|
General Practice Supervision Australia (GPSA) has contributed to the 2024 pre-budget submissions to Treasury with a request for collaboration and consideration of the individuals on whose shoulders the future of primary healthcare in this country rests.
As the national peak for supervision teams providing the practice experiences that make up 85% of the GP registrar’s training, this not-for-profit organisation supports and represents 10,000+ members instrumental in developing a pipeline of future general practice specialists through medical student, prevocational and vocational placements.
"For far too long, the role our members play as the one constant in the fragmented journey the medical student takes from university to fellowship with one of the two GP specialty colleges has been overlooked, and subsequently undervalued,” says GPSA Chair, Dr Srishti Dutta.
GPSA maintains that training practices and general practice/rural generalist (GP/RG) supervisors need to be empowered through business incentives and a funding mechanism that recognises their role in line with consultants in the hospital context.
"From my experience in GP training across both the UK system and the various educational levels and vocational pathways here in Australia, there is one central tenet we need funders and the community to appreciate: the only way GP training can compete with other medical specialties in attracting healthcare workforce is if the end point of training is in and of itself attractive.”
"The doctor-in-training looks to the GPs and practice staff they have worked with along their journey for their role models and career inspiration. Until we stop reflecting financial strain and frustration with red tape, we struggle to communicate the passion and commitment needed to strengthen the GP pipeline.”
Instead of requesting any specific funding, the GPSA pre-budget submission calls for increased respect for GP supervision through cross-portfolio collaboration.
"Support for training practices should be approached not only as a health issue but one that impacts our communities from multiple perspectives.”
"Outside the Department of Health and Aged Care, we see the solution for increasing the general practice health workforce as one that needs equal contribution across Education, Finance, Employment and Workplace Relations, Infrastructure (Regional Development and Local Government), Home Affairs, and Treasury (Small Business),” says Dr Dutta.
The 2024 GPSA pre-budget submission can be viewed online here.
END
Media contact:
Pauline Ingham
Communications and Marketing Manager
General Practice Supervision Australia
E [email protected].au
M 0402 066 536
|
