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

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

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.

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

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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

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/

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

We've started another GP Starter Pack as @clairedocdavies.bsky.social has run out of space in the original one. It has been named, imaginatively, GP Starter Pack No.2. If you are a GP and not on the first list please wave at me and I will add you. go.bsky.app/JHJY53B

Sad, but not surprised - cost-of-living is growing the gender health gap. 👇 Alyse's spent ~$400k on endometriosis and other chronic conditions over 20 years. As I told @natashamay.bsky.social, women are ~2x as likely to delay seeing a GP. #WomensHealth #MedSky www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

This isn't right during an IV fluids shortage. Patients shouldn’t be competing for medicine with companies selling high-cost, low-evidence wellness cures. Some people want to try novel stuff they see as safe, but evidence-based medicine should come first. #MedSky www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11...

Ladies & Gentleman.... For your pleasure.... An Australian GP Starter Pack. #GeneralPractice #MedSky go.bsky.app/AHzuwWy

Just me waiting for all the Aussie GPs to arrive at the good place

I see some Australian GPs been making it onto Bluesky - just added four more to the GP Starter Pack No.2 Hello @vitualis.bsky.social, @drvyom.bsky.social, @drgcrisp.bsky.social, and the President RACGP no less, @racgppresident.bsky.social. 👋👋 go.bsky.app/JHJY53B