With the final report of the Scope of Practice Review released today, the federal government must resist leading Australia down the same failed path followed by the UK, where the primary care system is in tatters.
The Australian Medical Association is urging the government to take a cautious approach in its response to Professor Mark Cormack's report , which includes several recommendations that would fragment patient care and undermine the key role of GPs in delivering high quality care for patients.
AMA President Dr Danielle McMullen said the report contained some positive ideas, but many of the recommendations appeared to suggest Australia should adopt an NHS-style approach that has doomed primary care in the UK.
"We have always been very supportive of enhancing collaborative multidisciplinary care and ensuring all health professionals can work to their full breadth of scope in primary care, but this requires better funding models and improvements to the many reforms currently underway in general practice, such as MyMedicare," Dr McMullen said.
"Australia already has a ten-year primary care strategy, which strongly emphasises the importance of general practice, and we must stick to that plan."
Dr McMullen called for genuine investment in general practice, with a major focus on building the GP workforce.
"The federal government has acknowledged there is a GP workforce shortage, but it must resist implementing band-aid solutions that will only make the situation worse, as seen in the UK," she said.
"Turning this shortage around requires comprehensive reform, involving greater investment in support measures for Australia's highly valued GPs."
The final report of the Scope of Practice Review recommends greater consistency in regulation across jurisdictions, which the AMA supports.
However, decisions about standards of training and clinical practice must be made by independent, profession-led bodies, not politicians, as the report suggests.
"Regulation of health professionals exists to protect the community and ensure the highest standards of care for patients, and this is not something that politicians should be meddling in," Dr McMullen said.
The AMA will continue working through the report, while continuing to advocate to the government for meaningful reforms that improve access to care for the community.
"It is important we focus on bolstering the GP workforce and improving access to team-based models of care, where GPs work closely with other healthcare professionals," Dr McMullen said.
