeed, we embrace change that is built on evidence and logic.
‘It is the myths, rhetoric, devaluing and defunding that has threatened to disrupt general practice.’
Dr Higgins also spoke about the changing nature of the general practice workforce, with GPs of both genders reducing their patient contact hours.
GPs continuously report being bogged down by red tape, high workloads, and ever-changing legislation and regulations.
A recent study highlights the impact of this, finding that 22 hours of clinical contact is equivalent to 40 hours of work due to the red tape and paperwork it creates.
That list of red tape is a long one, Dr Higgins said, and includes state health ministers having legislative power over accreditation and regulation, payroll tax, expedited pathways, pharmacy prescribing against the recommendation of the TGA, and the fragmentation of care.
Dr Higgins said there are myths that need busting, and that the narrative of what general practice is and what GPs do must be changed to paint a more accurate picture of the profession.
‘Let me tell you what general practice really is – it’s where healthcare becomes personal, it’s where science meets compassion, data and diagnostics collide with deep human connection,’ she said.
‘It’s the only place in healthcare where you’ll find a single doctor caring for a newborn one moment and guiding an elderly patient through their twilight years the next.
‘It’s where we don’t just treat symptoms or a body part—we treat people.’
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