Future GP Workforce Planning

Angela Aldred, Workforce Coordinator 31 August 07

Ballarat and district is facing an increasing shortage of general practitioners. There is an increased demand for GP services due to our growing population (Ballarat is one of the four fastest growing inland districts in Australia), and our ageing population.

One quarter of our BDDGP general practitioners are 55 years or older (similar to the age range in all of Victoria). Together with the trend to reduced working hours by general practitioners, the number of imminently retiring general practitioners will markedly increase our workforce shortage.

Melbourne, Deakin and Notre Dame Universities are planning increasing numbers of medical student placements in Ballarat and district general practices. There are currently 45 placements, increases from 2009-2011 are expected to be up to 33 extra placements. Supervision of these extra students will be required in an environment of increasing GP workforce shortage.

On July 30th, eighteen general practitioners attended a Future Workforce Planning meeting at the Division. The general practitioners identified the GP workforce issues that the district is faced with. Priorities were then established for working on solutions to the issues (see below).

Workforce Issue	No. of Votes
Selling Ballarat to new doctors/their spouse/ liaison with Council/Hospital and recruitment strategies	20
Increase local GP training places and develop associated infrastructure	17
Medical Students/Continuity of Training/Attractiveness of Ballarat	16
RMO positions accredited to General Practice	15
After hours burden shared more widely	14
Lobbying to change the current ranking of RRMA 3 and associated issues	11
Burden of Business Practice Management	11
Finding short-term solutions for the next 1 – 5 years	10
Develop strategies to work smarter	9
Advocacy and Teaching	8
Corporatisation	8
Issues relating to re-entry to the medical workforce	6
Increase or develop flexibility in post-graduate GP training	4
Exit Strategy (for retirement)	3
Overseas Trained Doctors and Short-Term placements	2
Aged Care Facilities Workload- all issues relating to Aged Care	1
Working hours/Lifestyle/Practice Accommodation	1

Task groups were then developed to consider workable solutions to these issues from a general practitioner perspective. The Division will continue to work on workforce issues on behalf of all our general practitioners, liaising with the Rural Workforce Agency of Victoria, The Victorian Department of Human Services and the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.

This article is available online at http://bddgp.org.au/article/2007/08/gp-shortage

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