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The Royal Australian College Of General Practitioners is the professional body for General Practitioners in Australia. A general practitioner, or GP is a medical practitioner who provides Primary care and specializes in Family medicine. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics.

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners is responsible for maintaining standards for quality clinical practice, education and training, and research in Australian general practice. The RACGP has the largest general practitioner membership of any medical organisation in Australia, with the majority of Australia's general practitioners belonging to their professional college. Over 22,000 general practitioners are members of the RACGP Continuing Professional Development Program. The RACGP National Rural Faculty, representing more than 5000 members, has the largest rural general practitioner membership of any medical organisation in Australia.

Contents

History of General Practice in Australia and beyond

Prior to the mid 20th century, upon graduation Australian doctors spent time in general practice. A medical career usually included completing an intern year immediately after graduation as a resident in a major teaching hospital. After a period of time in general practice, some doctors would seek specialist qualifications. Possibly reflecting the historical origins of Australia as a series of British colonies, these doctors would travel overseas, most often to the UK, to specialise and then return to establish practice. [1]

As the Australian population grew post World War II, the public hospital system also grew demanding an increasing number of specialists. Local training program emerged and therefore the ability of a doctor to enter specialist training directly following the mandatory intern year post graduation without entering general practice. This increasing number of specialist made it increasingly difficult to general practitioners in Australia to hold and retain public hospital appointments, especially in procedural areas such as surgery or obstetrics.

This was not a uniquely Australian phenomenon. Worldwide, medical practice was shifting focus onto hospitals with the expansion of pharmaceuticals and medical and surgical interventions. In the United States, the number of doctors identifying as General Practitioners fell markedly between 1931 and 1974 from 83% to 18%. This process began as specialisation increased prior to the War. US GPs increasingly felt that health care was becoming fragmented and weakening doctor patient relationships. [2]

“There are 57 different varieties of specialist to diagnose and treat 57 different varieties of disease but no physician to take care of the patient. "[3]

Development of Professional Colleges

In 1950, an Australian Graduate, Dr Joseph Collings, conducted a review of general practice in the UK. This 30 page report was published in the Lancet in 1950. [4]

“There are no real standards for general practice. What a doctor does and how he does it depends entirely on his own conscience” Dr Collings, 1950. [5]

Dr Collings’ report was scathing and generated immediate and heated interest. It was undoubtably a key event in the definition of general practice as a speciality. [6]

He identified that general practice has no academic underpinning, no evidence upon which to base practice and no consistency of practice. The report did not pull punches. He described rural practice is “an anachronism”, suburban practice is a “casualty-clearing” service and Inner city practice is “at best… very unsatisfactory and at worst a positive source of public danger. ”[7] [8]

There is a direct link between the public criticism of general practice and the move to create a College. Dr Rose and Dr Hunt in the BMJ 1950 write:

“There is a College of Physicians, a College of Surgeons, a College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, a College of Nursing, a College of Midwives and a college of Veterinary Surgeons, all of them Royal Colleges; there is a College of Speech Therapists and a College of Physical Education, but there is no college or academic body to represent primarily the interests of the largest group of medical personnel in this country – the 20,000 general practitioners. ” [9]

Interestingly, there was opposition in the UK to the creation of a College by the existing three Medical Colleges – Colleges of Surgeons, Physicians and Obstetricians and Gynaecologists – who held the belief that general practice should be a joint faculty of general practice linked to the existing Colleges. [10] However, put into perspective, in the same document Hunt describes the two original British Colleges sought to stop the creation of the College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists via legal action in 1929.

The Development of the Australian College of General Practitioners

The British College of General Practitioners was formed in 1953 with many Australian doctors amongst the founding members including the RACGP’s first president Dr William Connelly. Dr Connelly, again reflecting the origins of Australia as a series of British colonies, established a New South Wales faculty of the BCGP. This was followed by the creation of other state based faculties of the British College of General Practitioners in Queensland, Western Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia over the next 5 years.

In keeping with the process for creating Medical Colleges under the British system, a group of Australian General Practitioners met in 1957 at the first Annual Scientific Convention in Sydney to declare an intention to form the Australian College of General Practitioners (ACGP) which was formally founded in 1958. This new College joined the state based faculties. State based faculties remain a key part of the modern day function of the RACGP.

The Objectives of the Australian College of General Practitioners

This College established the following objectives:

Recognition of General Practice as a medical specialty

In modern Australia, General Practice is listed by the AMC as a medical specialty and the RACGP as the specialist college responsible for assessment. [12] Yet, on further examination of how general practice is considered across the nation, some State-based Medical Practitioners’ Boards such as Victoria, Queensland and South Australia, do not consider general practice a medical specialty and general practice qualifications, such as the Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP) are not registrable qualifications.

