Some hard-hitting and high profile names are behind a new association which has been established to represent front-line General Practice owner-operators and Urgent Care providers in what it describes as a direct response to the Covid-19 threat to General Practice sustainability and the previously mounting dissatisfaction across the sector.
The intent of the General Practice Owners Association, which will be known as GenPro, is already evident in today’s announcement that its interim Chair will be previous RNZCGP President, Dr Tim Malloy, and who will be supported by interim Deputy Chair, Dr Angus Chambers – an increasingly vocal critic of existing national representative arrangements for General Practice contract holders.
Echoing the sentiment of many of the country’s GPs, Dr Malloy says “We are currently facing the single most significant threat to the sustainability and viability of General Practice as well as the safety of our dedicated front-line staff . This on top of successive years of rising demand, expectations, regulation and compliance which have all come without a commensurate increase in funding or support. There is no other agency advocating at a national level with a singular focus on sustainability and viability of this country’s essential network of General Practices”.
The Association, whose Vision is Sustainable, viable and high quality General Practice for all New Zealanders, is being backed by an impressive range of General Practice and Urgent Care providers including Better Health; Coast to Coast Health Care; Green Cross Health; Omni Health; Riccarton Clinic; South Link Health and Tamaki Health.
Interim Deputy Chair, Dr Angus Chambers says “The business viability of every hard working owner-operated General Practice across New Zealand has been steadily and continuously eroded through multiple channels including under-funded annual inflation, increased compliance and regulation costs, transfer of services from secondary care without appropriate funding and, the slow removal of our ability to recover costs through patient co-payments. This cannot continue if we are to ensure the future provision of essential first contact services for our local communities.”
Membership applications are now being invited in readiness for the election of the Association’s inaugural governance Board which its website states will take place between July and September 2020.
In the meantime, GenPro has ACC and PSAAP General Practice representation firmly in its sights, which Dr Chambers states “..have not
effectively represented the concerns of General Practice owners for some time now”.
Note to editors:
Further information is available on GenPro’s website at www.genpro.org.nz
The Steering Committee overseeing the establishment of GenPro and already covering General Practices providing care to almost 1 million New Zealanders, has included:
- Dr Tim Malloy, Coast to Coast Healthcare
- Dr Angus Chambers, Riccarton Clinic
- Steffan Crausaz, Tamaki Health
- Dr Tony Edwards, The Doctors Napier
- David Jones, Better Health
- Dr Clinton Newbury, Better Health
- Rachael Newfield, Green Cross Health
- Ash Revell, Green Cross Health
- Dr Murray Tilyard, South Link Health
- Mark Wills, Omni Health
GenPro’s Vision
Sustainable, viable and high quality General Practice for all New Zealanders
GenPro’s Mission
To promote and advocate for sustainable, responsive and high quality general practice services for the population of New Zealand.
GenPro’s Objectives
- To promote, protect and improve the collective interests of Members.
- To advocate for and support the sustainability and viability of Members businesses and the services they provide in order to ultimately ensure the continuity of locally accessible and high-quality, patient- centric care.
- To provide strong, credible and effective national representation for New Zealand’s network of General Practice and Urgent Care business owners, including, but not limited to, the country’s network of smaller, owner-operated providers.
- To improve the health of the population of New Zealand and advocate for high-quality, accessible and equitable patient care.
- To support the productivity and efficiency of the New Zealand Health and Disability System.
- To promote, protect and support the innovation capability of Members.
- To help Members promote and improve the efficiency of their businesses.
- To uphold the professional reputation of Members collectively, and the value of the quality branding conferred by membership of the Association.
- To provide sector leadership on issues affecting Members by:
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- Providing effective representation of Association members on and to bodies with influence on General Practice and Urgent Care services or associated professions.
- Influencing and promoting legislation, regulations and policy for the betterment of the interests of the Members or for the accomplishment of any of the Association’s objectives.
- Liaising and co-operating with Government and other bodies and agencies for the accomplishment of any of the Association’s objects.
- To act as agent for the Members (either individually or collectively) in negotiation or consultation with Crown Agents or other funding bodies regarding contractual service arrangements and associated funding.