Advocacy update (Australia)

Council of Presidents of Medical Colleges All College Policy and Advocacy staff meeting
The Council of Presidents of Medical Colleges (CPMC) meeting on 21 February 2025 addressed key issues in health policy, workforce management and the expedited specialist pathway. RACS’ discussions at the CPMC involved political lobbying, workforce submissions and workplace safety, particularly in light of the Mahboub v Medical Board of Australia [2024] case.

Key CPMC recommendations included:
•    coordinated messaging campaign
•    parliamentary advocacy
•    collaboration on workforce planning
•    seeking Ombudsman support for safer hospital conditions.

Next steps involve developing CPMC consultants to write shared key messages in relation to expedited pathways, engaging consumer affairs groups and parliamentary committees to combat the narrative that colleges including RACS are controlling specialist numbers.

RACS is now a partner organisation to the MJA-Lancet Planetary Health Countdown. This opportunity was considered and approved by the Health Policy and Advocacy Committee (HPAC) and was approved at the January Council Executive Meeting.

RACS representation on the Climate and Health Expert Advisory Group
The Climate and Health Expert Advisory Group (CHEAG) was formed in July 2024 to support delivery of the National Health and Climate Strategy. RACS has written to the Hon Ged Kearney MP, Chair of CHEAG, to express a strong interest in contributing to the important work of the group.

Health College Working Group on Climate Change and Health
The Health College Working Group (HCWG) was formed following the release of the Joint Statement on Climate Change and Health. The group consists of representatives from each of the specialist medical colleges, nursing and allied health bodies, the Australian Indigenous Doctors Association (AIDA), the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare and the Australian Centre for Disease Control (CDC).

The Chair of the Environmental Sustainability in Surgical Practice Working Party (ESSPWP), Dr Ben Dunne, attended the second meeting of the HCWG on February 28, 2025.

Dr Sonia Chanchlani, Assistant Director – National Health, Sustainability and Climate Unit, conducted a desktop review of activities that are currently being undertaken by each specialist medical college. This information will contribute to a map of current activities across all the colleges, which will be distributed to members of the HCWG and shared with RACS.

Advocacy update (Aotearoa New Zealand)

RACS briefs incoming Minister of Health and Acting Chief Executive of Te Whatu Ora
RACS took the opportunity of a change of leadership in three key roles in the Aotearoa New Zealand health system—the Minister of Health and the Chief Executives of Te Whatu Ora and Manatū Hauora—to provide a written briefing, setting out the current issues facing surgical services, and the role of RACS in the healthcare system, and requesting improved communication and collaboration.

RACS advised the priorities needing action by the government with support from the College are:
•    health reforms – stabilisation and funding
•    workforce – supply, training and retention
•    needs-based equitable healthcare – access, service delivery, and outcomes
•    maintenance of and improvements to existing health infrastructure
•    planned care – meeting targets to reduce waiting lists
•    sustainability – reducing emissions, reusing and recycling surgical waste.

Read more.

RACS adopts position on outsourcing planned surgery waiting lists in Aotearoa New Zealand health system
RACS Council approved on 20 February 2025, a RACS Position Statement on Principles for Outsourcing Planned Surgery in the Aotearoa New Zealand health system.

The statement will inform discussions with the Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand and Manatū Hauora – Ministry of Health as surgeons respond to the minister’s five health priorities announced on 7 March 2025.
1.    Focusing Health New Zealand on delivering the basics and achieving targets.
2.    Fixing primary healthcare to ensure Kiwis have timely access to a doctor.
3.    Reducing emergency department wait times so that 95 per cent of people are admitted, discharged, or transferred within six hours.
4.    Clearing the elective surgery backlog by partnering with the private sector to deliver more planned care.
5.    Investing in health infrastructure, both physical and digital, so that we are building for the future.

The minister has announced as a first step Te Whatu Ora will invest $50m between now and the end of June, to reduce the backlog of people waiting for elective surgeries. He has also asked Te Whatu Ora to work with the sector to agree on principles to underpin future outsourcing contracts, including longer-term multi-year agreements.

Read more.

National bowel screening age reduction a step back for Māori health
The government’s announcement to lower the National Bowel Screening Programme age from 60 to 58 for all New Zealanders still leaves Aotearoa New Zealand behind other developed countries. Creating a universal screening age, will exacerbate health inequities for Māori.

RACS said New Zealanders deserve the same public health standards as other countries, noting that the bowel screening age is much lower in countries such as Australia (45), the United States (45) and the United Kingdom (50).

RACS has also expressed its deep concerns over the reversal of plans to lower the age for Māori and Pacific to age 50.

Read more.