December 2005 GPDV Board summary 1. Election of office holders The board elected the following members as office holders for the year to the AGM in 2006 Dr John Meaney (Chair) 2. Division Board visits The board agreed, after three years' operation, to review the board visiting program. 3. Representation Program The board agreed to formalise the process for assessing the quality of our representation, including the views of the requesting organisations. 4. IMIT The Board received a briefing from Chris on the progress of the negotiations with DoHA on the Divisions Information Management Strategy and the $7 million funding for the Divisions Network and considered the implications for the network and Victorian divisions. The board noted that negotiations are still proceeding and agreed that more information about this strategy must be a priority issue at the ASBO meeting in February. 5. Divisions Network positions on issues The development and publication of the position paper on primary health care suggested that, although there was consultation with the Network over a lengthy period on the content of the paper, there is still a need for an agreed process for the final sign-off on papers in the name of the Network. The Board agreed to put this on the agenda for the next ASBO meeting. 6. Opiate Substitution Therapy The Board agreed to support the approach to Minister Pike for state funding for the dispensing of opiate substitution therapies. 7. Proposal from the Lymphoedema Association of Victoria (LAV) The Board discussed the appropriateness of lymphoedema as a topic for GP education through divisions and agreed to accept the offer of the LAV to roll out the project. This project offers an opportunity to develop a framework for the roll-out through divisions of similar projects statewide. The project could be modelled on the current successful Hep C education project. 8. GPR/HSD The HSD has gone live as scheduled. The board agreed to encourage divisions to keep their member databases up-to-date and inform HSD about new members. 9. Emergency and disaster planning The Board received an update on the SHERP and on planning for pandemic flu. GPDV will Bill has had meetings with DHS Emergency Management Branch and with Bill Keon, Municipal Emergency Response Officer (MERO) at Melbourne City Council. At both meetings the view was expressed that the most important role for GPs in an emergency will be to keep their practices operating. GPDV is a member of the DHS Pandemic Flu Committee which manages planning for Pandemic Flu as a sub-plan of the SHERP. In discussion of the role of divisions the board noted that divisions should focus on developing their own plan in conjunction with their local hospital and local government. GPDV is advising divisions that are less advanced in their local planning to contact those divisions that have already developed their plans to a considerable extent and to take advantage of the DHS presentations that they have made available to interested divisions. 10. Health Assist Line (HAL) Bill reported that the DHS HAL reference group, of which he is a member, has not met although this was originally proposed for December. 12. VGPA The Board noted that meetings in 2006 will be more formally structured and limited to two representatives of each organisation to achieve more continuity of membership. 13. Refugees not eligible for Medicare The Board agreed to refer this issue to the next ASBO meeting for action at national level. Victorian Metropolitan Alliance The board resolved to support the tender by the Victorian Metropolitan Alliance to continue to deliver services from 2007 - 2010.
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