GP Communique – Update from Dr Tammra Warby from GPGC

Update from Dr Tammra Warby – Director, General Practice Gold Coast (GPGC) Board and GP

Thank you Kat, and the remainder of the GPGC board for the welcome.

A little bit more about me

• I started my studies at the University of QLD with a degree in Science majoring in Microbiology (Hons1) and subsequently completed my medical degree (MBBS) at Melbourne University.
• In the same year of finishing medicine I completed my PhD in Virology, focussing on research of HIV, through the Burnet Institute of Melbourne and the University of QLD.
• I worked throughout QLD and overseas in Ireland, enjoying the broad variety of emergency medicine before passing FRACGP exams in 2013.
• I have an interest in leadership development and the broad environmental determinants of health led me to the RACGP Future Leaders 2018 program.
• Planetary Health – I designed a declaration calling on family doctors around the world to act on planetary health. This progressed to working with the Harvard Planetary Health Alliance and WONCA as Co-Lead on an international project spreading the message to the family doctor organisations of the world. I spoke at the Harvard Medical School Career Advancement and Leadership course for Women in Healthcare in November 2018. Continuing this special interest means I will start a Masters of Health leadership and management in 2022.

The GPGC board has been listening to Gold Coast GPs as we approach the planned QLD border opening. The “Living with COVID-19” phase is here and there is much to do and think about with regard to keeping yourselves, your patients and your practices safe and open. More than ever it is imperative that GPs in our local area (QLD and Northern NSW) can access information and discuss concerns. Whilst the situation is so dynamic we find that our Facebook group serves well to connect members and provide updates in real time from the GPGC board as we continue to represent you all across a number of local and state COVID-19 response groups. Please join us in our GPGC Facebook group for further support and advice in the local region that we will share as it comes up.

We encourage everyone to review the work permissions and restrictions framework for workers in health care settings to take appropriate mitigation strategies to reduce the risk of COVID-19 disrupting the safe delivery of GP services. The respective Queensland and NSW PPE guidelines are our key point of reference in regards to guiding on what PPE is currently recommended. As I write this the Gold Coast remains at ‘moderate risk’.

We continue to work on the new website and hope to launch this very soon. If you have signed up as a GP in the Gold Coast/Tweed region, please encourage your colleagues to do the same; they can contact us at admin@gpgc.com.au

It was lovely to see members connecting with our Gold Coast Medical Association colleagues at the recent BBQ. Thank you to those who came, and for those who were unable we are planning further events as we move into 2022. We will keep you posted.

We hope as the year comes to an end you take an opportunity to enjoy some well-deserved time off, after another enormous year of service delivery in General Practice.

Happy Christmas and New Year, and stay safe.

Regards,

Dr Tammra Warby and the GPGC Board