NoRDocs Facebook Group
Dr Louise Imlay-Gillespie is a haematologist in the Northern NSW Local Health District and is based at the Lismore Base Hospital. She is the founder of the Northern Rivers Doctors Facebook Group.
In December 2017 the Northern Rivers Doctors Facebook Group (NoRDocs) was officially launched. This group was conceived by a mixed group including GPs and hospital specialists alike. Since initiation it has grown quickly and already boasts more than 90 members. Membership is confined to doctors, past and present, working or living on the North Coast.
The group is intended to provide a space for Medical Practitioners from the Northern Rivers to communicate, collaborate and advocate on medical issues affecting our community. It is hoped that this will encompass the whole of the Northern Rivers region from Grafton to Tweed Heads. This is an independent group that is not affiliated with any organisation or government department.
Any member can contribute any post that is relevant to our medical community including educational articles, reports of services offered and upcoming events or meetings. It is hoped that there will be ‘champions’ for each region and specialty that will ensure content remains timely and useful to members of the group.
- Details
- Written by: Dr Louise Imlay-Gillespie
Govt moves to control after-hours cost blow-out
Following recommendations by the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) Review Taskforce the federal government is moving to reduce expenditure on often-notionally urgent after-hours home visits by doctors, which increased by 157 per cent between 2010–11 and 2016–17.
Announcing the changes, Health Minister Greg Hunt said, “There is no clinical explanation for the large increase, but rather the growth has been driven by a corporate model of largely advertising on the basis of convenience, rather than medical need.”
The changes are in response to concerns raised by GPs that some doctors who are not GPs are providing urgent after-hours care, and that some treatments being claimed as urgent are not genuinely urgent.
The minister explained that the Taskforce found access to urgent after-hours care should be used “only when necessary and that funding should be appropriate to the level of care being provided.”
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Doctors’ suicide risk report released
‘Culture’ and ‘compassion’ were the key themes raised in the final report of the National Forum on Reducing Risk of Suicide in the Medical Profession, released at the end of December 2017
The forum was convened in September by the AMA and Doctors’ Health Services Pty Ltd (DrHS), a subsidiary of the AMA that is funded by the Medical Board of Australia.
The report records the considerations and recommendations of the 82 doctors nominated by key medical stakeholder organisations who attended the forum.
Under the microscope were the individual, organisational, and environmental issues seen to impact negatively on the emotional health and wellbeing of doctors.
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Broadening Choices
Social Futures are seeking GPs for their family planning service in Lismore and Kyogle. The service offers women’s health and reproductive consultations, pregnancy and contraception advice (including an IUCD service), and STI checks.
Choices (formerly called the Family Planning Service) focuses on the needs of low-income families and bulk bills all consultations. The service was formed more than 30 years ago and many local female GPs have staffed the centre over the years.
- Details
- Written by: David Guest
Future Directions
On Thursday, 14 December 2017 the Northern Rivers General Practice Network is holding an evening meeting to discuss opportunities and potential new services for North Coast doctors. The meeting will start at 7 p.m. immediately following the NRGPN Annual General Meeting and will last for one hour.
Our presenters will each have 10 minutes to briefly outline their projects and there will be time at the end of the meeting for follow up questions and general discussion.
John Langill and Dr Chris Jambor from the North Coast GP Training kick off the evening with a talk about educational opportunities for North Coast doctors. It is envisaged that by leveraging NRGPN resources we will be able to get local talks and presentations to a wider audience than currently occurs.
- Details
- Written by: David Guest
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