The oddity of general practice in Australia is a lingering and arguably outdated perception that the decision to practise as a GP has low or no standing and status. Comments heard by many GPs including; ‘You are just a GP’ or ‘What do you intend on specialising in?’ reflect something of the community understanding of the General Practitioner.

This is not without precedent. The history of the General Practitioner shows that GPs in early Australia through to GPs in mid and late 20th century, ‘defaulted’ into general practice having disliked surgical or physician training or having failed exit exams too often. [13]

Also, while Australian General Practitioners were part of the creation of the Royal College of General Practitioners and instrumental in highlighting the need for professional and practice standards, Australia was one of the last developed countries to recognise general practice as a specialty. It was 1978 before the National Specialist Qualification Advisory Committee (the predecessor to the Australian Medical Council) recognised general practice as a specialty. [14] In contrast, The United Kingdom had a powerful case for recognition by the late 1960s, and the United States recognised general practice in 1969. [15][16]

Strengthening general practice

The standing of general practice within academic faculties of universities and professionally has undergone a marked increase in recent decades. The RACGP has been a key driver of this shift. The development and consolidation of training programs, standards for training, standards for practice, curriculum of general practice and various evidence based guidelines and publications have occurred internally within the College. [17] Outside of the College there are a few important events:

Academic General Practice

Demonstrating again the slow shift towards recognition, Australia was late in accepting that general practice should be taught or regarded as a discipline in its own right. The Whitlam government’s Karmel committee into ‘Expansion of Medical Education in Australia’ compromised with departments of ‘community medicine’ – a confusing anachronism that persisted for many years in Australia’s tertiary institutions. [18] The RACGP sought strongly but unsuccessfully that this committee accept general practice into the universities.

Today, general practice is listed or has been added along side community medicine, highlighting the shift since the early 1970s (eg Department of General Practice and Community Medicine Monash University)[19]

Nine foundation professors of ‘Community Practice’ were appointed between 1974 and 1976. Again Australia lagged behind the US and the UK who appointed their first professors and Chairs of general practice and family medicine in 1967 and 1963 respectively. [20]

The Foundation professors were:

Notably, many did not hold general practice qualifications either from Australia or international.

General Practice Textbooks

The definitive point in Australian General Practice came with the textbook General Practice. [22]

John Murtagh was a science teacher in rural Victoria who return to study Medicine at the first intake of Monash University. John Murtagh has along academic association through Monash University becoming the first Professor of General Practice (Neil Carson was Professor of Community Medicine). He remains with teaching positions at Monash University as Professor in General Practice, University of Notre Dame as Adjunct Clinical Professor and Melbourne University as Professorial Fellow.

He was associate medical editor of the Australian Family Physician (the RACGP peer reviewed journal) in 1980, editor in 1986 and held that position until 1995. He began the popular CHECK (Continuous Home Evaluation of Clinical Knowledge), he also held the position of Executive Director of Training at the RACGP at the turn of the 21st century. The RACGP library is named after John Murtagh. [23], offering a wide range of services to Members, registrars and all health professionals working in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Health Services. [24]

'To add a library to a house is to give that house a soul' - Professor Michael Kidd, RACGP President 2002-2006 quoting Cicero 1st December 2005

His companion publication Practice Tips was named as the British Medical Association's Best Primary Care Book Award in 2005. He received a Member of the Order of Australia for service to medicine, in particular, medical education, research and publishing.

RACGP Council

Past Presidents of the RACGP

Past Presidents of the RACGP[25] Date
WA Connelly 20th March 1959 - 28th October 1961
HS Patterson 28th October 1961 - 24th October 1963
CW Anderson 24th October 1963 - 27th October 1966
CC Jungfer 27th October 1966 - 10th October 1968
MO Kent Hughes 10th October 1968 - 15th October 1970
HN Merrington 15th October 1970 - 5th October 1972
JG Radford 5th October 1972 - 3rd October 1974
DA Game 3rd October 1974 - 25th August 1976
JRH Watson 25th August 1976 - 25th October 1978
WD Jackson 25th October 1978 - 12th August 1980
KWK Shaw 12th August 1980 - 18th October 1982
RT Finch 18th October 1982 - 5th September 1984
DP Finegan 5th September 1984 - 20th October 1986
AE Fisher 20th October 1986 - 8th September 1988
GR Gates 8th September 1988 - 28th September 1990
AR Buhagiar 28th September 1990 - 24th September 1992
P Stone 24th September 1992 - 15th September 1994
CE Owen 15th September 1994 - 16th October 1996
P Joseph 16th October 1996 - 15th October 1998
M Kilmartin 15th October 1998 - 11th October 2000
P Hemming 11th October 2000 - 8th October 2002
M Kidd 8th October 2002 - 30th September 2004
M Kidd 30th September 2004 - 5th October 2006

