Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Bupa employing General Practitioners (GPs) for aged care homes?
Bupa has always demonstrated a strong commitment to its purpose of enabling our residents to live longer,
healthier, happier lives. By directly employing GPs to work collaboratively with our dedicated nursing teams
under an integrated health care model, Bupa residents will have access to proactive and preventative health
services. Through this model our clinicians will deliver continuous improvements in health outcomes for our
residents, reducing the need for hospitalisation and enhancing the quality of life for residents and their families.
GPs with specialist knowledge and interest in aged care are critical to the success of this initiative.
Why does having the GP embedded in the aged care home make a difference?
The acuity of residents in aged care is increasing, yet access to regular medical care is becoming more challenging,
as the pressures on GPs and medical practices increase.
Having a GP engaged as part of a collaborative team will ensure that resident’s medical care needs are reviewed
regularly and proactively, to reduce incidents of ill health and prevent deterioration of conditions.
Furthermore, Bupa GPs will enhance the clinical capacity of our nursing teams, enabling the delivery of complex
care within the home environment and thus reinforcing continuity of care.
GPs dedicated to our residents will develop significant expertise in identifying and treating dementia and other
common aged care issues, which in itself will deliver improved outcomes for residents and Bupa employees.
How many GPs does Bupa intend to employ?
Bupa currently has 50 homes across Australia with plans to aggressively expand this number over the next few
years. During 2013 Bupa will be establishing GPs within 15 of our care homes. Once the model is successfully
established integrated health care, and Bupa GP services, will be rolled out to all Bupa care homes.
Where are the homes for the initial roll out located?
During 2013 we will be employing GPs for our homes situated in Melbourne (Berwick, Bonbeach, Edithvale),
Gold Coast (Banora Point and Merrimac), Sydney South-West (Bankstown and Narwee), Toowoomba (2 sites),
Regional Victoria (Bendigo and Wodonga), South Australia (Morphettville), and Sydney North (Willoughby,
Roseville, North Rocks).
How many residents would a GP be responsible for?
With a support team of health care professionals already established within each home, a full time GP will
provide medical services to a group of over 120 residents.
What are the key responsibilities of the role?
Some of the key responsibilities of the resident GP would include:

Regular complex medical assessments of residents;

Provision of day-to-day medical services to residents;

Regular comprehensive medical assessments

Regular medication management reviews;

Involvement in continuous improvement and innovation projects;

Coaching and mentoring of the clinical community; and

Engagement
and
communication
with
family
and
others
in
the
carer
community.
What is the remuneration for the role?
Salaries will vary depending on the experience of the GP, the location of the care home, and the scope and
complexity of the role (given the care needs for a particular home). As there is no benchmark for this type of
role, Bupa seeks input from candidates about their salary expectations and will tailor the base package for the
suitable candidates accordingly.
There will also be short-term (30% per annum) and long-term incentive opportunities that will be linked to
performance in a range of areas including clinical improvements as well as revenue.
In addition to salary and incentives, what other benefits are there for the GP?
Other benefits include:

guaranteed earnings;

reimbursement for work related expenses including GP liability insurance

a large well-established patient base;

all required equipment and facilities;

a Clinical Manager (RN) reporting directly to the GP to support the provision of clinical care services
(in addition to the clinical care staff provided at the aged care home);

continuous professional development opportunities;

involvement in an innovative, proactive and preventative healthcare model for the ageing;

employment with a global medical services provider international organisation with career progression
opportunities;

a Bupa GP network to provide a ‘community of practice’ to shape Bupa care delivery into the future;

opportunities to engage in research of dementia and dementia-palliation, with University of Tasmania
and the Bupa Foundation, aimed at improving the lives of our residents and the wider ageing
population; and

delivery of measureable improvements in aged care that will shape the future of the industry.
What professional development opportunities are there within the role?
Bupa has developed a capability framework for our clinical staff which assists the mapping of development and
career needs and opportunities. A range of high quality development programs will be available in line with
Bupa’s commitment to its employees and their ongoing learning.
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Professional development forums will be convened quarterly for GPs to provide opportunities for networking as
well as education on key clinical issues. Bupa will regularly seek input from GPs in regards to the key issues they
are facing in order to tailor these events accordingly.
Will I have the opportunity to network with other colleagues in the Bupa GP community?
Yes. The Bupa General Practitioner ‘Community of Practice’ will assist in the determination of care delivery for
Bupa Care Services into the future. This may include leveraging evidence-based research to reshape health care
protocols and delivery, partner providers, ‘scope of practice’ for other clinical staff and other improvement
initiatives.
Additionally, on a day-to-day basis, locality-based aged care homes will form ‘clusters’ where GPs can provide
support to each other at a local level.
What resources are available within the home to support care?
A ‘fit for purpose’ consultation room will be provided on all sites equipped with the necessary equipment needed
to provide primary care. Bupa welcomes ongoing feedback from GPs about the resources required to deliver the
highest quality care and service to residents.
In addition to a Clinical Manager, reporting directly to the GP, Bupa care homes all have 24/7 Registered
Nurse coverage. Under the new integrated health model this will include dedicated care managers for each group
of residents who will ensure continuity of care and effective engagement of the multi-disciplinary team.
Allied health professional, including podiatrists, physiotherapists and dieticians, are currently engaged on a needs
basis as third party service providers to meet the identified needs of residents. We anticipate that the integrated
health model and direct involvement of a dedicated GP, will deliver more proactive identification of such needs.
Bupa GPs will be integral in developing networks and relationships with quality providers who will work
collaboratively with our teams on either a local or national basis.
Are there opportunities for flexible working arrangements?
Bupa accommodates a range of flexible working arrangements for dedicated employees and encourages work life
balance.
Part time and job share arrangements are available for the right candidates.
Am I expected to do out-of-hours calls?
With a proactive and preventative approach to residents’ health, regular case reviews and the availability of an on
site GP during business hours, we expect that the need for out of hours GP services will be minimal.
In the event of incident or injury after hours, there may be a requirement for issues to be escalated to a GP.
Ideally this would be the GP who usually provides care to the resident. However, Bupa will seek to establish
systems which minimise the need for GPs to be “on call” after hours. These systems will be built in consultation
with Bupa GPs and may include shared on call responsibility within the cluster and/or external deputising
services.
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