The President's Message – 22 April 2022
Sadly, this will be my last video message to you as President of the College. It has been an honour to serve and represent you and all members of the College over the past two years.
At the Annual General Meeting in May, I will be handing over the Presidency to our current President-elect, Dr Jacki Small. Jacki has been an active member of our College for many years, serving a number of roles. She has been a Board Director for the past four years and chaired our Policy and Advocacy Committee and our Fellowship Committee amongst other things. She has a firm grounding in Not-for-Profit governance and I know you will be in good hands.
In addition, I am extremely proud of the achievements our Board has made over the period of my presidency, in what I’m sure you’ll agree has been a challenging time.
Like many of you, I have been at the front-line during the COVID-19 pandemic and I know firsthand the issues that you have been facing. This gives me the insight indeed to speak directly to government and advocate on your behalf on a number of significant initiatives.
During the past two years we have successfully lobbied the government to make sure you have access to appropriate PPE, nothing second rate, and we made sure you are safe when doing your job.
We also strongly advocated for specialist telehealth access to be continued over coming months, and we are pleased that our constructive discussions with the Government resulted in a good outcome here. We continue to urge the government to allow us specialist telehealth access beyond the middle of this year. Telehealth indeed has proved to be a critical tool that is necessary not just for the pandemic but for the future.
Throughout the pandemic we have been concerned about your health and wellbeing. The results from our survey showed that you are under increased pressure and are concerned about burnout. We called on the Government to release it’s workforce modelling and increase resources so that our healthcare system can operate effectively and relieve the pressure on frontline doctors, such as many of you, and our associated healthcare workers.
Our advocacy work continues with the launch of the Kids COVID Catch up campaign. This vitally important campaign has seen Australia’s leading paediatricians, physicians and trainee doctors come together to call for a COVID recovery plan for kids and young people across our countries.
Whether it’s the loss of education from missed face-to-face teaching, the emotional impact of reduced social connection with their peers, or the lack of access to sport and creative activities, the COVID-19 pandemic has overturned many parts of our children’s lives that are crucial for their healthy development.
The Kids COVID Catch Up campaign calls on leaders from across the political spectrum to commit to a package of policy measures. These will help our kids catch up. We have a dedicated website where you can find out more about the campaign and download resources helping you to advocate on behalf of your patients and our families.
We have been saying for sometime now that climate change is a health crisis. Climate change is here and it is a crisis. As a respiratory physician, I am only too aware, that treating people who are suffering from climate-related illness is a major challenge that’s is increasing.
This problem is not something that might happen – oh no – it is here.
There is evidence of poorer air quality, increased allergen exposure, temperature extremes, floods, vector illness, compromised food supplies, increased psychological distress and the list goes on. I have no doubt other physicians amongst us share the same experience.
Earlier this year we joined with ten other medical colleges to issue a joint statement to the government urging them to create and fund a National Climate Change and Health Strategy that will enable our healthcare system to build climate resilience. We will continue to advocate for our patients, reducing the impact of severe weather events. They will not stop today, and they will keep coming.
These are just some of the things we have achieved together while I’ve been President and there are more.
I want to finish by thanking you for your support and your dedication to the health of your patients and for working together to improve health outcomes across both of our countries.
Thanks for listening and best of luck in the future.
Professor John Wilson AM
RACP President
As you may have seen in the communication we sent you yesterday, provisional results have been announced for the President-elect and Trainee Director Board positions and two Chapter positions. Board appointments will go forward to the RACP Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Friday, 13 May 2022, when the election results are declared. Thank you for your involvement in the College elections.
Read the Board provisional results on our election webpage.
Tāmaki Makaurau hōtaka | Auckland program moves to a virtual-only event
It is with regret that we advise the Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland Congress 2022 satellite day is switching to a virtual-only event. This decision was not taken lightly; it was felt that due to the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 in Aotearoa New Zealand and the excessive burden placed on the medical community, this was the best and safest approach.
This possibility had been planned for and we anticipate a seamless transition to the virtual only format with a packed and exciting program. For those who already registered to attend in-person, for RACP Congress 2022 and related ancillary events, the difference between your fee paid and the cost of a virtual ticket will be refunded.
Activists make their voices heard at RACP Congress
Youth activists Anjali Sharma and Ashjayeen Sharif join us at RACP Congress to share their own thoughts and experience in a session on sustainable healthcare. With a panel discussion including Associate Professor Angie Bone, Professor Nicholas Talley and chaired by Clinical Professor Catherine Choong, this exploration of getting our 'house in order' should not be missed.
Register now
Today is Earth Day and we’re proud to launch the Healthy Climate Future campaign. The campaign is led by RACP with the support of nine other medical colleges.
Climate change is a major risk to our healthcare system. Doctors are seeing the impacts first-hand while supporting their communities in the aftermath of devastating floods and bushfires. We are calling on federal political leaders to commit to action to build the resilience of our healthcare system to the impacts of climate change. At the same time, we want to play our part in the solutions, and we’re advocating for support to ensure the healthcare system can reduce its own climate footprint. Find out more about the campaign’s policy asks.
With the Australian Federal Election upon us, we need your help to turn these policy asks into government commitments. The voice of health professionals is crucial for climate change advocacy. You can support the campaign by taking action on social media or by contacting your local Member of Parliament.
Find out how
Authorised by Peter McIntyre, CEO, The Royal Australasian College of Physicians, 145 Macquarie Street, Sydney, NSW 2000
The College plays an active role in election campaigns on both sides of the Tasman. We advocate for policies that are informed by evidence and our members’ expertise.
In the lead up to the Australian Federal Election, we are calling on political leaders to ‘commit to healthcare’. We want them to commit to a suite of policy recommendations that will deliver a quality, future-focused healthcare system for all.
