Santa is taking regular leave from his toy workshop to help prop up the leaning Christmas tree of Lismore.
Santa is taking regular leave from his toy workshop to help prop up the leaning Christmas tree of Lismore.

On behalf of the Northern Rivers General Practice Network, the editorial team at GP Speak extends seasonal greetings to readers of our magazine and our regularly updated website.

In the past year we have presented a diversity of clinical articles and news stories relating to general practice, the broader health care debate in Australia, research initiatives, and stories about healthy lifestyle practices and recreational activities such as travel and books.

We greatly appreciate the support of our many contributors, as well as the health facility operators and other service providers, as well as universities, that have helped make GP Speak possible via their advertising and sponsorships.

We encourage other relevant organisations to consider taking up a commercial involvement with GP Speak in the year ahead.

We are mindful that a number of readers may be required to be on duty, or on call, during the holiday period, and their efforts will again be greatly valued by the broader community.

We hope those taking a well-earned Christmas break will enjoy a relaxing time with family and friends, and have a safe and healthy start to what looks like being a milestone year on the national and global fronts.

Amidst all the uncertainty, one thing is sure - the need for high quality health care will continue to grow as our population ages, and this will place ever more demands on practitioners, government and indeed patients/clients. Working collaboratively has never been as important, and this will be a major theme for GP Speak’s coverage in 2017.