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Wednesday, 22 June 2011
Page: 7055

After-Hours Medical Services

(Question No. 120)


Dr Southcott asked the Minister for Health and Ageing, in writing, on 25 November 2010:

(1) By program, what sum of funding will the Government provide for the provision of after hours care in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, and (d) 2013-14.

(2) On what date will (a) the Practice Incentives Program after hours incentive cease, (b) the General Practice After Hours Program cease, (c) the national after hours GP telephone advice commence, and (d) Medicare Locals provide comprehensive after hours primary care cover.

(3) In which locations will GP Super Clinics (a) offer after hours service, and for what span of hours, and (b) be open for 24 hours.

(4) How many home visit services were provided by (a) general practitioners, and (b) Medical Deputising Services, in 2009-10.

(5) How many after hours aged care visits were provided by (a) general practitioners, and (b) Medical Deputising Services, in 2009-10.

(6) How many home visit services, and aged care visits, are estimated to be provided by (a) general practitioners, and (b) Medical Deputising Services, in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, and (c) 2012-13.


Ms Roxon: The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:

(1) The Australian Government currently supports the provision of after hours primary care services through:

Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) After Hours Rebates- higher rebates are offered for after hours consultations by GPs and other medical practitioners;

the General Practice After Hours (GPAH) Program - competitive based program that provides funding to organisations wishing to provide after hours GP services; and

the Practice Incentives Program (PIP) After Hours Incentive - payments are made to eligible general practices which arrange for, or provide, after hours care to their patients.

In the 2010-11 Budget the Australian Government announced reforms to after hours primary care under the 'Establishing Medicare Locals and Improving Access to After Hours Care' measure. This will involve:

the establishment of a national telephone-based after hours GP medical advice and diagnostic service as an additional service to the nurse triage, information and advice services currently provided by the National Health Call Centre Network, trading as healthdirect Australia; and

the introduction of new Australian Government funding arrangements through Medicare Locals to support the provision of face-to-face after hours primary care services at the local level.

Budget

Budget

Budget

Budget

 

2010-11

2011-12

2012-13

2013-14

 

$'000

$'000

$'000

$'000

MBS - After Hours Items

384,871

400,825

421,644

442,945

GPAH Program

18,018

16,232

16,470

7,920

PIP After Hours Incentive *

58,000

58,000

58,000

0

Improving Access to After Hours Primary Care (2010-11 Budget Measure)

3,500

33,927

48,456

160,758

TOTAL

464,389

508,984

544,570

611,623

 

* Expenditure for the PIP After Hours Incentive is demand driven, at approximately $58 million per year.

(2) (a) PIP After Hours Incentives will cease on 1 July 2013.

(b) The GPAH Program will cease on 1 July 2012. No new grants will be offered under the program from this date.

(c) The after hours telephone-based GP advice service will be operational from 1 July 2011.

(d) From 1 July 2013 Medicare Locals will be provided with funding to support the provision of comprehensive face-to-face after hours primary care services at the local level.

As announced as part of the Council of Australian Governments' (COAG) Heads of Agreement on National Health Reform, the establishment of Medicare Locals and their role in planning and supporting after hours care provision in their region has been brought forward. Medicare Locals will now be established in three tranches with the first tranche to be operational from 1 July 2011, the second tranche by 1 January 2012 and the remainder by 1 July 2012. As they are established, Medicare Locals will be funded to review the after hour primary care need of their region and to develop and implement a plan to address gaps in after hours care.

(3) The most recent advice from GP Super Clinic operators for the ten currently opened GP Super Clinics is as follows.

Location

Opening Hours - After Hours Services

164 Inglis Street, Ballan

Monday, Wednesday and Friday 8:30am—9pm

Tuesday and Thursday 8:30am to 6:30pm

Saturday 9am to 3pm

 

24 Hour Emergency Care by the GP Super Clinic GPs provided in the co-located Bush Nursing Hospital. Allied Health services are also available through an on-call system with the Bush Nursing Hospital.

