The President's Message – 20 December
Hello and Kia ora everyone. I’m Dr Jacqueline Small, President of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. I would like to acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation as the traditional owners and custodians of the lands I’m joining you from. I extend my respect to all Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, and Māori people. Together we restate our shared commitment to advancing Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Māori health and education as core business of the RACP.
It’s the time of year when many of us look back over the past 12 months and take stock of what we have experienced and achieved. I am sure that there have been both challenging and joyous times for you as well during 2023. For me as RACP President, there have been many exciting and rewarding moments this year. These include our Convocation ceremonies where we come together to celebrate the achievements of our new Fellows and embrace them as they continue their professional journey. This year we admitted 924 New Fellows. I was particularly proud to welcome two new Indigenous Fellows at this year’s AIDA conference - Elkie Hull and Bodie Rodman.
I represented the College at the first meeting of Medical Colleges with all the Health Ministers of Australia held in July. The Chair warmly acknowledged the contributions and reputation of the RACP – another proud moment.
Looking back over the last 12 months, we’ve continued to use our collective voices to improve healthcare outcomes for all. I met with Australian Minister of Health, Mark Butler, and discussed the importance of new models of care involving physicians and ensuring flexibility for patients through telehealth.
In the workforce space, we have advocated for the effective implementation of the National Medical Workforce Strategy 2021-2031, which includes a strong emphasis on improving doctor wellbeing.
In Aotearoa, we publicised that there are fewer specialists per head of population than Australia, with only 71 physicians for every 100,000 people compared to 99 per 100,000 in Australia.
We made 37 media releases and publicised the work of eight separate Fellow researchers. These include calling for further respiratory protection from silicosis for stonemasons, raising the age of criminal responsibility across Australia and stopping junk food advertising to children.
The College delivered and supported over 200 webinars, 45 events and over 300 College events and meetings held at RACP meeting spaces.
I am sure many of you were as deeply disappointed at the outcome of the referendum on the Voice to Parliament as was I. Yet we know that the public discourse and outcome has much more profoundly affected Indigenous communities. To those of you troubled by local or global issues, we extend our thoughts and comfort.
In conclusion, I encourage you to strive to make a difference. Care about your patients, seek platforms to amplify your voice, expertise, and wisdom. See the potential in our College to improve the health of communities and be part of our leadership, our community, and our exciting future together. One of my favourite quotes from Barack Obama is, "it’s only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realise your true potential".
I wish you well as you have some well-deserved rest with family or loved ones, continue to care for our sickest patients or reflect and plan for next year.
Thank you for watching, and I’ll see you all in 2024.
Dr Jacqueline Small
RACP President
To contact Jacqueline, please email president@racp.edu.au
The call for nominations for the 2024 Board and College body vacancies will be formally announced on Thursday, 18 January 2024. We will send you details in the new year about the vacancies. The 2024 RACP Annual General Meeting (AGM) will take place on Friday, 17 May 2024 in Sydney and online.
RACP Congress returns in May 2024 at the International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Sydney. Be part of Australasia's leading specialist event and help drive the conversation on 'shaping healthcare'. This two-day event provides a forum to exchange knowledge, engage with thought leaders, receive the latest specialty society clinical updates and networking opportunities. Don't miss your chance to shape the future of healthcare - mark your calendar for RACP Congress 2024 on Thursday, 16 and Friday, 17 May.
RACP Congress 2024: Shaping healthcare is a forum for physicians to unite, collaborate, and drive the future of healthcare. Join us and take this opportunity to engage with the broader specialist community.
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Researchers in the Northern Territory are conducting a study to determine if an additional vaccination would better protect Indigenous infants from rotavirus.
A highly infectious gastrointestinal disease which causes vomiting, diarrhoea and dehydration, rotavirus is the leading cause of paediatric diarrhoea deaths worldwide.
Since the global introduction of oral rotavirus vaccines in 2006, early childhood deaths due to the virus have dropped significantly - approximately 500,000 to little more than 200,000 - with oral rotavirus vaccines, which are administered through Australia's National Immunisation Program, having almost eliminated severe rotavirus disease for most Australian children.
