GP Wellbeing in focus: “We really need to take this seriously.”
02 Dec 2025
RACGP President Dr Michael Wright delivered this same message at a recent event, reinforcing that doctors should lead by example in practising healthy principles just like those they advise.
The 2025 Australasian Doctors' Health Conference was held from 27 to 29 November in Melbourne on Wurundjeri Country and set out to foster positive medical culture. It attracted over 250 local and international delegates and speakers.
The conference program covered individual, workplace, and system-wide factors that affect doctors' health, as well as solutions that help build an engaged, safe healthcare workforce and improve outcomes for communities.
Speaking with “newsGP” following the event, Dr Wright said the conference played a vital role in bringing doctors’ health and wellbeing into focus within the medical world.
He said just as patients are encouraged to have a regular GP, the same principle applies to doctors, including those attending the conference.
Dr Wright joined Avant Mutual Chief Medical Officer Professor Steve Robson, New Zealand Doctors Health Alliance representative Dr Alexandra Muthu, and GP and wellbeing advocate Professor Leanne Rowe on a panel discussion at the conference.
He said discussions focused on enhancing the health system, including the need for psychosocial and physical safety in medical workplaces.
Dr Wright said creating supportive environments allows doctors to deliver high-quality patient care while looking after their own well-being.
The conference occurred as concerns about GP wellbeing remained ongoing, with burnout, mandatory reporting laws, financial pressures, and workforce challenges continuing to have an impact on the mental health of doctors.
Dr Wright said the RACGP remains committed to reducing the barriers preventing GPs from accessing care, including through the development of a nationally consistent approach to abolish mandatory notification laws for treating practitioners, following the lead of Western Australia.
He added that doctors should not fear seeking help for mental health concerns.
GP health and wellbeing were also in focus last month, with the “Australian Journal of General Practice” publishing research articles on self-care, the risk factors for burnout and how to shift the medical culture to better support GPs and registrars.
On the conference panel, Dr Wright also spoke about cultural safety and explained initiatives underway by the RACGP via its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health faculty and International Medical Graduate Committee.
He said addressing the racism and discrimination present in the health system is critical, particularly given that most GPs working in Australia completed their medical training overseas.
Dr Wright also referred to work led by Professor Rowe to create a health system that supports both doctors and patients, including a recent "Medical Journal of Australia" article on industrial manslaughter in medicine.
He added there is a real risk that health services could be held accountable if they fail to take doctor wellbeing seriously.
Dr Wright said this highlights the importance of support for doctors' mental health. The RACGP's position statement on GP mental health care includes a suite of resources for members, plus a dedicated Wellbeing Hub for Fellows and GPs in training.
News Source: RACGP
