Last Friday I attended the AMA psychosocial safety summit. This important event brought together clinicians, policymakers and regulator to discuss psychosocial safety in health workplaces.

Thank you to those who attended the 64th Clinical Update conference in QLD over the weekend. It was great to see you all. It was an incredible weekend filled with high-quality education, collaboration, and sharing of ideas.

Our Tassie Chair Dr Toby Garder joined @albomp.bsky.social and @markbutlermp.bsky.social for big announcements for patients and GPs - funding to train 2000 more GPs to boost access is excellent news for every community. The proposal for more universal bulk billing is more complex, but promising 1/3

This morning I spoke to journalists about the College’s plan to halve out-of-pocket costs, increase bulk billing, and get more GPs in communities across Australia.

GP care keeps people healthy – it must be affordable for everyone. @racgp.bsky.social is urging all political parties to commit to significant investments in #Medicare to halve out-of-pocket costs and save people in Aus $268 mil/yr #auspol

Today we’re launching @racgp.bsky.social's plan for accessible and affordable GP care for everyone. Our initiatives will halve out-of-pocket fees, increase bulk billing, and deliver more GPs for communities across Australia. #auspol ab.co/3EtsiA3

Doctors pitch plan to lift bulk-billing rate to 85 per cent

New bulk-billing data shows a slight improvement to 77.5 per cent of GP visits being bulk-billed. The Royal Australian College of GPs says it has a plan to restore that rate to pre-COVID levels.

ab.co

Lots of discussion about bulk-billing and the need for increased investment in general practice. Cleanbill's latest Blue Report shows a decline in bulk billing-only practices and increasing out-of-pocket costs for those who aren't bulk-billed. I spoke to the SBS and others about these issues. 1/2

Bulk billing rates across Australia — and where you're most likely to find a fee-free GP

The rate of bulk billing GP clinics is continuing to decline while patients are paying more out-of-pocket to see doctors, according to a new report.

sbs.com.au

We’ve welcomed HealthLink pausing the rollout of new fees on GPs, following a meeting with @racgp.bsky.social After decades of underfunding of Medicare, we and our patients really don’t need new costs. A fantastic update on the below.

newsGP - HealthLink reveals new subscription fees

The provider has sent out alerts about the incoming fees to many GPs and practices, with costs for larger clinics listed at $1000 a year.

www1.racgp.org.au

The Queensland Government's decision to provide free flu vaccinations for everyone in the state is a smart move. This will help keep Queenslanders healthy and relieve pressure on our hospitals, while saving patients money. Vaccines are our best protection against the flu. 1/2

Excellent to sit down with @racgp.bsky.social NSW&ACT Faculty Chair Dr Rebekah Hoffman and the NSW&ACT Faculty Council for a planning session on the weekend! A very productive Saturday ahead of a busy 2025.

Dire. Decades under investment in health for growing/ageing population & drive to cut taxes coming home to roost. Hospitals cant keep doing more with less. Primary care on its knees. What is plan to fix? #regional #auspol bit.ly/3ViGe5a @racgppresident.bsky.social

'Under significant pressure': regional Victorian hospitals still struggling

Document analysis reveals budget and performance problems.

bit.ly

Tax rarely makes the news, but: great the Vic Govt has exempted independent GPs' bulk billed services from payroll tax, making bulk billing more viable. Qld recently ended payroll tax on independent GPs, the best solution. We need national consistency. www.medicalrepublic.com.au/victoria-rub...

Victoria rubber stamps payroll tax reform - Medical Republic

The new legislation exempts bulk-billing revenue from counting toward payroll tax bills.

medicalrepublic.com.au

GPs are still referring long COVID patients to Dr Jenny Huang and colleagues’ long COVID clinic, but the exact causes remain unknown. Interesting new Burnett research 👇 Patients need support, GPs need info, both need funding for long consults to investigate symptoms. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

Long COVID may be 'hiding' in the body. - ABC listen

Between up to 20 per cent of Australians who get COVID-19 will develop symptoms of long COVID, including brain fog and fatigue, but its exact causes remain a medical mystery.

abc.net.au

Our new paper, led by @oohgpwales.bsky.social: Muscle weakness post-COVID: a practical guide for primary care TL;DR: patients with muscle weakness after COVID-19 infection may have myelopathy, nerve damage or other organic pathology. Not always due to 'deconditioning'! bjgp.org/content/74/7...

