Here’s an update on a few of the issues AMA Victoria is working on for members, including:

• Addressing workforce retention: cutting the ‘stupid stuff’ that drives doctors away
• Inquiry into Ambulance Victoria.
   

Addressing workforce retention: cutting the ‘stupid stuff’ that drives doctors away

Ahpra’s latest research has reinforced an important issue in healthcare workforce retention. In a survey of 25,000 Australian healthcare practitioners, those considering leaving the workforce cited key concerns: mental burnout, feeling undervalued and unrecognised, lack of professional satisfaction, and work no longer being fulfilling. These findings highlight a growing challenge—if we fail to address these factors, we will continue to lose experienced healthcare workers at a time when our system is under immense pressure.

Retention is also a key focus of the Victorian Department of Health’s workforce strategy, and solutions must go beyond recruitment. If doctors and other healthcare workers are burdened with inefficient, demoralising red tape, they will continue to leave. That is why AMA Victoria has launched the Getting Rid of Stupid Stuff (GROSS) initiative — a campaigned aimed at identifying and eliminating inefficiencies in Victorian healthcare.

Healthcare workers are frustrated by duplicated mandatory training, outdated administrative processes, and unnecessary bureaucracy that takes time away from patient care. These inefficiencies are more than just frustrating—they contribute to burnout, impact morale, and add to the workforce crisis. By cutting ‘Stupid Stuff,’ we can improve job satisfaction, reduce stress, and create a more sustainable working environment for doctors, nurses, and other health professionals. Moreover, reducing unnecessary administrative burdens not only improves workplace conditions—it also makes financial sense. Eliminating inefficiencies could save hundreds of thousands of dollars at a time when Victorian healthcare is under immense budgetary pressure, freeing up resources to invest in frontline care.

Since launching GROSS, we have seen strong engagement from the medical community, significant media interest, and early political momentum: AMAV - Cutting waste, improving care: GROSS Initiative update. Our petition calling on the Victorian Government to implement GROSS across all health services is gaining support, and we continue to meet with key decision-makers to push for change.

Now, we need your help to target ‘Stupid Stuff.’ If you have examples of inefficient policies, redundant processes, or bureaucratic hurdles that waste time and add to workforce pressures, share them with us. Every example strengthens our advocacy and brings us closer to meaningful change.
 

Take action to support the GROSS initiative:

• Sign the petition – if you haven’t already, sign it here.
• Share your experiences – tell us about the ‘Stupid Stuff’ that wastes your time here.
• Spread the word – encourage your colleagues to contribute and help drive change.

Retention isn’t just about hiring more healthcare workers—it’s about ensuring they want to stay. By eliminating the inefficiencies that frustrate and demoralise staff, we can create a healthcare system that values and supports its workforce, leading to better outcomes for both practitioners and patients.

Inquiry into Ambulance Victoria

AMA Victoria has provided a submission to the Legislative Council Legal and Social Issues Committee’s Inquiry into Ambulance Victoria, focusing on the systemic pressures driving ambulance ramping, emergency department congestion, and workforce strain. As is well known to members, these issues are symptoms of deeper problems within Victoria’s healthcare system, particularly access block, where patients remain in emergency departments for extended periods due to a lack of inpatient beds.

The submission highlights how these pressures delay emergency care, increase strain on medical practitioners, and contribute to avoidable patient harm. Emergency physicians are routinely treating patients in corridors, waiting areas, and ambulance bays because beds are occupied by patients who could be discharged if appropriate step-down services—such as rehabilitation, aged care, or community-based mental health support—were available. Mental health patients are particularly affected, often waiting for days in emergency departments due to a shortage of inpatient psychiatric beds.

These challenges are not inevitable—they are fixable. AMA Victoria has consistently advocated for system-wide reforms to improve patient flow, reduce ambulance ramping, and strengthen workforce capacity. Our submission aligns with AMA’s Federal’s "Clear the Hospital Logjam" campaign, which calls for urgent investment in hospital capacity, workforce expansion, and patient flow improvements. Recommendations include:

• Reducing unnecessary hospital admissions by strengthening general practice, expanding hospital-in-the-home programs, and improving access to community-based care, particularly for mental health patients.
• Expanding hospital and workforce capacity by increasing training placements, improving pay and conditions, and addressing burnout-driven attrition.
• Clearing discharge delays by investing in step-down care, rehabilitation services, and aged care placements to free up inpatient beds.
• Addressing inefficiencies through AMA Victoria’s GROSS initiative, cutting unnecessary paperwork, excessive compliance burdens, and outdated IT systems that slow hospital operations and divert doctors from patient care.

The submission makes clear that without decisive action, emergency response times will continue to deteriorate, workforce pressures will intensify, and patient care will suffer. Victoria’s healthcare system needs long-term, strategic reforms—not just short-term fixes—to ensure patients receive timely emergency care and medical practitioners can work in a system that supports them. AMA Victoria will continue pushing for these essential changes to restore confidence in our health system and protect patient safety.