Liberal health spokesperson Leanne Castley, general practice owners Dr Mel Deery and Dr John Deery, and Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee. Photo: Ian Bushnell.
The battle for the health vote between the major parties has intensified with the Canberra Liberals committing to continuing the nurse-led Walk-in Centre model and adding general practitioners to the four community health centres already planned by the government.
Despite being critical of the nurse-led walk-in model in the past, the Liberals now say they will remain “in the near future”, although they will conduct a review of their operation if they win government.
However, the policy announcement was focused on increasing the number of GPs and appointments in the ACT.
A Liberal government will employ GPs at the new health centres in South Tuggeranong, West Belconnen, North Gungahlin and the Inner South. Labor has selected sites in Conder, McNamara, Casey and Griffith.
Under the Liberals, these will also be Walk-in Centres where doctors and nurses will work side by side. Medical imaging services will be delivered at the West Belconnen and South Tuggeranong clinics.
In a bid to attract more GPs to the ACT to practice, the Liberals will pay up to $100,000 of HECS debt for up to 30 new GPs for a five-year commitment to practising in the ACT.
They will boost funding for a research chair for general practice with the ANU Medical School as a way to encourage doctors to specialise in general practice in the ACT.
There will also be incentives for practices to stay open after hours to reduce the burden on emergency departments, operating much like the Canberra After hours Locum Medical Service (CALMS).
The policy announcement restated the Liberals’ commitment to exempt general practice from payroll tax, which doctors have been calling for.
The Liberals will also legislatate so GPs can prescribe for and diagnose attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and expand the scope of practice for pharmacists.
Announcing the policy at the YourGP practice in Crace, Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee said these initiatives would deliver more than 200,000 GP visits each year and reduce ED waiting times by expanding the availability of GPs and strengthening after-hours care.
“We value our GPs. We value our nurses. We know that an ACT government can do more to ensure that all Canberrans have access to great healthcare when and where they need it,” she said.
Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith says the Liberals can’t be trusted to keep the nurse-led Walk-in Centres. Photo: Ian Bushnell.
Health spokesperson Leanne Castley rejected criticism that changing the health centre model would fragment care, saying it would provide more of a wrap-around service.
“It’s about keeping that nurse-led model and incorporating GPs to work with nurses,” she said. “We know that that’s a really awesome model.”
Ms Castley said the commitment was that the nurse-led Walk-in Centres would remain in the near future, but a review was needed to ensure facilities were up to scratch, nurse practitioners had the scope of practice they needed, and to know the actual cost of the service.
“We can’t even find out from the government the cost of a visit to the nurse-led Walk-in Centre,” she said.
YourGP co-owner and chair of the Australian General Practice Alliance Dr John Deery welcomed the Liberal policies.
“These are remarkably sensible ideas,” he said.
“It’s very clear that every dollar invested in general practice saves $10 in hospital.
“There’s a really good shot at both in the short term increasing the numbers of GPs in Canberra, and also in the long term.”
Dr Deery said many medical graduates did not stay in Canberra.
“The rates of GPs per capita in Canberra are probably quite similar to the rates of GPs per capita in regional Australia as well, despite this being in a metro zone area,” he said.
Dr Deery said exempting GPs from payroll tax also had the potential to attract more GPs to Canberra.
He said the tax had massively disrupted general practice services in Canberra.
“It’s caused a massive disenfranchisement of GPs across the country and Canberra,” Dr Deery said.
“Specifically, we’ve already had GPs leave our business to go to other states where there’s more favourable policies towards payroll tax.”
Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said the Liberals could not be trusted to keep the Walk-in Centre model.
“The Canberra Liberals have spent years denigrating our nurse-led Walk-in Centres, describing them as nothing more than a bit of Dettol and a BandAid.
“They’re not committed to the model. They’re actually committed to a politically motivated review of the model and they’re saying they want to do something else as well that is completely unachievable.”
Ms Stephen-Smith said it was also unclear what would happen to multidisciplinary care in these hybrid centres.
She said Labor’s $4 million package supported the retention and attraction of GP registrars in the ACT, and the Canberra Health Services internship scheme would give GP placements the chance to understand what a rewarding career it is.
Mr Stephen-Smith said any tax exemption needed to have a public benefit, which was why Labor’s payroll tax concession was tied to bulk-billing.
Labor has promised $11 million to boost bulk billing, while the Greens want to establish four bulk-billing GP clinics.
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