STRENGTHENING EVIDENCE THROUGH HEALTH RESEARCH WHERE MOST PEOPLE ACCESS HEALTHCARE, RACGP joins consortium and calls for practice-based research network in primary health
With
Dr Michael Wright GP, President
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) &
Associate Professor,
International Centre for Future Health Systems (ICFHS)
Australian Health Journal segment
Filmed in Sydney | March 2025
In February 2025, the Australian Government committed over $22 million for primary care research, including $5.2m awarded to Professor Michael Kidd, Director of the International Centre for Future Health Systems at UNSW and recently appointed Australia’s Chief Medical Officer, to lead the establishment of one of the largest research collaborations in Australia focused on improving primary care.
The Royal Australian College of GPs says a new national multidisciplinary consortium for primary care research is a positive step forward to improve patient care.
The RACGP is a member of the National Multidisciplinary Primary Care Research, Policy and Advocacy Consortium, which involves 100 primary care researchers from 20 universities from across the country.
RACGP President Dr Michael Wright said: “Every year more than 22 million Australians see a specialist GP for their essential health care, making general practice is the most accessed part of our health system.
“Yet research in general practice is vastly underrepresented and underfunded. General practice receives less than 2% of our national medical research funding.
“This new consortium is an important and exciting opportunity to design, test and innovate models of care to better meet the needs of patients across Australia, and I’m proud the RACGP is a member.
“The RACGP is calling for all political parties to commit to funding a national practice-based research network, like they have in Canada and the United Kingdom.
“These networks have proven to be immensely valuable overseas.
“We’re also calling for funding to test how multidisciplinary practice teams work at full scope in Australia, in order to improve access to care for patients.
“We know people get the best outcomes when their GP works together with their other specialists, and health professionals, and it’s especially valuable for people with chronic and complex illnesses.
Source: Highlights from RACGP media release
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Australasian College of Paramedicine makes case for multi-disciplinary care
Despite being seen primarily as emergency responders, paramedics have long been providing care in the primary care space. As such, their increased involvement in primary and urgent care is a natural progression that can lead to improved health outcomes for communities. Urgent care clinics, which treat non-life-threatening injuries and illnesses, have been a recent introduction. However, when these clinics were initially proposed, paramedics were left out of the opportunity, despite being experts in urgent, acute, unplanned, and unscheduled care. They work in these types of situations every day in the ambulance service and should be utilised in these clinics to improve patient outcomes. Working as part of multidisciplinary teams with doctors and nurses can further enhance the outcomes for local communities.
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Care workforce challenges
In a wide ranging report looking at the carer needs across Australia, PwC Australia published Reimagine Care Workforce Solutions in October 2022.
Australian Health Journal spoke with Kerryn Dillon, Director Ageing and Reablement and Health Workforce at PwC Australia about the community care sectors of aged care, disability care and childcare the report covers.
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Success in WA pilot to observe babies showing delays in social interaction & communication development
Inklings – led by The Kids Research Institute Australia – is a program for babies aged 6-18 months whose communications skills are developing differently to expected milestones. In early 2025 it has completed the first year of a pilot program.
At the time of filming (Nov 2024), Inklings has received more then 300 enquiries across WA and started to deliver services to 160 children, with almost 60 who have completed the program.
