Pharmacotherapy services
David LIMBRICK (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (12:41): (395) My question is for the Minister for Mental Health. Pharmacotherapy, which can include things like methadone and buprenorphine, is an important therapeutic intervention that can help people with opioid addiction issues. The benefit that it provides goes beyond people obtaining the medication, though, with reductions in crime and other benefits to the community. Things have been tough in Frankston, however, with a health clinic that provides significant pharmacotherapy support now set to close permanently later this month. This should not have come as a shock, however, as the government scrambled to find solutions to a temporary closure late last year. My office has been contacted by people in the area concerned about the impacts of disrupted service. So my question for the minister is: what is the government doing to ensure that there is not a disruption in support for patients of the Frankston Healthcare Medical Centre?
Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (12:41): I thank Mr Limbrick for his question. I also thank you for your ongoing interest in these matters and the engagement that you have had with my office over a number of months now. This is an important issue, and I agree with you that these are very important treatment options that are there for people with serious opioid addiction. Of course the situation in Frankston is something that my department has been working very closely with the Commonwealth on. You would be aware that the funding of GP pharmacotherapy treatments is the responsibility of the Commonwealth. However, the Victorian government have wanted to ensure that there are no gaps in the services that are provided to a significant number of patients in the Frankston area through this particular GP closing, so we have been working closely with the Commonwealth and also with the South Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network and our own health services in that part of the city.
Pleasingly, the Commonwealth government has provided the clinic with additional funding so it can remain open for an additional four weeks while we work together with the Commonwealth on a more enduring solution in Frankston. We know that there is a prescriber shortage nationwide. That is why, in addition to the work that we are doing to find ongoing solutions in Frankston, we are working alongside the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the Department of Health to offer free pharmacotherapy training for GPs so that we can build the number of GPs available across the state that are able to prescribe.
The issue does remain that many Commonwealth-funded GP clinics choose, sadly, not to provide this kind of specialist addiction service. So in addition to the Commonwealth efforts, we are also providing funding for surge capacity in Victoria to deal with situations that we have, such as the one in Frankston right now. We also have a broader $10 million investment to expand pharmacotherapy services and address that service gap. You would be aware, I am sure, Mr Limbrick, through your work and advocacy in this space, that a lot of our GPs that are in pharmacotherapy therapies are ageing, so we need to really build that pipeline of the new generation of GPs and nurse practitioners to be able to do this important work into the future. It is something that I have got a focus on – making sure that we are doing that work to build that pipeline.
David LIMBRICK (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (12:44): I thank the minister for her response. I hope that whatever happens, it happens soon, because we are really running out of time.
My supplementary question is: during the temporary closure last year my office heard many harrowing stories of how this affected people – stories of people getting back on heroin, significant mental health episodes in the streets and other people committing criminal offences. This has the potential to create an ongoing crisis for the people of Frankston and the clients of the health service. But pharmacotherapy of course, as the minister has mentioned, is one of those areas where there is responsibility at federal and state levels and probably there is a bit of buck-passing going on, and probably that has a lot to do with some of the problems that we have got now.
Beyond the immediate crisis in Frankston there is a system strained to breaking point. However, there is hope because in this chamber there is apparently zero opposition to expanding pharmacotherapy options and the government have indicated that they are considering this. What is the government doing in the space of expanding the number of pharmacotherapy options, such as hydromorphone, which was discussed last year in this Parliament?
Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (12:46): I thank Mr Limbrick for his supplementary. I think I did go to some of those issues in my answer to the substantive question that you put. This is an incredibly important part of our AOD response for people who struggle with opioid addiction, and I completely agree with you that we do not want a situation where people are lapsing as a result of lack of access to pharmacotherapy. As I think I said in my previous answer, and I will reiterate, this is a focus for the government to make sure that we are working closely with the Commonwealth. But it is not a quick fix. It does require a systemic approach, and I am very happy to keep engaging with you and give you progress updates on that work, Mr Limbrick.