Latest news with #SamanthaMurton
RNZ News
5 days ago
- Health
- RNZ News
Doctors welcome health minister's GP training funding shake-up
Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners president Dr Samantha Murton. Photo: Supplied Doctors are welcoming the government's move to fully fund specialist GP training. Previously, medical graduates only had their first year of specialist general practitioner training paid for, but now all three years would be covered. The government would also cover the exam costs for about 200 trainees, and full education costs for about 400 year 2 and 3 trainees each year. President of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners - which delivers the 'General Practice Education Programme' - Dr Samantha Murton, said the changes brought GP training in line with all other medical training across New Zealand and Australia. "This funding will be a gamechanger for current and future trainees. This is a significant acknowledgement for the specialism of the general practice workforce and the vital role we play in healthcare being as important as those of our peers in secondary hospital settings. "Not only will this funding offer the necessary financial support our GP registrars need throughout their training, but we are optimistic that the news will encourage medical graduates who have an interest in general practice but have been put off by the financial barriers to make the step to train as a specialist GP. To them, I say welcome and you won't regret your decision." Chief executive Toby Beaglehole said the college was enthusiastic that primary care funding was heading in the right direction. "We are focused on building a sustainable workforce for the future , which starts with training and the equitability of our program costs to other specialist medical training. "This funding sends a signal to the sector that the expertise of general practice is valued as a vital part of the health system." Announcing the changes at a GP conference on Friday, Health Minister Simeon Brown said they would help improve New Zealanders' access to primary healthcare . Health Minister Simeon Brown. Photo: Calvin Samuel / RNZ He also announced the government's funding method for GP clinics, known as capitation, would be updated for the first time in more than 20 years, with changes taking effect from 1 July, 2026. "The current model is outdated and doesn't reflect the needs of patients. The revised formula will go beyond just age and sex, to also include multimorbidity, rurality , and socioeconomic deprivation," Brown said. "These changes will better distribute funding to where it's needed most, so that GP clinics with a higher needs population of enrolled patients will receive more funding to care for them." A new national health target would be developed with the primary care sector, proposing to ensure that more than 80 percent of people could see a primary care provider within one week. "People shouldn't have to wait weeks to see a doctor. Delays can lead to poorer health outcomes, more pressure on hospitals, and growing frustration for patients. We're focused on delivering timely, quality care that puts patients first." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
5 days ago
- Health
- Scoop
General Practice Training Programme To Be Fully Funded Is A Win For The Future Of The General Practice Workforce
The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners welcomes the Minister of Health's announcement today at GP25: Conference for General Practice of significant additional funding for registrars across the General Practice Education Programme (GPEP). This announcement will go a long way to strengthen the training and grow the next generation of the specialist GP workforce, and includes: In 2025, training fees for doctors in their second, third, and post-third year of GPEP to encourage completion of their training. Fellowship assessment costs for around 200 GPEP trainees to enable them to complete their training and become Fellows. From 2026, full ongoing training and education costs for an estimated 400 GPEP year 2 and 3 trainees each year. Currently, GP registrars only have their first year of GPEP funded with the second and third years having to be self-funded. This funding approach is different to all the other medical training programmes (in New Zealand and Australasian medical colleges) that are fully funded for their entirety. College President Dr Samantha Murton says, "This funding will be a gamechanger for current and future trainees. This is a significant acknowledgement for the specialism of the general practice workforce and the vital role we play in healthcare being as important as those of our peers in secondary hospital settings. "Not only will this funding offer the necessary financial support our GP registrars need throughout their training, but we are optimistic that the news will encourage medical graduates who have an interest in general practice but have been put off by the financial barriers to make the step to train as a specialist GP. To them, I say welcome and you won't regret your decision. The College has been a strong and vocal advocate for the current and future general practice workforce and is enthusiastic that the funding for primary care is heading in the right direction to ensure that it is sustainable. College Chief Executive Toby