State Government unveils ‘GP Guarantee’ plan

The Tasmanian Government has said it will cover up to $100,000 in HECS student debt for 40 GPs, so long as they work in the state’s rural and regional areas for a minimum of five years.

The move would form part of the Government’s ‘GP Guarantee’ plan, should it be re-elected following the 23 March polls.

‘This is a huge cash bonus that will help to attract more GPs to Tasmania, or give our locally-trained doctors that extra reason to work in their home state,’ Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff said.

‘There’s nothing more important than our health, and ensuring Tasmanians have better access to GPs is a key part of our [plan].’

The GP Guarantee plan also includes multi-year funding of up to $250,000 annually as flexible grants to sustain general practices, alongside extended support for mobile GP clinics, and a new GP service for children with ADHD.

RACGP Tasmania Chair and Launceston GP, Dr Toby Gardner, welcomed the commitments, saying they could attract more GPs to rural and regional areas.

‘With increasing costs to study medicine, the potential of a lower HECS balance is a strong draw for young doctors who are thinking about specialist GP training,’ he said.

‘The incentive of a lower HECS debt to pay off is a strong incentive for many young GPs, but we need to ensure we have a sustainable profession into the future.

‘Multi-year funding to grow our practice teams, attract GPs, improve our practices, or stay open for longer is also a welcome initiative. We have seen that funding gets results in general practice, and the Tasmanian Liberals’ commitment to general practice care is something other states and territories should consider as a model. 

‘Strong general practices keep people out of hospital, where costs to government are significantly higher. It’s a smart investment, and helps patients lead healthier, happier lives.’

The announcements come as the state’s hospital emergency departments continue to be overwhelmed, with recent reports revealing that almost half (46%) of all presentations were not seen within the ‘clinically recommended’ time.

In an effort to address the issue, the Government has committed to funding a rapid response team of 10 GPs to be deployed to local practices as needed, again under its GP Guarantee initiative.

However, Dr Gardner said even though the measure could improve access in some areas, the overall rural workforce situation will remain a challenge.

‘We do need to bear in mind that the GPs who take part in the rapid response team will have to come from somewhere,’ he said. 

‘We’ve seen the challenges our practices, and especially our rural and remote practices, have had in getting the GPs they need. 

‘Attracting more junior doctors into the profession is vital, but we need to ensure … the necessary ongoing Medicare funding [is] there to keep rural and regional practices viable and accessible for their patients. 

‘We also need to ensure, as with any new approach, that the implementation and outcomes match the intention. The best way to do that is with continued consultation with GPs.’

Meanwhile, the new specialist service for children with ADHD would employ two GPs with a special interest in ADHD in public out-patient clinics across the state. 

To help them work to the top of scope, an amendment to the Poisons Act allowing GPs to prescribe stimulants independently for patients with ADHD is also expected to pass within the first 100 days, should the Government be re-elected. 

This comes as the RACGP has been calling for nationwide consistency in GPs’ role of diagnosing and managing ADHD, including being able to prescribe stimulants, and therefore improving treatment access for patients.

Dr Gardner said there are currently ‘too many’ barriers to treatment, particularly in rural and regional areas where getting appointments with specialists and the associated costs present challenges. 

‘This is a really important area where Tasmanians have said they need support,’ he said.

‘While we await further detail, we have said that GPs are ready to step up to help patients and their families with ADHD. 

‘It’s an area where GPs already give our patients a lot of support, and the ability to make access to medication less complex, expensive, and stressful for patients who need it is something we strongly support.’

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