The future of general practice depends on strong voices and perhaps it’s time to ask whether those voices are being heard.
I’ve been thinking about professional memberships lately.
As practice owners, GPs, and practice managers, we pay annual membership fees to a range of organisations. We invest because we believe they will advocate for us, represent our interests, and strengthen general practice.
But are we getting what we really need?
Are these organisations speaking loudly enough about the realities facing general practice?
Are they advocating strongly enough for practice managers, who are often responsible for compliance, workforce, finances, accreditation, cybersecurity, payroll, patient experience, and keeping practices operating every day?
Or have we reached a point where many of us feel like we’re navigating these challenges on our own?
Related
This isn’t about criticising any one organisation. Many do valuable work behind the scenes. It’s about asking an important question:
What does meaningful membership look like in 2026?
Should members expect:
• Stronger public advocacy?
• More influence with government?
• Practical resources that genuinely save time?
• Better support for practice managers?
• Greater transparency about what’s being achieved on behalf of members?
I’m genuinely interested in hearing different perspectives.
If you’re a GP, practice owner, practice manager, or work in primary care, do you feel your membership provides real value? What would you like your professional organisations to do differently?
The future of general practice depends on strong voices and perhaps it’s time to ask whether those voices are being heard.
Roxanne Suwas is a practice owner and practice management mentor. She is director of The Life of a Practice Manager, and Majesty Medical Corporations in Perth.
This article was first published on Ms Suwas’ LinkedIn feed. Read the original here.
