2019 has been a busy and rewarding year for the Board and staff of GPTQ. The year heralded the opening stages of the 2019 to 2021 funding agreement, with the imperative of negotiated, gradual transition of training responsibilities to the Colleges from the Commonwealth Department of Health.

Alongside this, the Board has continued the development of GPTQ in the areas of sound governance, internal control policies and contemporary organisational structure. We have remained proactive and decisive in initiating and overseeing the implementation of a range of reviews across the organisation and in August a stakeholder meeting was held to communicate this work to our GPTQ members. The meeting was well attended and members were encouraged to raise questions and provide feedback directly to the Board and senior GPTQ staff members.

Board, senior staff and Committee renewal

Ms Karen Quaile was elected to the Board in May 2019. Ms Quaile is a senior financial management and operations specialist with extensive experience in finance, HR and administrative management. She has brought a strong focus on the commercial aspects of business to Board discussions.

Ms Kathie Sadler was appointed as interim CEO in February 2019 and following an extensive CEO recruitment process, Ms Sadler was appointed to the role of permanent CEO in June 2019. Having worked in corporate and commercial law for close to 30 years, Ms Sadler brings a wealth of management, risk and governance experience to GPTQ.
In 2019 the FARM Committee sought out an experienced and reputable independent member to provide skilled input to the Committee’s deliberations. Mr Len Scanlan was appointed in March. A former Auditor-General of Queensland (1997-2004) and Chief Executive Officer of the Queensland Audit Office, Mr Scanlan brings a wealth of experience to the Committee.

GPTQ’s new Chief Operating Officer, Mr Scott Bryant, comes highly qualified with a Bachelor of Business with an extended major in Business Law and Tax. He has close to a decade of financial management experience in a variety of health-related organisations and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Governance review

The Board sought an external review of GPTQ’s governance framework against contemporary practice for not-for-profit bodies. Governance by Design was engaged in March 2019 and undertook consultative interviews and reviewed all governing documents. 

A Governance Committee established in June 2019 and has since overseen the implementation of a range of governance improvement measures.

Internal audit

Axiar Pty Ltd was appointed in October 2019 to undertake an internal audit of GPTQ, including continuous controls monitoring review and grants and funding compliance review.

Change of external auditor

With a mandate from the GPTQ membership and following an approved tender process, GPTQ has appointed Grant Thornton as its new external auditor. ASIC has been notified and Grant Thornton has now completed GPTQ’s 2019 financial audit.

Organisational review and restructure

In the second half of the year CEO Kathie Sadler undertook an extensive HR review facilitated by an external consultant. All GPTQ staff positions were reviewed and position descriptions updated to better reflect roles and responsibilities. This was done in a widely inclusive manner involving staff questionnaires, staff workshops and one-on-one meetings. 

A restructure of the organisation has provided clarity and separation between the roles of medical education and training and support services. A new Chief Operating Officer (Scott Bryant), HR Manager (Jaime Wallace) and Support Service Manager (Melanie Hunt) have been appointed.

Future commitment 

The important review and renewal activities of 2019 have positioned GPTQ for continued success. As a provider of General Practice training for Registrars and Supervisors we remain committed to operational excellence, innovation in the education and training we deliver and close collaboration with our valued stakeholders.

Rick Sapsford