 

328 Gympie Road, Strathpine

Monday to Friday 8am to 7pm

Saturday 8am to 6pm (GPs and dietetic, pathology, exercise physiology and psychology services)

Sunday 9am to 5pm (GPs)

 

Employs a medical deputising service to cover for all other times ensuring patients have 24 hour access to GP care.

29 Stockton Street, Nelson Bay

Port Stephens

General Practice Services

Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 8am to 5pm

Tuesday and Thursday 8am to 8pm

Saturday and Sundays 10am to 3pm.

 

Psychology - Tuesday 9am - 6.30pm, Wednesday 10am-4:30pm, Thursday 9am—7pm, Friday 9am-5pm, Sat 10am -2pm and Sunday 10am—3pm;

Physiotherapist - Monday 9:30am - 5pm,Tuesday 11am - 6pm, Wed 9.30am - 4.30 pm, Thurs 9am - 4pm, Friday 9.30am - 4.30pm (group "fall" sessions conducted when have required numbers)

 

Cnr Temple Crescent and Cook Street,

Palmerston

Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm.

 

The Urgent Care After Hours Service co-located with the GP Super Clinic in the Palmerston Health Precinct is available between 6pm to 8am, seven days per week and from 8am to 6pm Saturday and Sunday and public holidays through the Health Direct, national call centre.

 

8 Wenvoe Street and 144 A-B William Street,

Devonport

Wenvoe Street:

Monday to Thursday 8.30am to 6.30pm,

Friday 8.30 to 6pm

Saturday 9am-11.30am

 

William Street clinic:

Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5pm

Saturday 9am to 11.30am.

 

Participates in a shared weekend roster with East Devonport Medical Centre.

 

Cnr Reynolds Road and Princes Highway, Bel­mont, Geelong

Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm

Saturday 9am to 1pm.

 

After Hours are available through an on-call system with Melbourne Locum Service from 6pm to 5am and GP Super Clinic doctors are on call from 5am to 8am.

 

11 Salisbury Road, University of Queens­land Ipswich Campus,

Ipswich

 

Mon to Fri 8am to 6.15pm.

 

An existing service, Ipswich After Hours Co-operative, currently provides local after hours care.

89 Dora Street, Morisset

 

 

Mon to Fri 8.30am to 5pm

 

As demand increases will offer after hours services. Currently, after hours services are offered at sister service Kanwal Medical Complex to 8pm weekdays, 12pm-3pm Saturdays and Sundays.

 

52-56 Bass Highway, Cooee

Burnie

 

Mon to Fri 8.30am to 9pm

Saturday & Sunday 2pm to 6pm

Cornwall St, adjacent to Princess Alexandra Hospital (PAH)

Brisbane Southside (Annerley - Stage1)

Mon-Fri from 8am to 6pm.

Within 12 months, anticipated 7 days per week from 8am to 10pm.

 

 

An additional 28 GP Super Clinics were announced as part of the 2010-11 Budget and will offer an extensive array of primary care services in a single location, with integrated services delivered by teams of health professionals.

All of these 28 GP Super Clinics, including hub and spoke model clinics, will offer hours of opening that extend beyond 8am-6pm weekdays and 9am-12 noon Saturdays. Further after hours services provided by the GP Super Clinics will be determined depending on the local needs and priorities of the community, taking into account the availability of existing after hours GP services.

(4), (5), (6)

Home Visit Services Provided by General Practitioners

 

Actual

Forecast

 

 

 

2009-10

2010-11

2011-12

2012-13

Home Visits by GPs

888,129

789,781

746,621

707,653

After Hours Residential Aged Care Facility services by GPs

147,835

172,249

191,966

213,892

 

Home Visit Services Provided by Medical Deputising Services (MDS)

Current MBS item billing does not differentiate between after hours home visit services provided by standard GPs and those working for MDS. As such an accurate estimate of the number of MDS services provided, including in aged care facilities, in 2009-10 and until 2012-13 cannot be provided.

The National Association for Medical Deputising (NAMDS) estimates that MDS provided approximately 600,000 after hours home visits in 2009-10. This figure has not been validated by the Department.