Investment In Nurses Should Focus On General Practice Teams, Says Royal Australian College Of General Practitioners

Main Category: Nursing / Midwifery
Also Included In: Primary Care / General Practice
Article Date: 30 Oct 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) supports the valuable role played by nurses in Australian general practice and is encouraged to see the Australian Government commit additional funds to train highly skilled nurses.

"While we welcome this investment, we also need to ensure the ongoing sustainability of our profession. We need to see 100 additional general practice training places made available to ensure that young doctors in training who want to work as general practitioners are not turned away from their career of choice," said Dr Chris Mitchell, RACGP President and GP in Northern NSW .

"Investing in general practice nurses is a start, but we need broader investment that boosts general practice and delivers a more efficient and equitable health care system. Even in the absence of this investment there are already many examples of general practices making the best of a challenging situation and implementing innovation in teamwork, patient care and new practice models.

"The Australian Government needs a partnership with general practice to invest in what works to improve the health of our nation. The RACGP supports multidisciplinary care teams in general practice, where that team is led by the general practitioner."

The RACGP, together with the Royal College of Nursing, Australia, is a leader in the enhancement of the role of nurses in general practice teams.

"The strength of general practice derives from the relationships GPs establish with our patients over time. We need systems that provide incentives to patients and GPs to build on this continuity of care.

"The RACGP believes that the future of general practice lies in teams and teamwork that supports the trusted relationship between patients and their GP."

The RACGP, as a founding member of United General Practice Australia has called for an increase the number of general practice nurses and better support for their role.

United General Practice Australia believes that the provision of quality primary healthcare in Australia led by GPs requires:

- a multi disciplinary integrated team based approach
- investment in the teaching and training of health professionals in general practices
- better linkages between general practice and other healthcare providers
- ability to use data to drive quality improvement in patient care

You can read more about United General Practice Australia here: http://www.racgp.org.au/ugpa

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is responsible for maintaining standards for quality clinical practice, education and training, and research in Australian general practice. The RACGP has the largest general practitioner membership of any medical organisation in Australia and represents the majority of Australia's general practitioners.

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners

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