1. Proposed funding for positions at GPDV
DHS are proposing to have two part time positions located at GPDV: GP Education on Hepatitis C and GP Education in Palliative Care. The palliative care position will be relevant to the Aged Care panels and other work being done in divisions and at GPDV on palliative care.

DHS Communicative Diseases Section of Public Health Branch has proposed a half-time position at GPDV to manage a program through divisions of GP education on Hepatitis C.

2. SBO/ADGP Meeting
The board received Nola's report on the SBO/ADGP Coalition meeting on 4-5 November.

1. Western Australian SBO: A WA representative, Anna Roberts, was in attendance. Her position is being funded through ADGP. The interim SBO has only two staff and various divisions in WA have taken responsibility for specifically funded programs. It was noted that the Queensland SBO tried this model previously and it did not work well. It has not been determined if this will be the permanent structure in Western Australia, but it will be reviewed by DoHA in 2005.

2. IMIT Funding: A joint proposal to DoHA is being drafted by Tasmania and Queensland for further IMIT funding. This paper will challenge DoHA's view that they are getting little return on the money that has been spent on IMIT within divisions. Responsibility at DoHA for IMIT in the Divisions Program has now been moved to Rob Wooding who is also responsible for the GPCG.

3. Divisions and accreditation: DoHA visit to Victoria
The board received Bill's update on Susan's visit to Qld, and the accreditation meeting with DoHA. Susan discussed Victoria's experience with accreditation at the Qld forum and was well received. The four Victorian divisions that have been accredited - Whitehorse, NW Melbourne, Dandenong and Inner Eastern Melbourne - met last week with DoHA to give an overview of their experiences with accreditation.

4. Victorian GP Alliance
The board received Nola's report on the 9 November meeting. This meeting had a strong rural favour to it and discussed CHCs, Associate Professors in major metro hospitals, and rural procedural training positions. The next meeting of the VACGP will be held in March at GPDV.

5. Nurse Practitioners
John McEncroe reported that the nurse practitioner project appears to have ended. There are still issues of workforce, training and retention for nurses and a number of legal problems appear to be insolvable. Four nurses have been recommended by the Nurses Board for endorsement as nurse practitioners, in the following areas:
• Intensive care liaison (Melbourne)
• Wound Management (Warrnambool)
• Two in adolescent health (Melbourne)
These recommendations are before the Minister.  There are also three documents “before the Minister” for endorsement including the final DHS evaluation of the nurse practitioner demonstration projects that was conducted from 2000 to 2004.