Australian Doctor 3rd November 2023 3rd Nov 23 | Page 8

8 NEWS
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8 NEWS

3 NOVEMBER 2023 ausdoc . com . au

GPs shut out of urgent care deal

Dr Kerrie Aust .
Sarah Simpkins A MEDICARE urgent care clinic contract
worth $ 7.1 million has gone to five nurse-led walk-in centres with no plans to recruit any GPs .
The ACT Government – funded clinics , staffed by nurses and nurse practitioners , treat around 300 Canberrans a day for minor ailments like gastroenteritis , respiratory infections and simple fractures .
Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler has confirmed the Federal Government has chosen them as part
of its $ 135 million plan to establish 58 urgent care clinics across Australia .
It follows an in-principle deal from earlier this year — except the original proposal suggested a single GP would start working part-time across the five clinics .
Australian Doctor understands that this pledge to recruit a GP has been scrapped .
Instead , the clinics will attempt to recruit a radiographer , sonographer , physiotherapist and three more nurse practitioners by 2024 .
Mr Butler said the contract would also cover new ultrasound and imaging equipment at one nurse clinic at Weston Creek .
But GP Dr Kerrie Aust , president elect of AMA ACT , said GP practices had the staff , equipment and infrastructure for urgent care already .
“ GPs already do a huge amount of urgent care work ,” she said .
“ We do fracture management ; we suture up wounds ; we manage UTIs .
“ We have clinics that are co-located with radiology and pathology .
“ We have the infrastructure and skills , but we don ’ t have the funding .
“ Now , the funding has been stripped out yet again .”
Dr Aust said politicians had ignored doctors ’ pleas to support local GP practices or run an open tender for the contract .
“ We asked them to discuss with us options for utilising existing GP infrastructure throughout the ACT to provide urgent care clinics ,” she said .
“ That has not been explored by the government .
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Practice $ 500,000 in debt

Sarah Simpkins A MUMS and bubs GP practice and charity owes potentially $ 500,000 to creditors , including the federal Department of Health and Aged Care , administrators say .
Possums for Mothers and Babies clinic , founded by GP Dr Pamela Douglas 12 years ago , had also offered training courses for doctors before it entered voluntary administration in August .
In a statement on her personal website , Dr Douglas said she had resigned from the clinic back in January because of concerns about its “ direction ”.
The clinic likely traded while insolvent .
A creditors ’ meeting has heard that the Brisbane practice had proven debts to the health department of around $ 279,750 and to the Australian Taxation Office of around $ 172,000 .
Australian Doctor has asked the department for further detail of the debt . Minutes showed the company also owed around $ 2000 in unpaid superannuation to staff , while Dr Douglas was also listed as a creditor , with $ 22,000 owed to her .
Administrator Scott Clout said the majority of the clinic ’ s debt was incurred more than a year before it entered administration .
He noted that the company had likely traded while insolvent .
Mr Clout told creditors that doctors who had bought training courses and other products from the Possums website were entitled to submit a claim for money owed as the company liquidated .
He told Australian Doctor that Possums had employed around five contracted clinicians and eight staff .