In their third annual visit to parliament, WA GPs are calling for reduced hospital burden, expanded ADHD training and a voice in government.
Western Australian GPs descended on Parliament House today as part of the RACGP’s annual MP health check-up.
The delegation was led by RACGP WA deputy chair Dr Julia Rawlinson and WA provost Dr Tim Koh.
The college set out three priorities.
The first was to introduce a ‘Hospital to GP Transfer of Care’ pilot program, alongside a funding incentive for GPs who see patients within a week of unplanned hospital discharge.
“We know that if patients being discharged from hospital see a GP within seven days of their hospital discharge, we can reduce readmission rates by about 7%,” Dr Rawlinson said.
She told TMR that patient visits to a GP within four weeks of hospital discharge could reduce readmission rates by 22% to 30%, offering significant cost savings.
The priority was developed in response to unprecedented ambulance wait times and increased strain on tertiary hospitals.
Related
Priority number two was securing an additional $350,000 in funding to expand the ADHD GP training program and deliver 100 more qualified GPs by June 2027.
“We’ve already qualified our initial 64 GPs. It’s about expanding that system so that we can have more patients able to access that diagnosis and prescribing opportunity through their primary care provider,” Dr Rawlinson said.
WA was the first jurisdiction to act on expanding GP ADHD prescribing scope, and it’s also home to more than half of Australia’s highest ADHD prescription-dispensing neighbourhoods.
The third priority was to establish a chief GP advisor within the WA Department of Health to place GPs at the centre of health reform – a move the college said would strengthen collaboration and improve coordination between primary and tertiary healthcare.
As it stands, Victoria is the only state to have an established chief general practice advisor since 2023.
“Good investment in primary care is the best value you can get in the health system pathway, and we’re reinforcing that today in our visit at Parliament,” Dr Rawlinson said.
