GPDV BOARD
MEETING SUMMARY
Friday 13 June 2003
GP role in emergency responses
The board decided to reschedule the August Forum to 14 September because it would have been one week after the Division Summit and divisions might be reluctant to spend two weekends in a row at meetings. The board decided that the Report of the Review of the Role of Divisions would be a good topic for September, if it is released at the new promised date in late June or early July. If the report is not released before the Forum the role of GPs in a response to emergencies, would be a suitable topic. The board also noted an important issue for a future Forum would be data collection and coding.
The board received Nola�s and Bill�s report on the SBO/ADGP regular meeting in Canberra on 6-7 June and noted the written report attached to the agenda. In discussion the board noted that the importance of extending the CDM contract past its current funded period which ends in June 2004. As the Medicare package is unworkable in its current state, GPDV will encourage submissions to the Senate Select Committee by 18 June. The board noted that there is a need for ADGP to improve communication with SBOs and divisions, especially on what they are talking to the government about and what positions ADGP is advocating.
The advisory committee for the review of ADGP�s constitution, on which Bill is one of the SBO representatives, has issued a discussion paper for comment by 1 July. The committee has decided not to include the federated model in the list of options for membership of ADGP. Under the proposed model SBOs will be members of ADGP in a separate category from divisions; the ADGP board will be reduced to nine members and will have one member from each State, not a rural and metro representative for each state, and one non-GP member. The board agreed to encourage Victorian divisions to respond to the discussion paper and to be ready to respond to the next draft, expected in mid-July.
It is not clear how the Collaboratives developed by Dr John Oldham for the British NHS, particularly the Advanced Access which seems to have political priority, will be implemented in Australia.
The John Aloizos Medal will be awarded annually at the ADGP Forum for outstanding service to general practice and the Divisions Program.
The board received a report from Nola and Bill on the discussion at the SBO/ADGP meeting on 6-7 June and noted that
SBOs from all states agreed to ask divisions in their states to contribute to a fighting fund for the case in the same way that Victorian divisions have; and
As the potential loss of charitable status through being held to be an arm of government will affect all divisions, GPDV agreed to seek financial support from those Victorian divisions that have not contributed to the Victorian case because they did not expect to reach the payroll threshold for liability for payroll tax.
GP role in emergency responses
The board received Bill and Nola�s report on the ACT Division/SBO presentation on its part in the response to the bushfires in Canberra and outlined the lessons learned for future crises of all kinds. The board agreed that there is clearly a role for divisions in the development of local emergency plans, and for GPDV in working on the plan with the Public Health Division of DHS to ensure that state emergency plans include divisions.
GPDV has no current links with Displan Victoria and it is important to develop these links to clarify GPs role in any displan actions. GPDV will write to Displan Victoria to inform them about the value of divisions in communicating with GPs and to suggest that pharmacist also be involved through the Guild.
The board received Sharon�s report about changes to the funding for rural GP education at the Monash Simulation Centre. The changes will restrict access to the Centre for rural GPs and, even more, for nurses, which will reduce the Centre�s emphasis on GPs and nurses working together in crisis situations.
Nola reported that she has forwarded GPDVs concerns to the RDAV about the possible loss of this highly regarded service.
The board expressed its support for this important training tool for nurses and GPs and decided to contact RDAV and Chris Pearce for an update on their action and to support Brendan Flanaghan at the Simulation Centre.