Muscle weakness post-COVID: a practical guide for primary care

Since the earliest stages of the pandemic, muscle weakness has been a key symptom described by patients post-COVID infection. Estimated to affect up to 60% of those with long COVID, it can have a prof...

bjgp.org

No one can work as a DOCTOR in GP without min 5yr at Medical School, 2yr general hospital roles & 3yr GP training Only then can a GP consult undifferentiated patients with undiagnosed problems Yet @nhsengland.bsky.social decided this was OK for a PA This really is a patient safety issue for the UK

A big first week! Our GP24 conference, then to Canberra, then Melbourne, then back home to Sydney. Update from me here 👇 www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/gp-op...

newsGP - ‘Wow, what a week’: New RACGP President reflects

From GP24 in Perth, to Parliament in Canberra, the RACGP in Melbourne, and A Current Affair in Sydney, Dr Michael Wright reflects on week one.

www1.racgp.org.au

Caught up with @julianprice.bsky.social and Nine's A Current Affair team to talk about what's needed to support our rural communities' access to a local GP. All Australians deserve access to a GP who knows them, their context and their medical history.

As I say here and in a new MJA piece I wrote before my election as RACGP President, we need better ways to understand the quality and value of GPs – beyond bulk billing rates. We need better measures, which explain the value of quality care in general practice. www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/profe...

newsGP - ‘We need better measures beyond just bulk-billing rates’

The metric needs to be supported by better ways of assessing the true value and success of general practice, argues Dr Michael Wright.

www1.racgp.org.au

Plus! Senator Jordon Steele-John and Dr @sophiescamps.bsky.social – excellent to have a former GP in Parliament.

RACGP President@racgppresident.bsky.social · 2y ago

Excellent to spend the day meeting with representatives in Canberra to discuss the critical value of general practice to the community, and my priorities as @racgp.bsky.social's new President. With: Ged Kearney MP, Senator Anne Ruston, @allegraspender.bsky.social MP...

It was great to see fellow GPs at the 2024 National Hypertension Summit in Sydney yesterday! I presented on how GPs can tackle hypertension in primary care: 👨‍⚕️ GPs relieve pressure on the entire health system by 🏥 Keeping patients out of hospital and in the community 🔎 As we see in NSW health data

Excellent to spend the day meeting with representatives in Canberra to discuss the critical value of general practice to the community, and my priorities as @racgp.bsky.social's new President. With: Ged Kearney MP, Senator Anne Ruston, @allegraspender.bsky.social MP...

More news from #GP24Perth — @racgp.bsky.social’s WA Chair, Dr Ramya Raman, will join me as RACGP Vice President! Looking forward to what we can achieve together for our patients, GPs, and a stronger health system.

Is anyone using bsky for conferences now? It's the RACGP #GP24 conference coming up soon. It would be much nocer to have conversations here, rather than on that other place. #MedSky

Great to sit down with Health Minister Mark Butler MP at #GP24! Minister Butler: “We haven’t been able to put back every dollar we lost from the Medicare freeze, but we’ve started...” “We know there’s more to do, we know that patients are still doing it tough and cost of living is hitting hard.”

Proud to be handing over the role of President of the @racgp.bsky.social (and voice for our 50,000+ members and their patients) in just a few hours to Dr Michael Wright at #GP24! There's never been a more important time to advocate for affordable GP care for our patients. #MedSky

Fantastic turnaround in GP training, with 20% more doctors training as GPs than last year. GP is back. But like I've been saying, it's green shoots - we can't be complacent. Government, unis, and we need to make sure there are GPs for every community. 1/

Karen Magraith@karenmagraith.bsky.social · 2y ago

Opening remarks from outgoing RACGP president Dr Nicole Higgins. There has been an increase in applications for GP training. @racgppresident.bsky.social

So many of my patients leave tertiary hospitals without understanding what was wrong or what was done. Plain language explanations are essential for continuity of care—and for patients to truly understand their health journey. #HealthLiteracy #PatientCare” @racgppresident.bsky.social

All @racgp.bsky.social Aus GP Training places filled! Could not be happier or more proud to finish on this note– 1504 new GPs in 2025, 20% more than last year: www.racgp.org.au/gp-news/medi... But much more to do. We can build on this, as I told ABC RN on my way to #GP24! Hope to see you there.

I even have the T-shirt 😊

To preserve it over here on 🦋, and to again reiterate that the Public Health measures taken back then to save lives were 💯 worth it, I repeat: 🧵An ICU nurses' response to that terrible article: 👉The 77 things I hated about what COVID did to the human body. 📸 Heather Patterson Photography