In April 2024 at the Royal Australian & NZ College of Psychiatrists AGM, A/Prof Gary Galambos was honoured to be elected Chair of the RANZCP Binational Section of Private Practice Psychiatry (SPPP).

A/Prof Galambos was previously chair of the SPPP between 2008-2013, and subsequently became Chair of the NSW Branch of the RANZCP.  During this time, he remained on the SPPP committee and in fact became its Deputy Chair in 2014. He served as SPPP representative for the MBS Review Taskforce, Confidentiality of Clinical Records Working Group and other related working groups.

A/Prof Galambos aims to improve private practice in Australia and NZ, emphasising the need to address existing challenges and enhance the overall quality of care. For NZ, he identifies a need to align practices with best standards and explore opportunities for better funding mechanisms, similar to those available in Australia through Medicare.

Challenges deserving in-depth work for the SPPP include: 

• Private practice training reform to ensure registrars undertake adequate experience and supervision in private practice settings. 
• Clinical care pathways in private psychiatry for certain population groups such as the mental health care of veterans, defence and first responders rescue personnel.  
• Access to innovative mental health interventions like TMS, ketamine, psychedelics and Telehealth.

A/Prof Galambos is establishing working groups to focus on these areas that are evolving and require attention. These groups would provide an opportunity to connect with the broader RANZCP college, particularly with other groups that have specific expertise or are addressing different issues.

During his advocacy to prevent US-style Managed Care models and practices from entering the Australian healthcare settings in 2020, A/Prof Galambos identified ‘Clinical Indicators’ as a potential battleground where psychiatrists could take stewardship over sensitive patient clinical information, to avoid private health insurers from weaponing that information against clinicians and patients.

The RANZCP has responded with the establishment of the Clinical Outcome Indicators Working Group, which had its inaugural meeting in August 2024 and includes SPPP members Dr Galambos and Dr Bill Pring (with Dr Pring as Chair). Outcome measures have not been easily accessible to clinicians to enable their seamless use as part of best practice clinical care. That could now change with the work of this working group and some high tech innovations A/Prof Galambos is developing as part of his advocacy efforts.