Role of GPs ‘underacknowledged’ in healthcare efficiency plan

The RACGP has told the Productivity Commission (PC) that its recent interim report into delivering efficient, quality healthcare has ‘underacknowledged’ the foundational role GPs play in Australia’s health system.
 
A phase of public consultation on the Commission’s Delivering quality care more efficiently – Interim report has now closed, with a final report expected to be provided to the Australian Government by the end of the year.
 
Released last month, the interim report includes recommendations to improve preventive care, streamline regulation and reduce healthcare fragmentation.
 
It also flags a new framework to support government investment in prevention, which includes a proposed advisory board.
 
RACGP Expert Committee – Quality Care Chair Professor Mark Morgan recently described the report as falling short of the standard set out by the college, telling newsGP that GPs remain ‘central to high-quality prevention’.
 
The RACGP’s latest submission echoes that view, raising some concerns as well as emphasising the ‘foundational role’ of GPs in the provision of ‘effective and efficient care’.
 
While many of the Commission’s recommendations gained RACGP support, the college expressed disappointment that some of its key recommendations have not been taken up.
 
‘The RACGP’s June 2025 submission to this inquiry called for measures to support general practice multidisciplinary teams, general practice-based pharmacists, and health assessments across the lifespan,’ it stated.
 
‘None of these were specifically endorsed in the interim report.
 
‘As a result, the interim report misses opportunities to build on what we know works well – high-performing, enabled and well-funded general practice.’
 
The RACGP also flagged a lack of ‘any specific recommendations’ that encourage the realigning of Australia’s health system ‘from very expensive hospital services towards prevention-focused multidisciplinary teams working in general practice’.
 
‘We are concerned the foundational role GPs play in Australia’s health system has been underacknowledged in the interim report,’ the college submission stated.
 
‘Evidence supports the need for GPs to be recognised as a key asset in the development of productivity strategies for Australia’s healthcare system.’
 
The RACGP also stressed the need for productivity reforms to embed cultural safety provisions from the outset and strive for improved health equity.
 
‘We recommended both matters be given more focused consideration in the context of potential productivity gains when developing the Commission’s final report.’
 
There were, however, several recommendations supported by the RACGP. This includes the Commission’s plan to pursue greater alignment in quality and safety across healthcare, measures to remove fragmentation in the healthcare system and the establishment of the National Prevention Investment Framework.
 
‘In recognition of the vital role general practice plays in preventive healthcare the college asks for GP representation on the proposed Prevention Framework Advisory Board to ensure appropriate and effective prevention programs are funded and maintained,’ the submission said.
 
The college has also suggested additional specific measures to reduce red tape.
 
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