Dr. Karena Hanley:

Having worked in a rural general practice for 25 years, I believe absolutely in the team model and in the independent contractor model. The problem is that the infrastructure has been hollowed out of general practice, which has made it very difficult to manage the escalating employer responsibilities, health and safety and so on. While all of these are coming to all businesses, there is no other business which has had its potential for income generation diminished in the same way as GMS general practice. That is why that is such a heavy burden. However, 66% of emerging GPs see themselves being independent contractors in five years. It is a model that has been proven to work and my experience is that it fosters the loyalty to provide a good service.