As Australia opens up to living with COVID-19, the Australian Government is investing $180 million in primary care to treat future COVID patients.
Federal Health and Aged Care Minister Greg Hunt said with a highly vaccinated population, most COVID-positive people would be able to be managed in the community and would not require hospitalisation.
Included in the recent $180 million announcement are:
- National COVID Triage, Management and Escalation Infrastructure: readying the national health call centre healthdirect to connect COVID-positive people to the right level of care and support. The Government is offering this service to assist state and territory public health units in managing an expected increase in positive tests in an environment of living with COVID-19. People who receive a positive COVID-19 pathology test result will be contacted within 24 hours to confirm their test results; check on their symptoms and risk factors; and connect them to the appropriate level of health care.
- COVID Community Care Pathways: providing clear plans on where and how COVID-positive people will be managed through primary and community care services, and when care needs to be delivered through hospitals. The care pathways will include clear and rapid escalation arrangements for people to receive hospital-based care if needed.
- Additional MBS item for general practitioners: providing a rebate of $25, which can be claimed in addition to existing general consultation items, to support face-to-face care of COVID-19 positive patients.
- Home visits for patients recovering at home: commissioning home visits by practice nurses, nurse practitioners and medical deputising services for patients requiring home visits or after hours services while under GP management, with a particular focus on regional and rural areas. This will mobilise additional workforce to respond to any spikes in local cases and help ensure patients can be safely and effectively cared for at home.
- National Medical Stockpile supplies to support primary health care: procuring supplies of pulse oximeters and strengthening distribution arrangements for personal protective equipment (PPE) to general practice and other primary health care settings seeing COVID-positive people. There will be a particular emphasis on strengthening the supply chain for rural and remote practices. Patients will be asked to take regular readings and will be carefully monitored for any sign of deterioration.
- General Practice Respiratory Clinics (GPRCs): extending the reach and the role of the GPRC network. This will enable COVID-positive people without an available usual GP, or where access to GPs is limited, to have a general practice they can safely attend for assessment and management, rather than presenting at an emergency department in non-urgent circumstances.
- COVID-19 Management Guidelines: the RACGP is urgently updating its COVID-19 management guidelines for GPs to include treatment of COVID-positive patients with moderate symptoms and to support care for COVID-positive people at home.
- Continued dispensing arrangements: extending the temporary Continued Dispensing (Emergency Measures) for the dispensing of medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) until 30 June 2022. This measure will allow community pharmacists, under certain conditions, to continue to give patients up to one month’s supply of their PBS medicine, if they cannot access their prescription.
Read Minister Hunt’s media release (29 Oct 2021).