Health Workforce

In early 2020, the WIP will replace the Practice Nurse Incentive Program (PNIP) and the General Practice Rural Incentives Program (GPRIP). The implementation of the WIP was deferred from July 2019 to allow practices more time to adjust their business models in response to changes created by the transition to the Modified Monash Model of rural classification.

• WIP - Doctor Stream will  commence on 1 January 2020;
• WIP - Practice Stream will commence on 1 February 2020.

• the GPRIP transitions to the WIP - Doctor Stream, and
• the PNIP transitions to the WIP - Practice Stream

• the Modified Monash Model (MMM) 2019 will now be used for classification of eographical area instead of the Australian Standard Geographical Classification – Remoteness Area (ASGC-RA)
• practices within Modified Monash (MM) 3-7 locations will be eligible for a rural loading, with different levels of rural loading applied depending on the rurality of the practice
• practices in all locations will be able to engage allied health professionals. The restriction to engage allied health professionals in Urban Areas of Workforce Shortage will be removed
• Nurse Practitioners and pharmacists (non-dispensing) will be included as eligible health professionals 
• the accreditation assistance payment of $5,000 per practice will no longer apply.

• incentives will continue to be paid quarterly and directly to participating practices
• Registered Nurses, Enrolled Nurses and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Health Practitioners are eligible health professionals that can be engaged in all locations
• allied health professionals that are currently eligible to participate in the PNIP will maintain eligibility
• Aboriginal Medical Services and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services will continue to receive up to 50% loading on their Standardised Whole Patient Equivalent (SWPE) value
• maximum incentive payment levels remain the same

• Medical Deputising Services (services that directly arrange for medical practitioners to provide after-hours services to patients of practice principals during the absence of, and at the request of, the practice principals)
• After-hours services that provide care outside the normal opening hours of a general practice (this applies regardless of whether the service deputises for general practices, or the care is physcially provided within or outside the service location)

• Australian, state or territory government funding
• other private funding
• funding from other incentive programs

While all practice locations will be eligible for WIP - Practice Stream payments, only those practices located in MM 3 to MM 7 will be eligible for the following rural loadings:
 

Not all practices will be eligible for the maximum incentive payment. The maximum incentive payment is $125,000, with an additional rural loading for those practices located in MM 3 - 7 locations. 

Practices that may not be eligible to receive the maximum incentive payment include:

• smaller practices with less than five full-time equivalent general practitioners (FTEGPs)
• practices that engage health professionals for less than the minimum hours required
• practices that opt to engage health professionals that receive a lower incentive payment

Practices should seek information about their individual circumstances when calculating estimated payments.

Eligible health professionals are defined as the following:

• nurse practitioners
• registered nurses
• enrolled nurses
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners
• allied health professionals - audiologists - chiropractors - diabetes educators - dietitians/nutritionists - exercise physiologists - occupational therapists - orthoptists - orthotists/prosthetists - osteopaths - pharmacists (non-dispensing role) - physiotherapists - podiatrists - psychologists - social workers - speech pathologists

To maintain individual eligibility under the WIP – Practice Stream, all health professionals must:

• meet the the minimum qualifications set out in Part D - Glossary of Terms of the  Workforce Incentive Program Guidelines for that health professional
• have, or be covered by, the required level of professional indemnity insurance regardless of whether they are registered under the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (NRAS)
• where a health professional is not an employee of the eligible organisation or practice, they must have the required minimum level of professional indemnity insurance coverage in their name

Practices should provide each eligible health professional’s name, profession and where available a unique identifier* when claiming hours worked under the WIP – Practice Stream. There are additional requirements for Enrolled Nurses and Pharmacists, which are outlined in the Guidelines.

*The unique identifier will be the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) ID for eligible health professionals required to be registered under AHPRA – these are available on the AHPRA website. If eligible health professionals are not required to be registered under AHPRA the Healthcare Provider Identifier – Individual (HPI-I), may be used, where available.

The WIP - Practice Stream offers you the flexibility to decide on the type of eligible health professional (or combination of health professionals) to engage, and how to engage them.

When deciding upon the type of health professional, it is recommended you consider

• the needs of the community
• gaps in services, or access to services, in the community
• the eligible health professionals that will support your practice to deliver team-based and multi-disciplinary care

Examples of gaps in services would include:

• where particular health services are not available in the community
• there is no or limited access to a health service in the community or access for particular community members
• where disadvantaged community members cannot afford available private services

If you are unsure of local needs or gaps in services, WAPHA may be able to provide you with relevant information to assist you in your decision-making. Please contact your Practice Support team member to discuss this.

The form of engagement can be determined by the practice, and the eligible health professional. Arrangements may be through direct employment, contracted, casual, or other means.

The incentive payment does not cover the full cost of engaging an eligible health professional. The WIP - Practice Stream incentive is to support or assist general practices with the cost of engaging nurses, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers and health practitioners, and eligible allied health professionals.

The maximum incentive payment of $125,000 only applies to a practice with a Standardised Whole Patient Equivalent (SWPE) of 5000 or more and requires eligible health professionals to be engaged for a combined minimum of 63 hours and 20 minutes per week i.e. it is to support the arrangements of engaging more than one full time equivalent eligible health professional.

• have an exemption under Section 19(2) of the Health Insurance Act 1973; or
• receive funding for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioners, or allied health professionals through the Department of Health.

• practice name and main address
• eligibility details, such as accreditation, public liability insurance, and indemnity insurance
• bank account details
• contact details
• location details
• ownership details
• general practitioner and nurse practitioner details
• your SWPE for the WIP - Practice Stream calculations