It’s a sort of panel beating: Knocking the dents out of perennial GP issues

Delegates should come prepared to fire questions to panellists

If you are hankering for some political cut and thrust then check out the first of three panels being held at this year’s RNZCGP Conference for General Practice in Auckland next week.

Politics dominates the first morning of the conference on Friday 21 July, with health minister Ayesha Verrall taking to the podium for the opening address.

And after a break for morning tea to digest the minister’s message, the political panel discussion will get under way with Labour Party MP and GP Anae Neru Leavasa, National Party health spokesperson and GP Shane Reti and deputy leader of the ACT Party Brooke van Velden. They will be putting forward their “vision for health in Aotearoa New Zealand” and the panel will be moderated by Newshub journalist Michael Morrah, who will be moderating all the conference panel discussions.

Delegates should come prepared to fire questions to panellists, either in person or using the conference app.

Then on Saturday morning the perennial question of continuity of care will be up for discussion with the question, “Precious resource or obstacle?”

Continuity of care has long been a principle upon which good general practice is built. Panellists will look at where continuity of care fits at a time of workforce shortage and whether it should be treated as a precious resource and used only where it will provide the most benefit.

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The panellists are RNZCP medical director Luke Bradford, Ministry of Health chief medical officer and GP Joe Bourne, health and disability commissioner Morag McDowell, national pharmacist for Te Aho o Te Kahu - Cancer Control Agency Simon Pointer, and Paora Stanley, chief executive of Te Runanga Ngai Te Rangi Iwi Trust and Ngai Te Rangi Settlement Trust.

The panel beating finishes early on Sunday afternoon. As the conference comes to its close, a panel will be taking a closer look at the pros and cons of technology with the theme: “Practising or programming: The potential of technology in general practice”. They will be considering, in the light of high workloads, long days and a workforce shortage, that now is the time to ask how technology, robotics, and automation can be used to reduce some of these pressures.

On the panel will be founder of Houston Technology Alan Chew, Health Alliance chief clinical information officer and GP Karl Cole and HINZ chief executive Tim Corbett.

The Conference for General Practice starts on Thursday 20 July with some pre-conference workshops and gets fully under way on Friday 21 July. The college AGM is at lunchtime on Saturday and the annual fellowship ceremony is on Saturday afternoon.

The venue is Aotea – Te Pokapū | Aotea Centre.