SWSLHD and Bowral's Health - 14

Psychologists join criticism of govt cuts to Better Access

5th Sep 2011 Andrew Bracey and Byron Kaye   all articles by this author

AS SCRUTINY of the controversial cuts to the Better Access scheme continues in the Senate this week, the federal government has come under renewed fire from psychologists over the changes.

In a statement released this morning ahead of his appearance at the Senate inquiry into the government’s handling of mental health, Psychologists Association secretary Quentin Black called on the government to “end its attack” on mental health services.

Under government budgetary measures announced in May, existing MBS rebates of $163.35 for a GP mental health plan will be cut to $85.92 for a 20- to 39-minute consult and $126.43 for a consultation of 40 minutes or more.

The measure, set to come into effect from November, would also cut the maximum number of psychologist sessions offered under the program from 18 to 10.

“The government cuts to direct psychological treatment services is an attack on the rights of those in our community most vulnerable and in need: children, the disadvantaged and rural Australians,” Mr Black said.

“We call on Prime Minister Gillard and Minister Roxon to urgently intervene on behalf of vulnerable Australians whose treatment services have been cut, to consult with our members and offer reassurance the government will ensure these people are not left behind.”

Mr Black also accused the government of failing to source adequate feedback from the health sector regarding the changes prior to the announcement of the funding cuts in the May Budget.

However, while answering questions from Coalition senators in the Senate inquiry, health department deputy secretary Rosemary Huxtable defended the government’s budgetary decision making processes.

“It is very unusual for governments to consult with regards to specific budgeted measures,” Ms Huxtable told the inquiry.

“When it came down to specific measures, that was very much in the Budget context, and I’ve probably got nothing more to add in that regard.”

Tags: Senate inquiry, mental health, Better Access, psychologists

Amateur Observer
5th Sep 2011
9:02pm

Government didn't consult much when it introduced the scheme, and didn't consult much now that it's cutting the scheme.

But when the scheme was introduced, it was in lieu of increasing the Medicare rebates for ordinary consults. The Health Department was at the time in the midst of a slow campaign of introducing a raft of health care plans which reward GPs for doing more 'paperwork' than 'real work'.

Ironically, before the Commonwealth saw fit to expand medicare subsidies to multiple additional allied colleagues, it had regularly complained that there was insufficient funds to increase the normal Medicare rebates for GPs by more than half of the CPI cost increases for GPs. And yet practice costs were increasing far faster than CPI!

But suddenly, many new allied colleagues were allowed access to Medicare rebates, and it became clear that the Commonwealth's argument about insufficient Medicare funds no longer held water.

Therefore, now that the government is cutting back on Mental Health plans, a budget measure which will both harm mentally unwell patients, as well as reduce GP incomes, we (as GPs) ought now be campaigning to fix both problems.

Yes, we GPs can improve the mental health of almost all patients who see us, sometimes without mincing them through the sausage machine of a mental health care plan, but we MUST be recognized for the skills and knowledge we hold.

Sometimes one arm of government forgets what the other arm has done. For instance, it never seems to be acknowledged by government that almost all GPs (and certainly all new GPs) are now graduates of a SPECIALIST system of training.

The GP speciality requires a rigorous 3 years of training as well as passing of specialist examinations. We GPs are specialists now, for goodness sake!

Yet the Feds to continue to treat GPs as an ill-disciplined lot of doctors who have only just set their shingle up above the front door after a year's internship. That is both insulting and wrong.

I believe it will only be through a coordinated campaign of improving ordinary medicare consultation items, to perform the work that is the bread-and-butter of General Practice, that both patients and Medicare Australia may realize the true value of what is performed by GPs in improving patient outcomes everyday in Australia, as well as the fact that we are a specialty branch of medicine in our own right.

Michael
7th Sep 2011
3:33pm

Clinical counselling Psychologists now do 7 years training.
To suggest that a busy GP has the time to do a psychologists' job is ludicrous.

Even more absurd is the government giving, now close to 1/2 a BILLION dollars, to fund happy-clappy chaplains in schools. Many of these are lucky to have three days training.

Quentin
7th Sep 2011
6:48pm

Thanks Andrew & Byron good story
The Psychologists Association Also attacked the use of Unregistered, unregulated, uninsured Counsellors in the place of GP's Psychologists & Psychiatrists. Many GP's have told us they want the capacity to access specialist Clinic Psychologists and these cuts have limited consumer options falling hardest on those most in need.
We also support the RACGP calls to reverse to stupid unworkable changes they have foisted upon GP's and the RANZCP concerns about the hopeless lack of co-ordination in the Government new strategy.