The second day of the Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) annual conference GP25 features a major Queensland Government announcement on GP care for adult patients with ADHD, as well as another round of prominent leaders and health experts sharing their insights on how best to ensure the highest standard of patient care across Australia.
Today's speakers include Queensland Minister for Health and Ambulance Services, The Hon Timothy Nicholls, announcing the Queensland Government's bold reforms enabling specialist GPs to initiate, adjust and continue prescriptions for adult attention and hyperactivity disorder [ADHD] patients from 1 December this year.
Professor James Ward will discuss how to build health equity through research and health policy, and Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay will talk about embedding human rights in general practice care.
Dr Wright said the second day of GP25 features many promising events focused on high-quality patient care.
"As the front line of our health system, GPs need to be prepared for any situation. We know that every patient is different. Events like GP25 are a great opportunity to hear from experts and learn new ideas in providing the highest quality care for our patients.
"The second day of the conference includes a presentation on responding to young people presenting with self-harming behaviours and suicide risk, as well as a panel discussing patient perspectives on their experiences in general practice care and a presentation on effective cancer screening conversations with patients.
"There will also be sessions on ADHD management, which is timely given the Queensland Government's announcement today, and women's health, including postpartum contraception and experiences of postpartum care in general practice. In addition, day two of the conference will feature discussions on improving cervical screening participation amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and innovations in breast cancer screening."
The RACGP President said the second day of the conference also has a strong focus on the future of general practice care and securing the GP workforce so that no patients are left behind.
"All patients, no matter their where they live, must be able to access general practice care from a GP who knows them and their history," he said.
"The College threw our support behind the Federal Government's commitment to train 2000 new GPs every year by 2028 and incentivise more junior doctors to become specialist GPs.
"Day two of GP25 features a panel discussion looking at integrating multidisciplinary teams in general practice. We know that collaboration is key rather than fragmenting care.
"There is also a session on supporting GP registrars in managing complexity, which couldn't come at a more important time. An article in the November edition of Australia's leading general practice medical journal, The Australian Journal of General Practice, examined risk factors for burnout in GP registrars.
"The authors identified several factors including high workload. The good news is that we're making strong progress, with a recent survey of registrars finding that more than nine in 10 registrars are satisfied with RACGP training.
"Another presentation will explore improving the experience of international medical graduates [IMGs], which refers to doctors who come to Australia to work from overseas. These doctors are particularly critical for rural and remote communities, and the RACGP is acting decisively to simplify our processes for IMGs to get more GPs into communities that need them right away."
Day two of GP25 will see a series of research showcases delve into the experiences of registrars taking part in the Australian General Practice Training (AGPT) Program, which the RACGP is responsible for leading.
Another symposium, led by Professor Catherine Jones, will closely examine the National Lung Cancer Screening Program, and how best to support clinical decision-making, and enhance early detection of lung cancer.
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