Annual Report - Adelaide to Outback GP Training Program

Chairperson’s Report
This last year has—as always—been an
exciting but challenging time. As Chairman
I would like to express the Board’s
pleasure with the commitment, expertise,
and support given to AOGP by all the
staff. Their ability to both take care of the
routine work that is anticipated each year,
as well as rise to the challenges that come
our way, provide the Board with a real
sense of security regarding the function
of our organisation. This is the main
reason that while our Registrar numbers
increase we can still maintain the level of
training support that has characterised
our organisation. We are seen as a
high quality, high performing and highly
respected RTP all of which is essentially
due to the talented and hard working staff
that makes up AOGP. I want to personally
thank each staff member for his or her
work this last year.
There have been particular highlights
continuing on the success of the ‘for love
or money’ three-part study released in
2009. Dr Caroline Laurence and Linda
Black (together with other collaborators,
internal and external to AOGP) published
in 2010 what has been universally
accepted as a landmark study into the
costs associated with practice based
teaching and learning. Also in 2010
AOGP was sub-contracted to replicate
the full three-part study for WAGPET - the
best compliment that could be expressed
regarding the authenticity and rigor of
the methodology AOGP used to explore
these important questions.
Another highlight in 2010 was the
completion of the new module covering
‘The Business of General Practice’. All
AOGP core stakeholders, attending
education forums throughout the second
half of 2010, were introduced to this inpractice
teaching tool. AOGP Registrars,
Supervisors and Practice Managers alike,
have applauded this as a high calibre
piece of work. The positive feedback
continued with the receipt of the GPET
Innovation Award at the GPET conference
in Alice Springs. Deb Docking and Danny
Haydon, AOGP’s Practice Manager
Liaison Officers (PMLOs), together with
a series of AOGP personnel, deserve our
special thanks for successfully producing
an oft-requested module.
Finally, AOGP can be justly proud of
its national contribution in 2010, which
culminated in the RACGP and ACRRM
endorsement of a delegated Training Post/
Supervisor Accreditation framework. The
foundation work undertaken by AOGP
significantly informed the development
of a national delegated accreditation
framework. It is encouraging to see that
the strong partner relationship between
AOGP staff and Supervisors/Training
Posts continues to produce outcomes
that are simultaneously beneficial to
ourselves, our stakeholders and like
entities beyond our region. As a further
example of this, AOGP, together with a
cross-section of its network of Training
Posts successfully submitted a proposal
to HWA, to deliver clinical training for
primary qualification students in Medicine,
Psychology and Nursing. All AOGP
partners are to be congratulated on taking
an early adopter perspective with regard
to delivering a vertically and horizontally
integrated model of clinical training.
On a broader note, HWA and GPET,
as discrete Commonwealth created
independent organisations, have
been presented with different but
complementary challenges. One of
these involves the development of a
bolstered vertical as well as a horizontal
clinical training system within primary
care environments. In 2010, as the
Chair representative on the RTP/GPET
Council, I participated in a national
GPET-coordinated panel that included
HWA, DoHA and national Division
representatives. This meeting was
attended by RTP and GPET senior
management and board members –
to determine the principles for RTP
involvement in primary care-based
training. This conversation is fledgling and
will be ongoing.
From a Chairman’s governance
perspective, I feel reassured that AOGP
is in good hands with the committed staff
we have. I would like to make specific
mention of the continued dedication and
overall expertise that our Chief Executive,
Linda Black brings to her role. I also want
to thank Carolyn Cheah, our Business
Manager, for all her efforts in managing
our financial affairs. As a Board, she
gives us security and understanding
with regard to the overall financial health
of our organisation, a critical part of our
governance responsibilities.
At this point I would also like to welcome
our newest Board Member, Dr Rebecca
Morgan, who joined the Board in mid
2010. She brings to the Board a broad
base of pertinent skills and experience
that have been deemed suitable for
inclusion on the Board. Equally Rebecca
is currently an AOGP Registrar and this
ensures the Board perspective remains
inclusive of the all-important active
Registrar voice.
The new year will bring many challenges,
most anticipated but some that will be
a surprise. However I feel confident
that with the support and commitment
shown by the Board and the continued
professional input from the staff at all
levels, I, as Chairman, can face the future
with positive anticipation that AOGP will
continue to grow and prosper.
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