Dear Colleagues
Since our inception in 1996, The National Association of Practicing Psychiatrists (NAPP) has worked tirelessly to safeguard conditions for doctors and patients, from potential negative changes to mental health care. NAPP works to ensure practicing psychiatrists in public and private sectors have real, effective and direct representation in Canberra and state parliaments.
We invite you to join our organization because
– Constructive action improves the morale and standing of our practitioners in both private and public sectors
– We work to ensure strong psychiatrist/patient relationships, free from interference from third parties
– When changes are proposed that we consider harmful to patients and psychiatrists, we lobby bureaucrats and politicians
NAPP works diligently to ensure that our discipline is heard on relevant issues and our patients are not marginalized. We use the media and social media when required, to explain our position.
Successful campaigns:
NAPP successfully fought changes to the Medicare Safety Net in 2015, which would have impacted severely on low income distressed patients.
We worked to prevent the introduction of US style managed care (3rd party control of clinicians) into the Australian healthcare system.
We have strongly defended intrusion and disregard of patient privacy in many forms, Medicare rebate changes, attempts to bypass and undermine clinical practice, rising medical indemnity premiums, overcrowding in public psychiatry wards.
NAPP is registered as a major stakeholder in the MBS review that is currently evaluating item numbers for psychiatric treatments, and is following its progress.
Our College specialises in standards and training. NAPP attends to any threat to our ability to treat our patients with the standard of care they need. The work of both organisations is complementary.
Our work is vital. We need an organisation that directly supports all psychiatrists at an individual and group level. Together we are a stronger voice, isolated we have limited ability to influence positive change.
We invite you to join NAPP and support constructive actions, which will improve the morale and standing of our psychiatrists in the private and public sectors. Here is the link to our website and membership form: https://napp.org.au/membership-account/membership-levels/
Plan for the future:
1. We invite every psychiatrist, trainee and registrar in good standing to become members of NAPP
2. Trainees and registrars receive free membership and are represented on our National Executive Committee. NAPP supports trainee psychiatrists.
3. NAPP annual membership fees are now $220 for practising members. This includes a weekly update of all relevant international, national and state news and access to our confidential Member’s only section on the NAPP website.
We would appreciate it if you could email this letter to as many of your colleagues as possible. We look forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully
Dr. Vivienne Elton, President NAPP
Professor Philip Morris, Vice President NAPP
Ms Alison Woof, National Coordinator NAPP
