Australian Government oddly excludes AMA again on health plans - AMA negative about plans to ease GP shortage

Government plans to expand the roles of health professionals such as nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists and dieticians, to help address the shortage of doctors, has not surprisingly evoked a negative response from the Australian Medical Association (AMA).

Rosanna Capolingua, the president of the AMA says any attempt to expand the role of nurses could undermine patient safety.

Following the announcement by Health Minister, Nicola Roxon yesterday, that better use could be made of allied health professionals, the names of a panel of experts who will advise the Government on its plans to revamp primary care health services was released.

Interestingly while Dr. Rod Pearce, the chairman of the AMA's general practice committee was on the panel, Dr. Capolingua has again been excluded from the top-level advisory group, a move which will serve to aggravate an already tense relationship.

Dr. Capolingua says while nurses and other health providers are skilled and respected in their role in assisting patient care, in terms of comprehensive primary care, they are most effective for patients while under medical supervision, and it would be a backward step to remove doctors' medical competency and skills from the first point of call in the health system.

While the Federal Government says there should be a public debate about expanding the roles of health professionals such as nurses, the AMA believes nurses should not be allowed to work independently of doctors but seem to be unable to offer any other alternatives in dealing with the GP shortage.

Ms Roxon says the shortage of doctors means it is worth investigating delegating some tasks to other professionals such as nurses and suggests the health system currently undervalues and under utilises a range of other health professionals.

Ms Roxon says if appropriate health professionals are given certain other jobs she does not believe there will be a risk, either to their professional standing or to the safety of the services provided to the community.

The minister wants a decision on new roles for allied medical professionals by the middle of next year.

The AMA in Victoria says nurses already have expanded roles in many offices but doctors must remain the primary co-ordinators of patient care and more discussion is needed on the issue.

Meanwhile ACT Health Minister Katy Gallagher is apparently already investigating the establishment of nurse-led walk-in centres in Canberra to cope with doctor shortages and says there are quite simply not enough doctors and nurses to staff all the health care systems, not just in Australia but across the world.

Dr. Capolingua says walk-in centres would compromise the quality of care patients receive.