The Australian Government has announced it will provide more than $76 million in grants over the four years from 2008-09 for general practitioners (GPs) to provide after hours care.

Grants of up to $100,000, GST exclusive, over two years are being made available on a competitive basis to support the viability of after hours GP services. These grants will be available under the General Practice After-Hours (GPAH) Program. The program aims to assist after hours GPs to provide services in areas of community need. Acknowledging the long and demanding hours frequently worked by the nation’s doctors, the difficulties patients have in accessing after hours care, and the challenges faced by GP practices in attracting and retaining GPs, practice nurses and support staff willing to work after hours, the grants will assist with GP incentive payments, wages for support staff and other operating expenses.

Applications are invited from all parties interested in establishing, maintaining or extending an after-hours GP service. These can include, but are not limited to clinic-based GP practices; GP on-call services; medical deputising services; or GP co-operatives. The closing date for applications for the 2009-10 funding round is 2pm AEST on 10 July 2009.

The GPAH Program replaces the former After Hours Primary Medical Care and Round the Clock Medicare: Investing in After Hours GP Services Programs, as announced in the 2008-2009 Budget.

Those interested in further information or applying are encouraged to visit the Department of Health and Ageing website (from 16 May 2009 onwards) www.health.gov.au/tenders or contact Jennifer Ryder at RHealth on phone 4638 1377 or free call 1800 425 800

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On 12 May Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan handed down the 2009 Federal Budget. The following links provide good coverage on the Budget outcomes for health:

2009 Federal Budget

Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing

Australian General Practice Network

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At its meeting on 8 May the Ministerial Council reached a national consensus on how the new National Registration and Accreditation Scheme for the Health Professions will work.

Click here for more info.

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A report on the operation, effectiveness and implications of the Extended Medicare Safety Net (EMSN) was tabled in both Houses of Parliament on 12 May 2009.

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It is not uncommon for patients with advanced incurable disease to express a desire to hasten their death. Health professionals often have difficulty responding to such
statements, and find it challenging to ascertain why these statements are made.

Health  professionals may struggle to determine whether a ‘desire to die’ statement (DTDS) is about a request for hastened death, a sign of psychosocial distress, or merely a passing  comment that is not intended to be heard literally as a death wish. Given the lack of guidelines to assist health professionals with this issue, we have prepared multidisciplinary recommendations for responding to a DTDS, underpinned by key principles of therapeutic communication and a systematic review of empirical literature.

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Several large beyondblue Victorian Centre of Excellence research projects have been completed this year. Dr Grant Blashki of The University of Melbourne has developed  a training program for GPs called Reducing Suicide in Men through General Practice.

 The training was delivered to 93 GPs and 13 agreed to be videotaped in simulated consultations. That group, compared to a control group, showed overall improvement in their attitude to the management of suicide risk. The training materials include a DVD, a resource pack and a CD-Rom. The DVD is available to health practitioners by emailing gblashki@unimelb.edu.au
Research reports are listed on the beyondblue website at  www.beyondblue.org.au

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