Endorse National Campaign to Improve Access to Examinations at Doctors Surgeries

We have receive the following information from Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA):

Campaign to improve access to examinations and screening at your Doctors

We are writing to ask for your support in trying to improve the quality and safety of examinations and screening procedures received by patients visiting their GP.

This issue is important to anyone who visits their GP and cannot get a thorough examination because they have difficulty getting onto or cannot get onto the examination bed. It particularly affects people with an injury, pregnant women, anyone with a mobility disability and our growing aging population.

In 2004 only 5% of GP's had an adjustable-height examination bed. These beds, which cost less than $2000, make it much easier for GP's to examine patients. It also makes it easier for staff who are not put at risk by having to assist people up onto fixed height examination beds.

Today things have improved but still less than half of GP surgeries have adjustable-height examination beds.

We have an important opportunity now to makes things better by writing to the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) who are conducting a review of the Standards for General Practice which could make adjustable-height examination beds mandatory.

This package of information is designed to assist you to do one or all of the following things:

1. Encourage your members and network of friends to tell their personal story about their experiences when visiting their GP. The document Members letter which is attached is a draft letter you could send to your members and colleagues to encourage them to write. Please feel free to alter it to suit your organisation.

2. Support the campaign by endorsing the joint submission we have drafted. This is the attached document Submission to RACGP. If you would like to do this and encourage others to do so please send an e mail stating your support and provide the name of your organisation, your mail address and the name and title of the person endorsing the submission to Carolyn Frohmader from Women With Disabilities Australia who is co-ordinating the submission at wwda@wwda.org.au Please get your endorsements to Carolyn by 20 November.

3. Make your own submission to RACGP from your own organisations perspective. The following documents may assist in developing your submission:

a) http://humanrights.gov.au/disability_rights/health/open0807.htm This document provides a background to the campaign to improve access to adjustable-height examination beds

b) http://humanrights.gov.au/disability_rights/health/access.doc This document gives information on a survey conducted in 2003

c) http://www.pdcnsw.org.au/images/stories/documents/ahet-report.pdf This document provides information on a more recent survey and summarises research in this area

Submissions must be sent to RACGP by 30 November to:

Standards Review Process

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners

College House

1 Palmerston Crescent

South Melbourne VIC 3205

Or e mail to standards@racgp.org.au

Yours sincerely

Carolyn Frohmader

On behalf of:

Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA)

People with Disability Australia (PWDA)

Physical Disability Council NSW (PDCN)

Council on the Ageing NSW (COTA)