GP training overhaul announced
At the recent RACGP Conference for General Practice the Minister for Health, Greg Hunt, announced that responsibility for GP training would return to the RACGP and ACRRM. The transition will begin in 2019 and it is expected that full responsibility will be taken up by the Colleges by 2022.
The Department of Health had been responsible for the GP training program since 2014. Prior to that, the government agency General Practice and Education Training (GPET) took responsibility. Not since 2001 have the Colleges been in charge of the program.
The AMA has consistently pushed for greater College control of GP training and has already met with the Department of Health to discuss the proposed change. While the Minister has announced the overall policy direction, the hard work still lies ahead in settling the detail of the changes and transition arrangements.
GP training has undergone significant change in recent years and the AMA will be very engaged in the development of the new GP training framework to ensure that the quality of GP training is maintained and the views of supervisors and registrars are adequately represented in the consultation process.
