Dr Lucy Randall

15/11/2025

This week I’ve been representing the Australian Society of Psychological Medicine (ASPM) at the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners annual conference alongside Dr Naomi Rutten and Dr Stephanie Pommerel (pictured)

ASPM connects, supports and advocates for GPs who have an interest in mental health work, and provides training for GPs, by GPs.

We worked alongside the Inside Out Institute, Australia’s national eating disorder research and clinical excellence institute, including their GP lead Dr Karen Spielman.

31/10/2025

At The Hub Medical Centre we’ve had a little something going on behind the scenes, and today the Moreton Daily published an article about it.

Only myself and Dr Jamal Hussain were mentioned as GP operators but Dr Max Absalan Is very much a part of it and was busy seeing patients when the press came!

We can’t wait to have a first class, purpose built space where we can care for patients in comfort. And in preparation for the move away from the Hub Convenience Centre we’ll also be changing our name

A new medical centre is on track to open early next year in one of Moreton Bay’s fastest growing suburbs.

26/10/2025

This weekend I was asked to co-facilitate a training session for GPs on caring for people with eating disorders alongside Dr Sue Martin from WA.

The room was packed and questions were plentiful. It’s so encouraging to see the increasing interest in and awareness of how to care for these patients.

12/08/2025

Do you sometimes wonder why it's hard to get an appointment with a female GP? Have you ever wondered what it's like from those GP's perspective?

Professor Louise Stone is a practicing GP, a researcher and educator. In her study "I love my job but it's time to go" she surveyed female GPs who had recently retired or reduced their hours, or who were planning to reduce their hours by at least 50% in the next 5 years.

She and her team were flooded with responses. Click the link below for her review of the data. It makes for sobering and concerning listening.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28vVFOeRjkg

She estimates that approximately 13100 female GPs are likely to retire within the next 5 years, that's 1 in 3 female GPs. GPs who have dedicated much of their lives to their jobs and who truly love caring for their communities are finding that contemporary General Practice is harming their health to such a degree that are unable to carry on. Some of the reasons for this include rising job demands, less job control, increasing vicarious trauma, a growing gender pay gap, excessive surveillance and unprecedented levels of negative press about GPs.

A reducing female GP workforce will result in particular gaps in provision of mental health care, women's health care and complex medical care. This will be catastrophic for patients, particularly our most vulnerable.

To my fellow female GPs, and all GPs working at the coal face. I hear you, I see you. This is not your fault. It's a systems issue and needs a systemic response.

To patients. Please support your GPs where you can. If you think your GP is great, shout it from the rooftops! Perhaps we can start to change the narrative of the "greedy GP who just does referrals and doesn't know anything" which most of use who've experienced great General Practice in action can attest isn't the norm.

08/08/2025

Here's a little bit about me.

06/08/2025

Have you heard the Government's promise that 90% of GP consultations will be bulk billed by 2030?

It sounds great right? But they haven't said what you'll get for your bulk billed consultation. It certainly won't be the individualised and proactive care that you're used to.

The vast majority of GPs in Australia don't earn a salary. They charge a fee for each service they provide and a percentage of that fee goes to the clinic. If a GP bulk bills, they're choosing to earn less for that service. The clinic is also paid less, and if the clinic is paid less then they will be less able to pay their staff, their rent, their insurances and so on. And we all know that prices are going up.

From November 2025 the bulk billing incentive payment (a payment to GPs for bulk billing a consultation) will increase, but this still falls far short of covering the true cost of a consultation.

So GPs and clinics will have a choice:
- reduce expenses. For example making nurses redundant, replacing receptionists with AI or closing the clinic at unprofitable times.
- Increase income by only allowing 6-10 minute consultations instead of the usual 10-15 minutes and GPs seeing up to10 patients per hour instead of 4-6.
- Continue to charge a gap fee to maintain existing services.

What quality of care will you get in a 6-minute bulk billed consultation? And in my interest area of mental health it's completely inadequate for nearly all consultations.

05/08/2025

You haven't heard from me in a while. Alongside seeing patients in clinic I've been working hard behind the scenes with my team to create clinics where GPs are supported to do their best work for their patients.

Have you heard from politicians that most GPs will be bulk billing by November? And have you heard from GPs why this may not be the case?

Recent changes to Medicare rebates for patients attending GPs have created significant challenges in maintaining good quality yet affordable care for our patients. You might see some posts from me over the coming weeks about how these changes may affect you as a patient, and if you're a doctor how it could affect how you provide services.

11/08/2024

Ever said yes to doing a new thing and then thought ‘aargh, what have I done?’

That was me earlier this year when I said I’d organise a conference for an organisation that at the time didn’t formally exist.

It all started when 1000 female GPs met on online and wanted to get together to share knowledge and connect in a safe and enriching environment.

So this weekend over 100 delegates, speakers and sponsors came from all over Australia to Noosa for what many have told me is the best conference they’ve ever attended.

It’s been a privilege to host this group of smart, compassionate and strong yet vulnerable women. Supporting each other helps us to support our patients.

I don’t regret a bit of it and am so grateful to the help I’ve had from a small army of GPs who’ve been so generous with their time and energy in making this happen with me.

Will I do it again? maybe!

03/08/2024

There's no bad body type.

15/07/2024

Do you do "dangerous" sports? Particularly ones where you could fall?

As many of you know, I ride horses. In the last year I've lost several friends and acquaintances to falls from horses and it's really made me think about how I can enjoy my hobby more safely. While being with my horses brings me great joy, they also come with risk. Head and spinal injuries aren't uncommon and this is also the case with sports such a gymnastics, trampolining, mountain biking and motorcycle riding.

Yandina Pony Club arranged a fall safety clinic which taught us how to fall as safely as possible, protecting our head and spines. It was extremely informative and the practical sessions really helped us to hone our reflexes. It's a long while since I last did somersaults intentionally!

07/06/2024

Today is CrazySocks4Docs day, which is aimed to reduce the stigma of mental illness in doctors and healthcare professionals.

Female doctors are 2.7 times more likely to die by su***de than the general population and men 1.4 times more likely. For more information the reasons behind this, have a read of the attached article.

Whether you're a doctor or not, if you're struggling please reach out for help. Your GP is a good starting point and Lifeline (111314) are available on the phone 24/7. If you're a doctor needing support and don't know where to turn head to www.drs4drs.com.au.

https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/professional/you-are-not-alone-call-for-action-amid-spate-of-gp?utm_source=racgpnewsgpnewsletter&utm_campaign=newsgpedm&utm_medium=email

One regional centre’s loss of five doctors in two years is likely the tip of the iceberg, but a lack of hard data means the tragic situation is difficult to quantify.