Recognition of the GP workforce’s value to communities welcomed in funding announcement

Health Minister Hon Simeon Brown’s funding announcement prioritising patients’ health and recognising the crucial role of our specialist general practice workforce has been welcomed by The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners.

College President Dr Samantha Murton says, “Healthcare starts, and often ends, in the community with our specialist GPs and primary care teams who are providing innovative and rapidly evolving services and options for access. Our GP workforce are expert specialists in general practice - our continuity of care and knowledge allow us to truly know our patients and their needs – and it is not a one-size-fits-all approach.

“Any additional funding that enables New Zealanders to access our services and receive the care they need when they need it will ultimately keep them out of hospital and will always be welcomed.

“The College has been very vocal about not needing to create a new health service but investing properly in the current service and recognising the opportunity that lies within general practice to achieve better health outcomes, and this funding will go some way towards this goal.

The specialist GP workforce has, for many years, been underfunded for the work that they do. While this latest funding allocation will be based on a number of factors such as the number of enrolled patients and services delivered, the College hopes it will allow GPs to be appropriately remunerated for all the non-patient facing, but essential, work they do.  This includes retaining primary care nurses who are an integral part of the general practice team.

College Chief Executive Toby Beaglehole says, “We are responsible for training the country’s specialist general practitioners and we strongly advocate for a workforce that is resourced and supported to meet the constantly evolving health needs of New Zealanders.

“Our focus continues to be on growing the specialist GP workforce, making general practice an attractive career choice and having a fully funded training programme for our trainees. Focusing on these priorities is where we will see the biggest impact on achieving accessible, equitable healthcare for all New Zealanders and we look forward to continuing these discussions with the Minister.”