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General Practice Supervision Australia (GPSA) has long been recognised as the national peak for GP supervision, focused on activities funded through the Australian General Practice Training (AGPT) Program. The other key business of this long-running organisation is that of a membership body representing current and future GP supervisors and training practice managers whose contribution to primary healthcare extends across the entire educational spectrum.
It is in this capacity that GPSA is heartened by the acknowledgement of GP supervisors and practice teams in the recently published Medical Deans Australia and New Zealand (MDANZ) Position Paper - Doctors our Communities Need: Building, Sustaining and Supporting the General Practice Workforce in Australia and New Zealand, further echoed in a recent statement issued by RACGP.
“The MDANZ Position Paper recognises our members as fundamental to the development of the future GP workforce. This paper is also a nod to GPSA’s value in the collaborative process and we are really encouraged by the comprehensive recommendations made,” says Dr Kevin Arlett, Chair of GPSA.
“Although not a blueprint for fixing all the problems we face currently, it is a pleasing step forward; as outlined in ACRRM's response, more still needs to be done to secure a workforce for communities across rural Australia.
“I'd strongly suggest our members read the full MDANZ report, noting recommendations 3, 7 and 8, and give thought to how they might contribute to the aims."
Recommendation 8 of the MDANZ paper highlights a key point of GPSA advocacy: calling for GP teaching activities to be remunerated at a level better reflecting the time and energy invested in medical students and prevocational learners within the practice setting. This further aligns with the GPSA position that supervision in general practice should be captured and paid through MBS as an extension of the fee-for-service model.
"As we see it, medical students and junior doctors are more likely to be attracted to a well-supported end-point of training than to a profession in crisis," says Dr Arlett
GPSA is committed to enabling high quality, sustainable supervision of tomorrow’s primary health workforce.
“We are really well positioned as a sector conduit, connecting our members with each other, DOHAC, and with other stakeholders. Broad collaboration is the only way we can tackle the inefficiencies and burdens of this fragmented educational space. Seeing this collaborative intent embedded in such an influential paper is finally giving the individuals GPSA supports the recognition they deserve.
“We are very excited that GPSA members are at last being valued as stakeholders central to GP Training and the future of the profession."
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Media contact:
Pauline Ingham
Communications and Marketing Manager
General Practice Supervision Australia
E [email protected].au
M 0402 066 536
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