"Right now, the rotavirus vaccine is not fully protecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children against severe rotavirus disease, and we still see young children being admitted to hospital with rotavirus infection" says RACP Foundation Fellowship Award recipient, Dr Bianca Middleton.
Read full article
Congratulations to Linny Kimly Phuong's organisation, the Water Well Project, for recently winning the Victorian Government's Excellence in CALD Care Award. The Water Well Project exists to improve the health of communities from migrant, refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds in Australia.
Despite being a self-confessed introvert, Dr Phuong has been doing some breakfast TV spots lately to advocate for the communities she serves and raise awareness about her incredible work.
Advanced Training Curricula Renewal (ATCR) is a multi-year project to transform 38 of the College’s medical education programs. With your help, we aim to develop modern, relevant curricula that are agile enough to embrace future innovations.
In wave one, an initial six curricula were finalised and will move into the implementation phase in 2024/2025. Consultation is now open for a further 15 draft curricula, as part of wave two. Fellows, trainees, and the wider general public are encouraged to have their say. Feedback can be made via the website and is open until early/mid January 2024
The final stage is wave three, where a redesign of curricula for the final 16 specialties will commence the design phase in early 2024. Expressions of Interest are being accepted until Wednesday, 14 February 2024 for paid specialist contractors. You can also provide anonymous feedback on the existing curricula online.
The College released a media statement on 29 November urging the incoming government to reconsider its planned repeal of smokefree legislation. Our statement was also featured on Live News Online and ran on Radio NZ.
In 2022, RACP strongly supported this legislation in its submission to the Health Committee on the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (smoked-tobacco) Amendment Bill. Further advocacy is planned around this issue.
The Australian Indigenous Doctors Association (AIDA) Conference brings together Indigenous medical students, graduates, medical professionals, and those interested in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health around Australia. The RACP currently has 72 First Nations members in Australia.
Held in Nipaluna Hobart, Tasmania, this year’s conference theme was 'our sovereign place in health'. We saw hundreds of young doctors eager to learn all about pathways to become a physician.
This year our very own Dr Elkie Hull received her AIDA Fellowship award. Elkie is the first female Aboriginal paediatrician in Australia and has recently take up a consultant paediatric position at the John Hunter Children’s Hospital. We want to congratulate Dr Hull on this marvellous news and success.
This year the college sent five members to the AIDA Conference to be with their peers. The 12th Biennial Pacific Region Indigenous Doctors Congress (PRIDoC) is planned for 2 to 4 December 2024 in Adelaide. AIDA will keep us updated about their activities for 2024.
The College has launched its Gender Equity in Medicine Action Plan 2023-2026. The Action Plan is based on recommendations from the Gender Equity in Medicine Working Group Report, which sets out six recommendations for implementation to better support gender equity in medicine:
- Gender equity in medicine is a strategic priority for the College.
- Gender representation and equity on College bodies and College leadership is prioritised.
- The College is an active advocate for gender equity in medicine.
- College policies reflect the Gender Equity in Medicine Principles.
- The College is an active supporter of gender equity in medicine activity through external partnerships.
- The College establishes a Gender Equity in Medicine College Body to implement the GEM Action Plan and drive member engagement.
View the Gender Equity in Medicine Action Plan 2023-2026 and find out more.
As the landscape of medical education evolves, so do the requirements for Continuing Professional Development (CPD). The Medical Board of Australia (MBA) has introduced new CPD requirements for all medical practitioners from January 2024. All Australian-based medical trainees will need to comply with the new CPD requirements from January 2024.
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Results of the Medical Board of Australia’s fifth annual Medical Training Survey are now available. The anonymous survey was open from August to October 2023, and was completed by 46 per cent of RACP trainees (n=3,305).
Thank you to all RACP trainees who completed this important survey. Further details about the survey can be found on the Medical Training Survey website.
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Findings from the second annual New Fellow Survey are now available. Thank you to those who shared your experiences. Ten per cent of New Fellows (one to two years post training completion) responded to the survey in April/May this year.
