Angus Chambers: GP Owners' Association Chair backing calls for Government to make better use GP data

The GP Owners' Association's backing calls for the Government to make better use of primary care data.

A New Zealand Initiative report says information from GP clinics isn’t being systematically collected, unlike hospital and prescription data.

It argues the information could help identify prescribing issues and prevent unnecessary hospital admissions.

Association Chair Angus Chambers told Andrew Dickens this has been an acknowledged gap for a long time.

He says it has been collected individually before, but not systematically, which requires investment.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
A new New Zealand initiative report is calling on the
government to tap into GP data. It argues that ministers
can track hospital visits, they can track prescriptions and even
school attendance, but they can't see what's happening in GP
clinics where most of the healthcare occurs, and direct info
from doctors they reckon could help improve health outcomes and

(00:20):
trim the health budget while they're appit at it. So
we've got doctor Angus Chambers with us. Here is a
chair of the General Practice Owners Association. Angus, good morning
to you.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
Good morning.

Speaker 1 (00:29):
So this report is called better Health through Better Data
by a doctor Prabani Wood. Is this a good idea
from doctor Wood that we share the data from GPS
to the ministry?

Speaker 2 (00:41):
Yes? I think it is. It depends on how it's done.
That the spinner acknowledgedes a gap for quite a long
time in our system, and I think I agree with
her findings out of it.

Speaker 1 (00:53):
Yeah, her report talks about Canada. They do it in Canada. Canada.
Why do we not and why have we not collected
data yet? You know what has been stopping us?

Speaker 2 (01:02):
Well, it's partly will you know it has been collected
in sort of piecemeal manners and you know, with some
actually good results out of it. And it's been done
by GP organizations phos gps themselves, but not systematically, and
it really requires an investment to do it in a
systematic way.

Speaker 1 (01:23):
You've read the report. Do you like her idea about
how it should be managed? Yeah?

Speaker 2 (01:28):
I do. I mean, I think the absolute key here
is how patients feel about having their data in there,
and to be I don't think they trust the government
that well, although some sometimes they expect half of it
there anyway, So a lot of arrangements around it that
need to be done carefully, around governance and who've acted decisions,

(01:49):
and it's very clear from her report that she believes
and I think it's the Canada experience that you need.
The clinicians, the general practitioners and nurs practitioners have a
governance over the data and so I think that that
would give a lot of trust around the privacy issues
and the good use of it. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (02:07):
But I mean, you can you can share the data
without actually sharing the name and the address, et cetera.
And I know it's deeply ingrained about you know that
the information you give to your GP should go no further.
But at the same time that just that just you know,
puts a handbrake on the health system.

Speaker 2 (02:25):
Yep, no, that's right. There are ways to manage that,
so I don't don't disagree. I think it can be
done in a good way. But it depends on how
it's done. Who's in charge of it?

Speaker 1 (02:33):
All right, Anger, thank you so much, Angus has said,
and of course Provadi Wood has said it. I wonder
if the government is listening to it. For more from
Early Edition with Ryan Bridge.

Speaker 2 (02:42):
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