Past chairs of RACGP Council

Past Chair of Council[26] Date
WA Connelly 7th March 1958 - 30th September 1959
Sir Leonard Mallen 30th September 1959 - 20th October 1962
D Zacharin 20th October 1962 - 23rd October 1965
HM Saxby 23rd October 1965 - 29th October 1966
HRN Oaten 29th October 1966 - 9th October 1969
DA Game 9th October 1969 - 25th November 1972
MS Cooling 25th November 1972 - 16th October 1975
WD Jackson 16th October 1975 - 25th October 1978
GR Gates 25th October 1978 - 17th October 1981
GM Dick 17th October 1981 - 5th September 1984
GC Miller 5th September 1984 - 26th July 1986
JC Bampton 26th July 1986 - 2nd September 1987
KP Mahoney 2nd September 1987 - 29th September 1990
RJ Mecoy 29th September 1990 - 25th September 1992
GD Martin 25th September 1992 - 6th October 1993
RC Gutch 6th October 1993 - 15th September 1994
JW Turnbull 15th September 1994 - 16th October 1996
JH Summons 16th October 1996 - 26th October 1999
P Clyne 30th October 1999 - 27th October 2001
P Hemming 27th October 2001 - 8th October 2002
C Jackson 8th October 2002 - 8th October 2003
L Rowe 8th October 2003 - 30th September 2004
P Mudge 30th September 2004 - 5th October 2006

RACGP Awards

General Practitioner of the Year

Life Fellows of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners

Life Fellow of the RACGP[27] Date of award
William Arnold Connelly 20th February 1981
H Stuart Patterson 18th September 1985
Colin Warden Anderson 2nd September 1987
Herbert Ewan Hamilton Ferguson 2nd September 1987
Harvard Northcroft Merrington 8th September 1988
John Goulburn Radford 8th September 1988
Rollo Greenless 28th September 1989
Bernard Selwyn Alderson 24th September 1992
William Desmond Jackson 15th September 1994
John Charles Bampton 16th October 1996
David Sunter Muecke 16th October 1996
William Francis Glastonbury 30th September 1997
David Game 15th October 1998
Edgar John Hamilton North 26th October 1999
Richard Geeves 8th October 2003
Wesley Fabb 8th October 2003
Peter Doyle 8th October 2003
Charles Bridges-Webb 30th September 2004
Neil Carson 30th September 2004
Max Kamien 30th September 2004
Jack Marshal 30th September 2004
James Colquhoun 30th September 2004
Clive Oswald Auricht 29th September 2005
Mary Deidre Mahoney 29th September 2005
John Alfred Stevens 29th September 2005
Alan (Eric) Fisher 5th October 2006
Richard (Dick) Gutch 5th October 2006
Bruce Roberts 5th October 2006
Elizabeth Jane 5th October 2006