Beaglehole says, "We are focused on building a sustainable workforce for the future, which starts with training and the equitability of our program costs to other specialist medical training. "This funding sends a signal to the sector that the expertise of general practice is valued as a vital part of the health system. We are very grateful to the Minister for his recognition of the importance of primary care training to deliver healthier patients. "This funding will also help reduce costs to the rural GP workforce who support communities that need more specialist GPs as soon as possible." The Government has also announced that capitation funding reweighting will be introduced from 1 July 2026. The College acknowledges that reweighting capitation funding will focus on the distribution of funding across general practice, so that practices with a higher needs population of enrolled patients will receive more funding to care for them. Dr Murton says "We also welcome the changes to the capitation funding formula to include multimorbidity, rurality, and deprivation as factors. It is key, as the Minister has mentioned in his speech today, that these factors are regularly reviewed to meet the ongoing patient needs of the primary health care system." The Ministry of Health with Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora will review capitation reweighting every five years, with the first review in 2028 so that it remains fit for purpose. College Chief Executive, Toby Beaglehole says "I'd like to acknowledge Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora and the Minister for their support of our advocacy and their willingness to work with the College to better fund the future of our primary care workforce in New Zealand. Today is a massive win for putting patients first, and as the Minister said a first step in delivering a sustainable primary care workforce for general practice and rural hospital medicine."
RNZ News
24-06-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
GPs welcome funding boost
health policy 24 minutes ago General Practice networks say any money for the severely underfunded sector is welcome, but it doesn't fix the decades of underinvestment. Royal College of GP's president Samantha Murton spoke to Charlotte Cook.
Scoop
23-06-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Recognition Of The GP Workforce's Value To Communities Welcomed In Funding Announcement
Health Minister Hon Simeon Brown's funding announcement prioritising patients' health and recognising the crucial role of our specialist general practice workforce has been welcomed by The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners. College President Dr Samantha Murton says, "Healthcare starts, and often ends, in the community with our specialist GPs and primary care teams who are providing innovative and rapidly evolving services and options for access. Our GP workforce are expert specialists in general practice - our continuity of care and knowledge allow us to truly know our patients and their needs - and it is not a one-size-fits-all approach. "Any additional funding that enables New Zealanders to access our services and receive the care they need when they need it will ultimately keep them out of hospital and will always be welcomed. "The College has been very vocal about not needing to create a new health service but investing properly in the current service and recognising the opportunity that lies within general practice to achieve better health outcomes, and this funding will go some way towards this goal. The specialist GP workforce has, for many years, been underfunded for the work that they do. While this latest funding allocation will be based on a number of factors such as the number of enrolled patients and services delivered, the College hopes it will allow GPs to be appropriately remunerated for all the non-patient facing, but essential, work they do. This includes retaining primary care nurses who are an integral part of the general practice team. College Chief Executive Toby Beaglehole says, "We are responsible for training the country's specialist general practitioners and we strongly advocate for a workforce that is resourced and supported to meet the constantly evolving health needs of New Zealanders. "Our focus continues to be on growing the specialist GP workforce, making general practice an attractive career choice and having a fully funded training programme for our trainees. Focusing on these priorities is where we will see the biggest impact on achieving accessible, equitable healthcare for all New Zealanders and we look forward to continuing these discussions with the Minister."
RNZ News
06-06-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Menopause an industry and medicalised problem
Menopause has become an industry and a medicalised tik tok problem when it is a normal part of life, one medical expert has said. Checkpoint has been looking at the issue this week after an Auckland woman complained her GP is charging three hundred dollars for a menopause consultation to discuss hormone replacement therapy when a standard appointment at the clinic is only 70 dollars for an enrolled patient. The menopause appointment is 45 minutes versus 15 minutes for a regular consult. President of the New Zealand College of General Practioners Doctor Samantha Murton spoke to Lisa Owen.
