Australia's primary health care workforce - Research informing policy

• In 2008, the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute (APHCRI) held a Primary Health Care Workforce Roundtable with practising clinicians, policymakers and researchers, which drew on Australian evidence in health care policy, systematic reviews, and expertise and experience of participants. • Key recommendations for an adequate, sustainable and effective primary health care workforce that arose from the meeting included: ▶ simplifying the Medicare Benefits Schedule, which is unnecessarily complex and inflexible; ▶ effectively funding undergraduate and prevocational medical and nursing education and training in primary health care; ▶ developing career structure and training pathways for general practitioners and primary health care nurses; ▶ developing of functional primary health care teams; and ▶ using a blended funding model, comprising fee-for-service as well as capitation for patients with chronic or complex needs. • A report from the meeting, detailing these policy options, was submitted to the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission for inclusion in their deliberations.