WA GPs Present a Plan to Parliament: GPs as the Solution to Hospital Strain
A delegation of seven Western Australian general practitioners (GPs) representing the Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) is heading to the WA Parliament with a mission: to quantify how primary care can relieve overwhelmed hospitals. The group will offer risk assessments for common chronic conditions and push for policy changes designed to keep people out of emergency departments and in proactive care with their local GP.
The delegation will deliver diabetes, heart disease, and high cholesterol risk assessments, framing these checks as practical tools to reduce ambulance ramping, shorten hospital stays, and prevent avoidable admissions. The RACGP WA Chair and Vice President, Dr Ramya Raman, said small, targeted investments in primary care can translate to meaningful pressure relief across the health system.
Four Key Measures: What the GPs Want from Government
The GPs laid out four core policy asks they believe will enable general practice to act as a pivotal, cost-effective lever in Western Australia’s health system:
- Reduce hospital readmissions by incentivising a GP consult within a week of discharge. Research cited by the delegation indicates that a timely follow-up with a GP after an unplanned admission can reduce readmissions by up to 32%.
- Expand after-hours care so more Western Australians can access non-urgent, routine care from a GP outside standard hours. Funding would cover additional staffing and related costs to keep practices open later, including weeknights and weekends.
- Free access to lifesaving vaccines for RSV and Meningococcal B. Covering patient costs for these vaccines would save lives and reduce downstream healthcare expenses caused by preventable illnesses.
- Appoint a Chief GP Advisor to improve collaboration between hospitals and primary care, breaking down silos and guiding system-wide improvements to patient outcomes.
Dr Raman emphasised that the WA Government is responsible for hospitals while the Federal Government oversees primary care, which has fostered a siloed system with missed opportunities. The proposed Chief GP Advisor would help tailor local solutions, aligning hospital and community care to the patient’s needs.
Evidence and Real-World Impacts
“Ambulance ramping is a challenge, for example, but there’s evidence that GPs are the solution,” Dr Raman said. She highlighted statistics showing that in WA, patients arriving by ambulance faced long wait times, contributing to about 7,000 hours of ramping during July, August and September. The GPs argue that better post-discharge follow-up and extended after-hours care could free hospital beds for those most in need.
The group pointed to research indicating that about one in seven patients discharged after an unplanned admission are readmitted within 28 days if they do not receive timely GP follow-up. By encouraging GP involvement within a week of discharge, the healthcare system could reduce preventable admissions, improve outcomes, and ease hospital stress.
Beyond acute care, the GPs stressed that after-hours access remains a critical gap. With 350,000 potentially avoidable ED presentations last year and many people turning to emergency services after hours, extended GP availability could divert non-urgent cases to primary care, preserving hospital capacity for acute emergencies.
Vaccination and Prevention: A Lifesaving Focus
On vaccination, the delegation urged removing financial barriers to MenB vaccines, arguing that publicly funded programs in other states have dramatically reduced meningococcal B rates among babies and adolescents. They also called for broader RSV vaccination access, noting its particular risk to vulnerable seniors and the role primary care can play in prevention.
Finally, the GPs framed a governance mechanism—appointing a Chief GP Advisor—as a practical way to translate clinical insight into policy, ensuring that frontline experience informs decisions about how to structure funding, hours of operation, and integrated care pathways.
“Our message is that GPs can reduce pressure on the rest of the system,” Dr Raman concluded. With targeted investments, she believes WA’s health system can be more efficient, patient-centered, and resilient in the face of rising demand.
