Victorian Department of Health
The Department of Health (the department) advances the government's policy priorities in improving patient outcomes and experience for all Victorians. It is responsible for the Health and Ambulance Services, Mental Health and Ageing portfolios. It also leads the Victorian Government's public heath response and recovery of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The department comprises central divisions structured on a portfolio basis with particular responsibilities. This approach provides better capacity to develop policies, manage service systems, design funding and support the delivery of department's responsibilities.
The design and implementation of the VRGP is led by the department's Medical Workforce team, part of the Commissioning and System Improvement Division, and includes the following governance arrangements:
- funding for training positions
- design and implementation of clinical support
- coordination functions.
Australian Government Department of Health
The Australian Government Department of Health provides funding for the VRGP coordination units to support the implementation of the National Rural Generalist Pathway
Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine
The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) is accredited by the Australian Medical Council (AMC) for setting professional medical standards for training, assessment, certification and continuing professional development in the specialty of General Practice. ACRRM is the only college in Australia dedicated to rural and remote medicine.
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is Australia’s largest professional General Practice organisation and represents urban and rural General Practitioners. RACGP Rural is committed to addressing rural disadvantage by focusing on strategies that lead to more equitable access to healthcare.
Murray City Country Coast
Murray City Country Coast (MCCC) GP Training offers specialist training for qualified doctors who want to pursue a career in General Practice medicine. MCCC was established in 2016 and is one of nine Regional Training Organisations in Australia that offers the federally-funded Australian General Practice Training (AGPT) Program.
Eastern Victoria General Practice Training
Eastern Victoria GP Training (EV) is funded by the Australian Government to offer quality GP education and training programs to equip Registrars with the skills required to become General Practitioners. EV delivers education and training throughout Eastern Victoria, a region that covers eastern metropolitan Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula and Gippsland.
Remote Vocational Training Scheme
The Remote Vocational Training Scheme (RVTS) is a vocational training program for medical practitioners in rural and remote communities in Australia. The training provided meets the requirements for Fellowship of both ACRRM and RACGP. RVTS delivers distance training and remote supervision to doctors in rural and remote Australia and Aboriginal Medical Services.
Postgraduate Medical Council Victoria
The Postgraduate Medical Council of Victoria (PMCV) was established in 1999 as an Incorporated Association following recommendations of the Medical Training Review Panel. It is the lead organisation in Victoria that is specifically concerned with the welfare of pre-vocational medical trainees in Victorian hospitals. PMCV has been tasked with the implementation coordination of the VRGP. The implementation will coordinate all of the requirements for the development and start-up of the VRGP. PMCV's existing core functions of allocation and placement (computer matching), accreditation and professional development activities will be embedded into the new program.
Regional Training Hubs
The Regional Training Hubs is a program funded by the Australian Department of Health. RTHs provide mentoring and guidance to students and doctors-in-training in rural areas, work with health services to improve training environments and develop training pathways to increase rural medical training opportunities. The RTHs in Victoria are collaborating with health services, RTOs, RWAV and VRGP to provide a mentoring program to all VRGP trainees.
Rural Workforce Agency Victoria
Rural Workforce Agency Victoria (RWAV) is a not-for-profit government-funded organisation that creates sustainable health workforce models to support Victoria’s rural, regional and Aboriginal communities. RWAV draws on trusted relationships, smart data and best practice to establish models that are capable, connected and tailored to the communities they serve.
Rural Doctors Association Victoria
The Rural Doctors Association of Victoria (RDAV) is the peak advocacy body representing the interests of rural doctors and their communities. RDAV seeks to maintain and improve the health of rural Victorians through association and representation of doctors in Victorian rural towns and communities. Its goal is to foster a workforce adequate to this task through securing the appropriate education, recruitment and retention strategies, as well as providing family support.