The Productivity Commission has been laid into by the RACGP for failing to tackle preventive and culturally sensitive care.
The RACGP has called out the Productivity Commission for a lack of focus on prevention, noting in a new submission that it “did not see any specific recommendations that will encourage the realignment of Australia’s healthcare system”.
The college extended its support to the Commission’s recommendations on proposing improved collaborative partnerships and a National Prevention Investment Framework.
GP representation on the proposed Prevention Framework Advisory Board was also asked by the college to ensure recognition of general practice’s role in preventive healthcare and “to ensure appropriate and effective prevention programs are funded and maintained”.
The RACGP also highlighted a need to embed cultural safety into productivity reforms.
“I think productivity reforms must embed cultural safety from the outset and actively pursue that, because it helps to improve health equity,” RACGP vice president Dr Ramya Raman told The Medical Republic.
“These elements are not optional, they’re actually essential for meaningful and sustainable, sustainable productivity gains, and we see that on the ground, with our patients having a really great understanding and embedding that from the outset.
“That means there is better continuity for patients to come back and seek out that care and ensure that they follow through with the health outcomes as well.”
Many of the key recommendations provided to the Productivity Commission were not addressed in the ‘Delivering quality care more efficiently’ interim report released last month.
Investing more into general practice as a central point for health has been pushed by the RACGP as the solution to introduce needed reforms.
Related
“We are hopeful our submission has emphasised the foundational role of specialist general practitioners in the provision of effective and efficient care,” the RACGP submission said.
Indigenous representation in the Prevention Framework Advisory Board was also a key recommendation, with the RACGP urging the commission to consider the four priority reform areas of Closing the Gap in the establishment of any preventive health initiatives.
This would ensure that the framework honours existing commitments from the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health plan 2021-2031.
With the projected increase of chronic health conditions, several recommendations were also given for preventive health regarding an expansion of nationally and locally implemented initiative for social prescribing and investment into disadvantaged areas.
“Preventative care is actually core focus of what happens in general practice,” Dr Raman told TMR.
“It’s not necessarily something that we do just as a one off, but instead, it’s actually embedded within most, if not all of the consultations.
“We are quite central in delivering that effective, efficient and equitable care.”