Honorary Fellows of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners

Honorary Fellow of the RACGP[28] Date of award
Lord Hunt of Fawley 20th March 1959
Ian Grant 20th March 1959
William Pickles 20th March 1959
The Honourable Donald A Cameron 19th October 1962
Sir Theodore Fox 19th October 1962
Robert John Francis Homfrey Pinsent 24th October 1963
Henry Edward Martyn Williams 24th October 1963
William Victor Marcus Coppleson 24th October 1963
The Right Honourable Sir Robert Gordon Menzies 9th October 1964
Sir Lorimer Fenton Dodds 22nd October 1965
Carroll L Witten 29th May 1966
James T McCollough 29th May 1966
Sir Norman Nock 11th October 1967
Sir Thoman Moore Greenway 1st July 1968
Bruce Toomba Mayes 10th October 1968
Douglas Gordon 10th October 1968
George Ian Watson 2nd September 1972
James Lester Grobe 2nd September 1972
Claude Howard Murphy 2nd September 1972
Ronald Diarmid MacDiarmid 2nd September 1972
Donald Ingram Rice 2nd September 1972
Prakash Chand Bhatla 2nd September 1972
Bratham Ramaswarmy Sreenivasan 26th November 1972
His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh 24th January 1973
Wong Heck Sing 25th August 1975
Sir Keith Stephen Jones 15th October 1975
Selwyn Carson 25th October 1978
James Rupert Magarey 25th October 1978
David Clements Jackson 18th October 1982
John George H Refshauge 11th October 1984
Yvonne Sinclair 19th April 1986
Reginald Lewis Perkin 2nd September 1987
Bertram Herries Young 2nd September 1987
Victor William Michael Drury 8th September 1988
Barry Betham Grimmond 8th September 1988
Thomas Smith Reeva 8th September 1988
Edward Bassett 28th September 1989
Robert Edward McKeown 28th September 1989
Ronnie Woh Mun Yeun 28th September 1989
Raymond George Ross Moon 28th September 1990
Peter Erne Baume 26th September 1991
Manacadu Kumar Rajakumer 24th September 1992
Peter George Flemming 6th October 1993
Frank Fry 15th September 1994
John Derek Richardson 15th September 1994
Peter CY Lee 15th September 1994
Neil Blewett 15th September 1994
Trevor Corey Beard 28th September 1995
Patrick Augustus Simon Edmonds 16th October 1996
Sir Gustav Joseph Victor Nossal 15th October 1998
Goh Lee Gan 8th October 2003
Theres (Tessa) Turnbull 8th October 2003
W Bruce Connelly 8th October 2003
Michael Boland 30th September 2004
Stephen Foo 30th September 2004
Nat Yuen 30th September 2004
Fiona Stanley 30th September 2004
Ngaire Joy Brown 29th September 2005
Donald Kwok Tung Li 29th September 2005
Ruby Binti Adbul Majeed 29th September 2005
Helen Wilhelmina Rodenberg 29th September 2005
Bruce Louis Walsh sparks 29th September 2005
Geoffrey Henry James Vause 29th September 2005
Ian Frazer 5th October 2006
William Glasson 5th October 2006
Alfred W T Loh 5th October 2006
Roger Neighbour 5th October 2006
Daniel Mahendran Thuraiappah 5th October 2006

Honorary Members of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners

Honorary Member of the RACGP[29] Date of award
Reginald Gilbert Hayward 24th October 1963
James Robert Clough 11th October 1967
Robert Spence 10th October 1968
Maxwell Stanley Jarvis 9th October 1969
Adrian William Helm 21st October 1971
Dorothy Francis Bird 2nd September 1972
Jon Allen Baker 25th October 1978
Helena Christine Britt 28th September 1995
Glenda May Williams 28th September 1995
Ilse Quantrell 20th September 1997
Ann Dooley 15th October 1998
Ronald Rees 26th April 1999
Lillace Mary Burrow 12th August 2000
Joan Bruton 30th September 2001
Patricia Ritchie 30th September 2001
Judith Tuner 30th September 2001
Rod Wellard 8th October 2003
Margaret Gore 8th October 2003
Prue Power 8th October 2003
Pam Garrard 30th September 2004
Moni Lobascher 30th September 2004
Jane Ryan 30th September 2004
Sue Whicker 30th September 2004
Annette Young 30th September 2004
Robyn Ellen Cronnolly 29th September 2005
Carol Mary Elliott 29th September 2005
Marian Diesner 29th September 2005
Fidelis Leong 29th September 2005
Glenda Joy Malkin 29th September 2005
Neil Greenway 5th October 2006
Robin Toohey 5th October 2006
Sharon Butler 5th October 2006
Lucy Di Natale 5th October 2006
Amy Jasper 5th October 2006
Julie Lam 5th October 2006
Diane Schaefer 5th October 2006
Mary Martin 5th October 2006

Rose-Hunt Award

Standing Strong Together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Award

Occasional orators

Ian Dingwall Grant

Joseph Silver Collings

Kenneth Macd Foster

Gilbert S McDonald

Sir Theodore Fox

William Victor Johnston

Sir Clive Hamilton Fitts

Trevor Corey Beard

Carroll Lewis Witten

Bruce Toomba Mayes

Richard Roderick Andrew

Geoffrey Malcolm Badger

HRH Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh[30]

William Arnold Connelly orators

Sir Kenneth Beeson Noad

Professor Eric Galton Saint

Prakash Chand Bhatla

Sir Mark Oliphant

Geoffrey C Bolton

David C Jackson

Sir Stanley Burbury

Sir Edward Hughes

Senator Peter Baume

Justice Kemeri Murray

Professor David Maddison

Stuart Patterson

Sir Ninian Stephen

The Most Reverend Dr Peter Carnley

Associate Professor Byan Gandevia

Ms Katherine West

Professor Stephen Leeder

Professor Ralph Doherty

not held

Dr Keith Bolden

Professor Max Charlesworth

The Most Reverend Dr Keith Rayner

Dr William Faulding Scammell CBE

Professor Richard Smallwood

Associate Professor David Bennett

Dr Reg L Perkin

Dr John Stevens

Emeritus Profesor Neil Carson

Dr David A Game

Professor Dame Lesley Southgate DBE

Professor W Bruce Connolly

Professor Judith Belle Brown

Professor Wesley Fabb AM

Professor Max Kamien AM

Dr Ngaire Brown

Professor Ian Frazer[31]

