Proposing reforms to after-hours care and reducing hospital readmissions, were highlights of the RACGP’s visit to WA politicians.
The Western Australian parliament is set to receive a GP checkup today – not just on politicians, but the health system at large.
Seven GP delegates, representing the RACGP, plan to provide routine checkups for state officials including risk assessment for diabetes, heart disease, and high cholesterol.
Four reform priorities will take centre stage, with a focus on preventative measures to improve access to general practice along with reducing ambulance ramping and hospitalisations.
The introduction of an incentive for GP consults for patients within a week of leaving hospital was proposed, with research showing that these specialist visits can reduce readmissions by up to 32%.
“We certainly feel that reducing hospital readmissions is a key aspect of state health and reducing the number of ED presentations,” RACGP vice president and WA chair Dr Ramya Raman told The Medical Republic.
“This is data that has come from the Lumos [study], which has been embraced by New South Wales Health and is something that is already in place in New South Wales, and we feel it would be beneficial if WA Health were to consider it.”
After-hours care was also stated to be in high demand by the college, prompting the RACGP to push for more funding to cover the additional costs including staffing.
“Over 60% of Australians report they’ve accessed after-hour care within [the past] five years, mostly between 6pm and 11pm,” Dr Raman told TMR.
“Despite this demand … [the] limited available funding prevents many … existing practices from offering affordable after-hours services.
“Introduction of the after-hours GP grant would enable extended opening hours, whether it be on weeknights or weekends, and specifically in WA we’re talking about remote locations and rural locations.
“The funding would help to offset the extra costs of staffing, the on-call allowances, as well as the operating costs of a practice specifically for longer hours and after hours.”
Vaccines were also on the table today, with calls for the provision of free access to RSV and Meningococal B vaccines, which has been touted to mitigate healthcare costs and save lives.
The RACGP also proposed the introduction of a Chief GP Advisor within WA Health, which it said would improve hospital and primary care collaboration.
“As a practising GP, I know the number of patients I’m trying to keep out of hospital, but we could certainly improve our interoperability and our communication processes between the hospital as well as primary care,” Dr Raman told TMR.
“The chief GP role is a conduit for that, including the enablement of better technology, medical record integration into services, and ultimately, why are we doing all of this for better patient outcomes and keeping patients out of hospital.”
