11 April 2016 - The current contract with Australian Government Department of Health (DoH) for a partial contribution to the costs of the BEACH (Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health) program finishes on 30th June 2016.

The Family Medicine Research Centre at the University of Sydney has been informed that there will be no further funding from DoH for the BEACH program.

BEACH has always struggled to gain sufficient funds each year. However, this notification comes when we also have a large shortfall in funding coming from other organisations such as NGOs and pharmaceutical companies, due to closure of many Government instrumentalities and authorities, and the heavy squeeze on pharmaceutical companies’ profits, resulting from changes to the PBS.

We therefore have no choice but to close the BEACH program. This will leave Australia with no valid, reliableand independent source of data about activities in general practice.

For more details, go to: http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/fmrc/media/BEACH-closure-2016-04.php