GPs in Albany are questioning why the federal government has not committed to funding the city’s after-hours GP program beyond next month.
The issue was raised repeatedly with RACGP President Dr Michael Wright and RACGP Vice-President and WA Chair Dr Ramya Raman on their recent visit to the Great Southern, alongside housing for GPs in regional areas.
The Albany GP After Hours Collaborative is currently funded under the Primary Health Network (PHN) After Hours Program until June 30.
Located at the Albany Health Campus, in addition to the emergency department, local GPs are rostered on to staff the service on a rotation.
Dr Raman said local GPs did not understand why the government had not committed to further funding the service.
“After-hours care is a really important component so that we’re reducing pressure on the emergency department,” she said.
“There’s been more urgent care clinics being announced by the federal government, which is great, but places like Albany don’t have an urgent care clinic.
RELATED: Urgent care clinics – are they working as intended?
“It doesn’t make sense that the funding is being cut in an area of need where GPs are willing and able to actually get on that roster and fulfil that need for the community.”
She said GPs from a number of practices they met with had all raised this issue.
Member for Albany Scott Leary said in 2025 alone some 2329 patients were treated at the clinic without needing to attend the ED, with only 65 patients requiring referral to ED, all for less than $500,000 per year.
Medical Forum contacted Health Minister Mark Butler about the matter, but his office would not confirm whether funding would be made available for the service as part of the upcoming Federal Budget, to be released on May 14.
The Department of Health instead provided a statement in which it said “further funding is subject to Budget processes”.
RACGP (WA) has made a number of suggestions in its pre-budget submission, including a trial of after-hours GP care grant programs that help cover the costs for practices to open late and on weekends.
It estimates such a program, supporting 40 packages, would cost $6 million a year.
At the same time, the RACGP’s federal pre-budget submission calls for the establishment, implementation and operation of a national ‘Pathways to Rural’ program to increase exposure to rural general practice for urban GPs by facilitating ongoing workforce relief opportunities in underserved rural and remote communities.
The College estimated its $10.48million four-year proposal would have a multitude of benefits including adding an extra 600 weeks of workforce to the rural health environment and saving the healthcare system at least $4.4 million per year.
The RACGP leaders also visited Denmark while in the Great Southern region, meeting with local GPs, healthcare teams and communities to hear directly from people delivering and accessing care regionally.
“Hearing directly from local practices and patients means our advocacy reflects what’s happening on the ground. It’s important these voices are heard and reflected in national policy,” Dr Wright said.
The issue of housing for doctors in the regions in terms of workforce and being able to retain doctors in country areas was raised.
“Concern is escalating in this current economic environment in terms of housing support, which is quite poor in the regions.
“There aren’t adequate houses, and the housing prices are just shooting through the roof at the moment for multiple reasons, and we’ve just heard that the interest rates are rising again, so we need a solution and we need to be calling for a state-based solution,” Dr Raman said.
Want more news, clinicals, features and guest columns delivered straight to you? Subscribe for free to WA’s only independent magazine for medical practitioners.
Want to submit an article? Email [email protected]