See also

External links

References

  1. ^ Bollen M Saltman D, "A history of general practice", general practice in Australia (2000): Commonwealth of Australia. The Australian Medical Association (the AMA is a Professional association and Union for Australian
  2. ^ History of Family Medicine. American Academy of Family Physicians. Retrieved on 2007-09-24. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 622 - Prophet Muhammad completes his hegira from Mecca to Medina.
  3. ^ History of Family Medicine. American Academy of Family Physicians. Retrieved on 2007-09-24. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 622 - Prophet Muhammad completes his hegira from Mecca to Medina.
  4. ^ Collings J, General Practice in England Today: a reconnaissance. Lancet 1950;i:555-85.
  5. ^ Collings J, General Practice in England Today: a reconnaissance. Lancet 1950;i:555-85.
  6. ^ Petchey R, Colling report on General Practice in England in 1950: unrecognised, pioneering piece of British social research? BMJ 1995;311:40-42 (1 July)
  7. ^ Collings J, General Practice in England Today: a reconnaissance. Lancet 1950;i:555-85.
  8. ^ Petchey R, Colling report on General Practice in England in 1950: unrecognised, pioneering piece of British social research? BMJ 1995;311:40-42 (1 July)
  9. ^ Rose, F, Hunt J, College of General Practice. BMJ 1951;ii;908
  10. ^ Hunt J, A history of the Royal College of General Practitioners. 1983. Churchill London.
  11. ^ Australian College of General Practitioners. Articles and Regulations, 1958 Australia
  12. ^ Specialist Practice and Relevant Assessing College. Australian Medical Council. Retrieved on 2007-09-28. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 48 BC - Pompey the Great is assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt.
  13. ^ Bollen M Saltman D, "A history of general practice", general practice in Australia (2000): Commonwealth of Australia.
  14. ^ 'NSQAC Regulations', National Specialist Qualification Advisory Committee, 1978, Australia.
  15. ^ History of the College. Royal College of General Practitioners. Retrieved on 2007-09-28. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 48 BC - Pompey the Great is assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt.
  16. ^ History of the Specialty. Nicholas J Piscano, The American Board of Family Medicine. Retrieved on 2007-09-28. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 48 BC - Pompey the Great is assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt.
  17. ^ RACGP Home Page and website. Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. Retrieved on 2007-09-28. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 48 BC - Pompey the Great is assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt.
  18. ^ Karmel P. Report of the Committee on Medical Schools to the Australian Universities Commission. Expansion of Medical Education. Canberra: AGPS, 1973.
  19. ^ Department of General Practice and Community Medicine. Monash University. Retrieved on 2007-09-28. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 48 BC - Pompey the Great is assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt.
  20. ^ Kamien M, A patience of professors. The Foundation Professor of Community Practice in Australia. 1974-2003 MJA 2003;179(1):10-14A patience of professors. The Foundation Professor of Community Practice in Australia. Medical Journal of Australia. Retrieved on 2007-09-28. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 48 BC - Pompey the Great is assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt.
  21. ^ Kamien M, A patience of professors. The Foundation Professor of Community Practice in Australia. 1974-2003 MJA 2003;179(1):10-14A patience of professors. The Foundation Professor of Community Practice in Australia. Medical Journal of Australia. Retrieved on 2007-09-28. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 48 BC - Pompey the Great is assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt.
  22. ^ Murtagh J, John Murtagh's General Practice. Now in 4th Edition 2007. First published in 1994. McGraw Hill Australia ISBN 9780074717790
  23. ^ The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners launches the RACGP John Murtagh Library. Media Release: 1st of December 2005. Retrieved on 2007-09-27. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 489 - Odoacer attacks Theodoric at the Battle of Verona and is defeated again
  24. ^ RACGP Library. Retrieved on 2007-09-28. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 48 BC - Pompey the Great is assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt.
  25. ^ RACGP Annual Report 2006-2007
  26. ^ RACGP Annual Report 2006-2007
  27. ^ RACGP Annual Report 2006-2007
  28. ^ RACGP Annual Report 2006-2007
  29. ^ RACGP Annual Report 2006-2007
  30. ^ RACGP Annual Report 2006-2007
  31. ^ RACGP Annual Report 2006-2007

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