I was interviewed and quoted in the article, “Long phone consultations end in NSW with hotspot change”, written by Mr Jolyon Attwooll, published in newsGP.

Attwooll J. Long phone consultations end in NSW with hotspot change. 2021 October 18. Available from: https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/professional/long-phone-consultations-end-in-nsw-with-hotspot-c

Quotation

“For Dr Michael Tam, a Sydney GP and Conjoint Senior Lecturer at the UNSW School of Population Health, the timing could be problematic. He again mentions that more disadvantaged patients are often less likely to access video telehealth.

‘For people seeking care, they are either going to miss out or there will be a very sudden push back to face-to-face in-person care,’ he told newsGP.

While he welcomes a move to more ‘business as usual’ in NSW, he warns against limiting the use of the MBS item number too early.

‘I have some concerns about the pace of the return. We have recently reached 80% fully vaccinated but nonetheless there are still significant residual populations who are not fully vaccinated,’ he said.

‘The removal of access to these services has come fairly quickly in the recovery from the outbreak, particularly with the relaxation in some of the restrictions.

‘It is expected that case numbers will rise, so I wonder if the removal of these items is premature.’

Hotspot status also allowed the Commonwealth to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) from the national medical stockpile, a change Dr Tam says could also impact general practice.

‘Access to PPE wasn’t terribly good in the first place, but anything is welcome,’ he said.”