Most of my consultations fall |
The red tape that broke the GP ’ s back |
into the complex mental health spaces you describe .
I do adverse childhood experiences scores on all of these patients , and most are in the above 6 category , with about a dozen at 10 .
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Paperwork headaches with $ 300 aged care incentive mean GPs ‘ paid less to do more ’
Aged care has become like a bad debt : it is not worth the effort to chase the money for the extra payments .
Firstly , with this new system , it is the registration involved , then locating the care plans and medication reviews that are buried somewhere in the nursing notes and then having to see the patients twice a quarter , every quarter and on separate months .
Some of my aged care patients are seen every week . These are the frail and unwell . I speak to their nurses nearly every day .
Others we see once every six months .
For me , aged care is my charity work if I decide to continue doing it . What I have decided is that I already spend enough time on these patients without the extra paperwork the government is now demanding .
Dr Donna Booth GP , Maitland , NSW
I have been doing nursing home work as part of my practice for over 30 years .
As the red tape has progressively increased for both the facilities and GPs , I have held fast that this is a necessary and fundamental part of general practice . It can be very satisfying work .
However , it looks very much like this last bureaucratic masterstroke will tip the balance for me — as I expect it will for many other GPs .
Someone needs to be congratulated for hammering the final nail into GP aged care .
Dr Anthony Giordano GP , Taree , NSW
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Wasting time in a fractured system Urgent care clinics accused of failing to provide proper clinical handover to GPs
I had a patient who attended an urgent care clinic with a fractured distal radius .
While the patient praised their prompt assessment and treatment , there was no referral to the fracture clinic , no correspondence to their GP .
When the patient approached them for further advice , they were directed to their GP ( me ) to sort it out .
A discharge / referral letter written in two minutes could have saved the taxpayer a decent bundle on the time
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I subsequently spent on detective work , chasing information to manage this patient .
Two minutes versus the combined six hours spent by the 24 patients who had to wait another 15 minutes to see me while I went on the treasure hunt .
Dr Alexander Ha GP , Moreton Bay , Qld
The concept of urgent care is a promising initiative that addresses a clear and growing demand .
Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler ’ s efforts and the public ’ s generally positive reception highlight its potential value to the healthcare system . However , its success hinges on meticulous execution and adherence to high clinical governance standards .
We need to establish a robust auditing process to ensure urgent care centres consistently deliver the services they are mandated to provide .
For years , both the public and healthcare professionals have sought viable solutions for urgent afterhours care — often unmet by regular GP services .
While there may be initial challenges in implementing these centres , such setbacks should not lead to abandoning a sound concept .
Instead , lessons should be drawn from cases like the Bundaberg Urgent Care Clinic to pave the way for long-term success .
Dr Duc Pham GP , Vincentia , NSW
Urgent care clinics , just like the National Disability Insurance Scheme , need a proper governing structure .
To my knowledge , as an afterhours deputising service doctor working on weekends and at unsociable times , not every urgent care clinic is open 24 / 7 , and the ones in my area certainly have no pathology / radiology service connected directly to them .
Dr Frankson Cai Medical practitioner , Melbourne , Vic
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How to ask the important questions She returned home to sleep a few floors above her abuser — I hoped she wouldn ’ t become a dreaded statistic
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Thank you for bringing up this sad topic , Dr Isabelle Schupak .
We have just developed a sexual assault and domestic and family violence course at UNSW Sydney because there was essentially no training before .
I have developed specific workshops on how to ask women , like the patient described in your story , how they came to have these injuries .
We practise the wording and teach trauma-informed care .
I recall zero teaching as a medical student and was shocked to find it was still the same , at least at UNSW Sydney .
Well , not now ! We are really trying .
Dr Sue Britton GP , Sydney , NSW
His stand could make the sky fall An anti-vax conspiracy theorist could become Trump ’ s health tsar — what it means for Aussie doctors
The insanity of this anti-Trump rhetoric is , itself , almost mainstream now , and insanity should never be mainstream .
The sky will not fall if Robert F Kennedy Jr gets the job as US Health Secretary .
Unfortunately , his consistent stance against Big Pharma , the highly processed food industry and
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the poor US ( read Australian too ) dietary guidelines makes that quite unlikely .
He has many powerful and wealthy enemies who are firmly in the pocket of the Republicans , who will get to vote for or against his appointment .
Do you really think they are not behind his witch-hunt in the mainstream media ?
It is precisely his stand on preventive health issues that makes him the best possible person for the job , maybe ever .
Dr Louis Fenelon GP , Gold Coast , Qld
He is the only one saying they need to make Americans healthier by avoiding preventable diseases ? I would call that common sense , not a conspiracy theory .
But , Dr Louis Fenelon , you are not aware of the extent of Kennedy Jr ’ s conspiratorial thinking .
His “ stand on preventive health issues ” could threaten one of the most effective and cost-effective preventive health measures of all time : controlled water fluoridation .
His comments about ultra-processed food are on point , but he has no mechanism with which to counter the poverty that leads to poor dietary patterns .
But if he succeeds in reducing vaccination rates in the US , the sky will fall for those children with preventable infections .
Dr Sue Ieraci Emergency medicine , Sydney , NSW
Learning healthy habits When patients stroke our ego , do we end up treating them or serving ourselves ?
So thought-provoking , Dr Craig Lilienthal .
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Identifying the high scores helps you to understand the way they approach life and the way their brain responds to inputs . It is fundamental to separate out the self within the consultations .
It takes a long time before you earn their trust to the point where you can begin to encourage change . Boundaries are essential in this phase .
In some ways , we are re-parenting them as they never had the stability in childhood to develop habits that serve us well as adults . I get incredible job satisfaction watching their life trajectories change over the years . And I also enjoy the clinical challenge of their complex medical needs .
To stay sane , I do clinical supervision monthly and prioritise selfcare and school holiday breaks .
Dr Nicola Holmes GP , Coffs Harbour , NSW
Sharing with patients is caring ‘ My god , am I imagining this ?’ Leading neurologist on his Parkinson ’ s diagnosis aged 50
I have so much respect for how you are facing your disease and taking control of how to best manage your life and what you have to give .
Yes , it sucks , but may it all make life more meaningful and rewarding for you , Professor David Blacker .
Dr Alisdair Barnes Retired , Mornington , Vic
How brave of you to share with your patients that you have the same disease as them .
Now I see this is totally okay and not breaking any professional boundaries .
Knowing they are not alone enlightens people . Thank you for this interview .
Dr Karolina Lindemann Medical practitioner , Gold Coast , Qld
Professor Blacker talks about the urgent need to ban the herbicide paraquat , which he says is linked to Parkinson ’ s disease .
I listened to an agricultural representative on this topic argue , “ What are we going to do if we don ’ t have it ?”
The obvious answer is to use whatever is being used by all the other countries that have already banned it .
Dr David de la Hunty Medical practitioner , Perth , WA
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