Drug and Alcohol training available to GPs

11 November 2020

The National GP Education Package for Drug and Alcohol Treatment has been launched by the Australian Government, to improve support and increase resources available to General Practitioners to treat drug and alcohol use in their communities.

The training, delivered through The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACCRM), aims to increase capacity of GPs to identify and address drug and alcohol issues through a combination of online learning and interactive webinars. There are a variety of entry points and training options with incentives available upon completion.

Local GP and Addiction Specialist, Dr. Hester Wilson, is a facilitator and mentor in the RACGP program. She encourages GPs to take advantage of the program and highlights the important role GPs play in identifying and responding to clients who experience drug and alcohol issues.

‘We as GP’s see at least 86% of the community each year, so we do see people who have issues with drug and alcohol. We may not always know. It is often not the presenting complaint, but it is an important issue we need to think about’.

GP’s can find out more about the training by visiting https://www.cesphn.org.au/general-practice/help-my-patients-with/drug-and-alcohol-support/national-gp-education-package-for-drug-and-alcohol-treatment

Watch the video here.