Divisions of general practice: a status review

Abstract

This paper looks at the emergence of divisions of general practice in Australia. Divisions are local groups of general practitioners working to integrate general practice into the wider health system and to explore opportunities for improving service delivery, teaching and research. There are now 116 divisions of general practice, covering over 95 per cent of the Australian population. Projects and infrastructure funding was approximately $35 million in 1994-95. Divisions have enabled general practitioners to retain their autonomy while responding to a government health reform process which depends on their participation. They are a uniquely Australian solution to the problems confronting general practice in the 1990s, bridging the gap that previously existed between individual general practitioners and the health system as a whole. The Divisions and Projects program is being evaluated using a variety of methods which allow feedback into the program in a timely way. The program thus remains sensitive to new strategies and directions, either from the general practitioners themselves or from other stakeholders.