Rural workforce incentive reforms hailed ‘significant win’

Significant reforms to the Workforce Incentive Program (WIP) – Rural Advanced Skills stream will change how GP’s full-time equivalency (FTE) is assessed for program eligibility.
 
In a move labelled a ‘significant win’ by the RACGP, the changes will see a doctor’s total FTE determined solely by their service in MM 3–7 locations.
 
This removes the previous linkage to work undertaken in MM 1–2 areas, ensuring GPs are assessed based on the rural and remote care they deliver.
 
The suite of reforms will also broaden access to payments worth up to $21,000 per year for rural doctors who were previously excluded.
 
Part-time work in MM 3–7 will now be assessed against part-time primary care roster requirements, and unintended barriers will be removed which excluded doctors who were already delivering substantial primary care and advanced skills in MM 3–7 communities. 
 
RACGP Rural Chair Associate Professor Michael Clements said the changes ‘better reflect the realities of how GPs work across Australia’s health system’.
 
‘Previous rules unfairly locked them out of payments simply because they also worked part-time in metropolitan settings – we’re pleased these unintended barriers have now been removed,’ he said.
 
‘This is a sensible and welcome update that ensures the WIP supports the doctors who are genuinely serving rural and remote communities.
 
‘It acknowledges the reality that many rural GPs work across multiple locations, and that this flexible workforce model is essential to keeping rural services viable.’
 
The WIP – Rural Advanced Skills delivers annual incentive payments to GPs, aimed at rewarding investment in specialist qualifications and encouraging more doctors to work in regional areas.
 
The latest changes follow significant advocacy from the RACGP, which has long pointed out that many GPs deliver primary care and advanced skills services in rural and remote communities, while also working part-time in metropolitan settings. 
 
‘We thank the Department of Health Disability and Ageing for listening to the concerns of the RACGP and rural doctors, and for acting quickly to ensure the program reflects its original intent,’ Associate Professor Clements said.
 
‘This will make a real difference to the sustainability of rural general practice and the wellbeing of the communities we serve.’
 
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