Key challenges noted were confidence in making independent decisions, administration loads, workload expectations and job security. Read more about the survey and the findings in the New Fellow Survey Summary Report.
Read more
The RACP welcomes the Australian Government’s release of the nation’s first ever National Health and Climate Strategy at COP28 in Dubai. The Strategy comes after more than a decade of policy and advocacy work by the RACP and others in the sector. We have had significant involvement in the development of the Strategy, including RACP President, Dr Jacqueline Small’s membership of the Chief Medical Officer Advisory Group, which informed the development of the Strategy.
The Strategy reflects many of our key recommendations, including a focus on healthy climate resilient communities alongside ensuring that healthcare systems are climate resilient and climate friendly. The RACP’s Climate Change and Health Working Group led our submission on the Strategy’s consultation paper earlier in the year, supported by College bodies and specialty societies across the College.
As part of our advocacy on the Strategy and our Healthy Climate Future campaign, we released a joint statement with 12 other medical colleges. The statement calls for the Strategy to be fully funded, have National Cabinet sign-off and be First Nations led. You can support our campaign petition calling for the Strategy to be fully funded and implemented.
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Median survival for patients diagnosed with advanced cirrhosis is around two years and quality of life is poor. Fewer than a quarter of such patients receive referrals to palliative care and advanced care plans are also rare. Existing research from abroad suggests that hepatology staff aren’t familiar with referral criteria and assume that palliative services become involved only at the very end-of-life.
To try and reduce barriers to referral, clinicians at Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital developed a model called Hepatocare. They adapted a palliative care referral algorithm to include cirrhosis specific markers and continuity of care between the teams was provided by a clinical nurse consultant. The model was piloted in 30 consecutive patients to the liver clinic, and its impact was assessed on rate of referrals, incidence of unplanned admissions, length of patient stay and rates of polypharmacy.
Guests
- Professor James O’Beirne FRCP FRACP Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service; University of the Sunshine Coast
- Dr Richard Skoien MBBS FRACP Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital; University of Queensland
- Dr Alison Kearney FRACP MRCP Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital; University of Queensland
- Olivia Cullen (Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital
Key reference
- Alison Kearney, Neha Tiwari, Olivia Cullen, Amy Legg, Ismail Arbi, Carol Douglas, Barbara Leggett, Mary Fenech, Joanne Mina, Paris Hoey, Richard Skoien. Improving palliative and supportive care in advanced cirrhosis: the HepatoCare model of integrated collaborative care. Intern Medicine Journal. 2023 Nov;53(11):1963-1971
Please visit the Pomegranate Health web page for a transcript and supporting references. Log in to MyCPD to record listening and reading as a prefilled learning activity. Subscribe to new episode email alerts or search for ‘Pomegranate Health’ in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox or any podcasting app.
The Divisional Examination Readiness online learning resource has been designed to help Basic Trainees understand what to expect and how to prepare for the Divisional Written and Clinical Examinations. It provides information, resources and study tools, as well as demonstration videos of Paediatrics and Child Health Medicine and Adult Medicine short and long cases. Access the resource now to elevate your exam preparation.
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Expressions of interest:
As healthcare workers who dedicate our lives to helping others, it’s important to take the time to care for ourselves. We would like to remind everyone that it's okay to not be ok. If you need someone to talk to, you can reach out to the RACP Support Program. It's a free, 24/7 and completely confidential support service that is delivered externally through Converge International.
Whether you have something worrying on your mind, are finding getting out of bed to be a struggle, or just feel like talking to someone for helpful, judgement-free advice, this free support service may be just what you need.
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Whether you are a New Fellow, established within your career, or beginning to wind down for retirement, the RACP CPD Home can support you to meet your specialist regulatory requirements.
We have a long history as an accredited CPD provider within Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, and our MyCPD team are at hand to provide you with tailored guidance throughout the annual CPD cycle. Plus, your RACP membership means you can access the RACP Online Learning platform for a selection of tools and resources relevant to you throughout your career.
You have never stopped learning, we’re here to make sure that continues. My RACP. MyCPD Home.
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