ACT Medicare Local (ACTML) welcomes the announcement of funding to general practices in the ACT for thirty projects through the fourth round of the ACT Government’s GP Development Fund. The Fund provides grants to support general practice infrastructure, teaching and learning outcomes, practice innovation and provision of primary healthcare services.
ACTML Chair Dr Rashmi Sharma says support from the ACT Government is critical in addressing workforce capacity issues.
“We support the GP Development Fund as it assists general practice to attract, retain and develop our workforce,” said ACTML Chair Dr Rashmi Sharma.
Improvements funded through this round include a variety of small medical equipment, measures to improve patient safety and access, additional IT to support GPs visiting nursing home patients, GP relocation assistance, and increased educational opportunities for GP practice personnel.
The practices successful in the GP Development Fund Round 4 were Chifley Family Practice, City Family Practice, Companion House Medical Service, Conder Surgery, Dickson Medical & Travel Clinic, Dr Ian Brown, Fadden Medical Centre, Florey Medical Centre, Gungahlin Medical Centre, Gungahlin Medical Practice, Hughes Family Practice, Isabella Plains Medical Centre, Kaleen Family Practice, Kambah Village Medical Practice, Mawson Medical Centre, Tuggeranong Family Medical Practice, Tuggeranong Square Medical Practice, Wakefield Gardens Surgery, West Belconnen Health Cooperative, and Watson Medical Centre.
To address GP workforce shortages, ACTML continues to work in partnership with the ACT Government Health Directorate to attract and retain GPs to the Canberra region.
“Our ongoing and active marketing campaign to recruit GPs to the ACT using online, print and face-to-face contact has reaped real results. Last financial year we successfully recruited 11 GPs to Canberra which improved the access of the residents of the ACT region to first-class GP services; over 35 GPs in total have been recruited through this marketing campaign since 2008,” said Dr Sharma.
“We will continue the face-to-face arm of our campaign at the General Practitioner Conference and Exhibition 2011 (GPCE11) in Melbourne later this week. Our GP Marketing and Support Advisor will be co-exhibiting with the ACT Government’s Live in Canberra team to encourage GPs to relocate to Canberra,” said Dr Sharma.
“This follows the success we had earlier this year at GPCE11 Sydney, where 30 GPs expressed a genuine interest in relocating to Canberra,” said Dr Sharma.
GPCE11 will be held 11 – 13 November 2011 at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre. The GP Development Fund is a four-year bi-annual grants pool totalling more than $4 million to develop the general practice workforce. Applications for Round 5 open on 4 February 2012 and close on 2 March 2012. Details are available at www.health.act.gov.au/gpdevelopmentfund