GP infrastructure
Budget update (May 2010): The Commonwealth has announced $355 million for improved GP infrastructure. They will build 23 new superclinics, and provide grants of up to $500,000 to more than 400 existing practices.
Dr Pesce said the Government’s announcement of $355 million to support GP infrastructure falls short of the AMA recommendation on GP infrastructure, yet has the potential to assist some GP practices.
“In relation to the expansion of the Government’s GP Super Clinics program, the AMA advises close consultation with the medical profession prior to deciding the location of these clinics to ensure they complement existing GP services, not compete with them.
“In this regard, the Government needs to be mindful of the difficulties experienced in the rollout of the first tranche of Super Clinics.”
NHHRC recommendation 17: “We recommend that, in its expanded role, the Commonwealth should encourage and actively foster the widespread establishment of Comprehensive Primary Health Care Centres and Services. We suggest this could be achieved through a range of mechanisms including initial fixed establishment grants on a competitive and targeted basis."
NHHRC recommendation 97: “Additional capital investment will be required on a transitional basis to facilitate our recommendations. In particular, we recommend that priority areas for new capital investment should include:
- the establishment of Comprehensive Primary Health Care Centres and Services;
- an expansion of sub-acute services including both inpatient and community-based services;
- investments to support expansion of clinical education across clinical service settings; and
- targeted investments in public hospitals to support reshaping of roles and functions, clinical process redesign and a reorientation towards community-based care; and
- capital can be raised through both government and private financing options.
“The ongoing cost of capital should be factored into all service payments."
The NHHRC report recommends 300 comprehensive primary care centres be established, with $1 million each in seed funding (NHHRC, p. 255).
AMA recommends general practice infrastructure grants totalling $830 million over three years in order to kick-start the facilities required to teach and train and provide comprehensive multidisciplinary care through general practice.
Dr Steve Hambleton, AMA Vice President, said, "There are multiple GP Super Clinics springing up all around the country which, in many cases, are more likely to be competing with existing GP practices than enhancing them. In our Priority Investment Plan, the AMA has already called for $830 million over the next three years to enhance GP infrastructure.This could support more community-based training, more on-site collaborative care, more virtual consolidation and coordination with other services and more practice nurse services" (Australian Medicine, 14 December 2009).
