Funding cut could impact on care

Local doctors are pushing back against a move to pull funding for GPs to attend multidisciplinary cancer meetings (MDMs).

MDMs are organised through the Barwon Region Integrated Cancer Service at Geelong hosptial after a patient is diagnosed with caner.

Practitioners overseeing their treatment meet to create a individually-tailored cancer treatment plan.

At an MDM, a GP acts as a stand-in for the patient’s own treating GP and then communicates the meeting’s contents back to their regular clinic.

But the Western Victoria Primary Health Network has pulled funding allowing GPs to attend, doctors say.

Elise Davey, director of Kensington Hill Medical Centre in Leopold, said having a GP present at MDMs was a “vital” link between patients and cancer carers.

“This is a ridiculous move,” Dr Davey said.

“It baffles the mind that such a low cost item for such a multimillion-dollar a year organisation would be pulled when it has great benefit for our cancer patients locally.”

Without them, treating GPs like herself were often only given summary notes that missed key discussion details, Dr Davey said.

WVPHN spokesman Andy Giddy said it was looking at alternative models of multidisciplinary cancer care meetings that involved direct connection with the patient’s GP.

Dr Deb Harley has been a GP representative at MDMs for more the two decades, and said she hoped further negotiations could convince the WVPHN to reconsider.