Learn more about our policy recommendations and how you can help encourage political leaders to commit to them by visiting our Federal Election webpage.
Make your voice heard
Physicians are powerful voices in advocating for government policies that make a positive difference in their patients’ lives. Visit our Federal Election webpage for information on how to make your voice heard in the lead-up to the Federal Election.
Visit the Federal Election webpage
Professor John Wilson AM
The Royal Australasian College of Physicians President
Authorised by Peter McIntyre, CEO, The Royal Australasian College of Physicians, 145 Macquarie Street, Sydney, NSW 2000
We have released our 2022 - 2026 RACP Strategic Plan, which defines where we want to be in the future. It sets out four strategic focus areas and underlying priorities to achieve our strategic goals and to add value to our membership.
These areas will be key priorities for future delivery of our core role, which is to educate, advocate and innovate, while lifting the health outcomes for the First Nations people of Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
Read the Strategic Plan
Educational Development (Study) Grants provide funding for further educational training or the development of educational initiatives. There are several grants offered, including the new Skilled Medical Scholarships for the advancement of Indigenous Health.
Applications for 2022 funding round one, close Monday, 2 May 2022.
Applications for the RACP Foundation Research Awards for 2023 will open on Monday, 2 May 2022. Upwards of 50 awards up to a total value of $2.5M are available across the different categories:
Applications for Research Development Grants and Travel Grants will open Wednesday, 1 June 2022.
Most awards are open to Fellows and trainees across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Please refer to the RACP Foundation website for information on specific eligibility requirements for each award.
Work injury management in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand
The Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (AFOEM) would like to invite you to the virtual launch of a key policy initiative: 'It Pays to Care: Bringing evidence-informed practice to work injury schemes helps workers and their workplaces'.
There will be two key launch events in both Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand and will feature a panel of keynote speakers from different parts of the work injury management sector.
The virtual launch events will be held:
- Australia: Wednesday, 27 April 2022, 3pm to 4.30pm AEST
- Aotearoa New Zealand: Friday, 29 April 2022, 3pm to 4.30pm NZT
Please also register even if you are unable to attend as a recording will be made available to those on the registration list.
Register now
You're invited to participate in the physician health and wellbeing strategy 2019-2021 evaluation survey. The aim of the survey is to assess how effective the Strategy has been at improving member wellbeing and contributing to member performance.
The survey closes on Tuesday, 10 May 2022, so don’t miss your chance to share your feedback.
For more information, including confidentiality and how the data will be reported, please visit the Physician Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2019-2021 Evaluation Survey webpage.
Complete survey
We are pleased to release the final Capacity to Train Guidance (Guidance) which was approved by the College Education Committee (CEC) earlier this year. This Guidance will assist in determining a training program’s capacity to train and meet the updated accreditation standards.
The new Training Provider Accreditation Standards and Basic Training Accreditation Requirements require settings to determine the number of trainees they have in relation to their capacity to resource training. This also includes their ability to deliver training experiences that align with the Basic Training curricula.
The implementation of the final Guidance will be phased to align with the accreditation cycle and trainees will not be directly impacted. Training will continue as usual.
For additional information, please email accreditationreview@racp.edu.au.
Thursday, 28 April 2022, from 5pm AWST, 7pm AEST
You're invited to an educational webinar, where we will discuss advance care planning in the digital age, and the tools which can assist with this.
Advance care planning enables individuals to express their preferences for future health care and treatment, making their wishes known if there comes a time when they cannot speak for themselves. This session will highlight how advance care plans and goals of care documents may be shared via My Health Record, along with a live demonstration of how to access and view this information.
Register now
Facilitator Training
The Supervisor Professional Development Program (SPDP) is the College’s supervisor training program. To maintain the integrity of SPDP, all workshops and online courses are facilitated by a RACP Fellow.
If you are interested in becoming a SPDP facilitator, register for our one-day upcoming virtual facilitation workshops or complete our online facilitation course. You can complete the online facilitation course at your own pace, in your own time. MyCPD credits are available for both formats.
Meet our SPDP Facilitator Professor Robyn Lucas
As an original collaborator on the Supervisor Professional Development Program (SPDP) Professor Robyn Lucas, a Public Health Medicine (PHM) physician, has been supporting the roll-out in various ways for the best part of a decade.
Read her interview
Register to attend a SPDP face-to-face or virtual workshop or the online course. For more information contact the Supervisor Learning Support Team supervisor@racp.edu.au.
The RACP offers an extensive collection of online learning resources designed to support members with their professional development and lifelong learning needs.
Resources cover a range of clinical and professional topics, including:
Don’t forget to claim CPD credits for time spent on RACP Online Learning.
The Australian Department of Health regularly releases Primary Care Vaccine Roll-out Provider Bulletins. The Bulletins released on April 8 and 14 contain important information as outlined below:
Provider Bulletin – 8 April
- ATAGI update - Use of booster doses in adolescents aged from 12 to 15 years
- COVID-19 vaccine payment update
- VOC update
- vaccine program participation changes
- easy vaccine access update.
Read now
Provider Bulletin - 14 April
- ATAGI updates:
- ATAGI Advice on use of sedation for COVID-19 vaccination
- ATAGI Clinical guidance on COVID-19 vaccine administration errors.
- Reminders:
- children aged five to 11 now eligible for second dose of COVID-19 vaccine
- opportunistic vaccination
- vaccine withdrawals
- vaccine operations centre.
Read now
Other resources
The following resources have also been published recently:
RACP media releases
Would you like to learn more about the issues we're advocating for on your behalf? Check out the media releases webpage, which includes all our media releases, including the following, which have been published this month:
Read more
Stay informed
Read other RACP eBulletins: