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In a new Government submission, the college warned that a resurgence of preventable diseases and fragmentation of care is threatening patients.
Around 73% of vaccinations given to children aged 10 and under are administered in general practices.
Patients in need of potentially life-saving vaccines are at risk of being forgotten due to Australia’s growing care fragmentation, according to a new RACGP submission.
The college has ramped up its advocacy for GPs to be front and centre in fighting vaccine fatigue and misinformation as part of consultation on the Federal Government’s 2025–30 National Immunisation Strategy.
The new strategy will be the third of its kind and is being created within a ‘rapidly shifting immunisation landscape’, including technological advances and fluctuating community sentiment.
Its priorities include improving immunisation coverage with a focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, strengthening awareness of the acceptance of immunisation, and preparing for emerging infectious diseases and emergencies.
With vaccine rates falling and preventable diseases spreading, the RACGP said immunisation consultations are about more than just giving a vaccine, but also provide an opportunity for overall health checks.
‘Vaccinations performed by pharmacists can present safety issues because it reduces opportunity for coordinated comprehensive care in general practice, adds to health system complexity, and fragments care,’ the submission said.
‘Fragmenting healthcare has been shown to be less safe and more expensive than models that facilitate continuity of care.’
It is also calling for an increase in patients’ Medicare rebates, saying they are falling well short of the true cost of delivering care across Australia.
‘A new MBS item number, which maintains medical oversight but allows practice nurses to administer the vaccine without direct supervision, will enable more efficient systems within general practice,’ the submission said.
Currently, GPs provide the vast majority of childhood vaccines, with 73% of vaccinations given to children aged 10 and under administered in general practices.
The submission says despite this, preventable disease rates are surging, such as measles, which was almost eradicated 10 years ago, but is now being diagnosed more frequently.
RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins said politicians must understand that immunisations are not just about the vaccine itself.
‘Changing rules allowing more health professionals to vaccinate has resulted in fragmented care and missed opportunities for children and family health checks in general practice,’ she said.
‘When parents go to a GP for their child’s vaccinations it’s also an opportunity to establish an ongoing relationship with that GP.
‘The Government has a role to play too in funding public awareness campaigns to highlight the importance of vaccination to protect our community, particularly children and people who are more vulnerable.’
The RACGP’s submission also states that a lack of cultural safety is deterring people from attending health services, and that educational resources addressing health literacy concerns and vaccine hesitancy should be created.
It called for all recognised vaccination providers to report all vaccinations to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) to ensure information is accurate and up to date, and that all vaccine providers should have access to upload to the AIR directly from their clinical information system.
The submission’s release comes as the National Immunisation Council says Australia is confronting an ‘unparalleled surge in influenza cases’.
The National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System revealed a record-breaking first quarter in 2024, with 30,402 laboratory-confirmed influenza cases – a 64% increase from the same period in 2023.
Additionally, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) diagnoses are up significantly from last year, with 110,996 cases reported so far this year compared to 127,944 in the entirety of 2023.
Last year, overall immunisation coverage for five-year-olds missed its target of 95%, and the number of patients receiving a COVID-19 vaccination has been dropping since the pandemic’s height.
Dr Higgins said the trusted relationship GPs have with their patients makes them best placed to address this vaccine fatigue.
‘Most vaccinations in general practice are bulk billed, and we need to ensure it stays this way. That’s why we’re also calling for the government to increase patients’ Medicare rebates.,’ she said.
‘After decades of underfunding of general practice and Medicare, today’s patient rebates don’t come close to reflecting the true cost of delivering care across Australia, and bulk billing has been declining.
‘General practice care is essential, and it needs to be affordable for everyone.’
In a bid to combat these falling vaccine rates and disease resurgences, a number of states have now rolled out successful free vaccination programs, targeting the most vulnerable in their communities.
Community feedback on the next National Immunisation Strategy has now closed, with the Government promising to use the information to form the paper’s direction.
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