A NATIONWIDE shortage of GPs across most regions in Australia is having a direct impact on health services including South Gippsland.
Director of Leongatha Healthcare, Dr Chris Webster, said the number one issue for a country practice is finding someone willing to work in the country and in general practice.
“One of the difficulties for individuals training as practitioners is that moving from registrar to general practice is not much of an increase,” said Dr Webster.
“GPs are often reluctant to value their own work.”
Demand for GP services in the regions is growing faster than the general population.
Research from the Gippsland Primary Health Network (PHN) has shown that system-wide workforce shortages and long wait times have impacted people’s ability to access health care in Gippsland.
Despite incentives designed to encourage more local and overseas doctors to relocate to rural areas a study by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found that around 20 per cent of Australia’s rural population is unable to see a local GP.
The Institute found almost 60 per cent of people in rural and remote areas had no access to specialists in their own region.
In Victoria for every 100,000 people living in Melbourne, there are 409 clinicians but outside the city, it can be as low as 150 per 100,000.
The shortage of doctors in remote, rural and regional Australian communities is a longstanding health policy challenge according to research published in the Australian Medical Journal.
Medical students who have a rural background were found to be more likely to pursue rural careers than their metropolitan counterparts however, not all students with a rural background end up practising in rural areas, nor should they be expected to according to the researchers.
“Our number one priority is to source GPs,” said Dr Webster.
One of the biggest problems said Dr Webster is community versus commute.
“Lots of excellent doctors but the drive from Melbourne to Leongatha is exhausting. It would be preferable for the doctors to live in Leongatha.”
Dr Webster described the quality of healthcare at Leongatha Healthcare as excellent.
“It’s a big practice with 10 doctors rostered for the morning clinic,” he said.
“We have the ability to deal with some presentations which may have gone to urgent care.”
Dr Webster explained that patients who may be worried and anxious when they ring a clinic can become stressed by a lack of available appointments.
“Leongatha Healthcare clinic is owned by doctors who live in the community,” said Dr Webster.
Located at 14 Koonwarra Road the opening hours for Leongatha Healthcare are Monday to Friday from 8am to 5.30pm.
Leongatha Urgent Care Centre (UCC) located at 66 Koonwarra Road, Leongatha is a public service where treatment is available at no cost to people who have access to Medicare.
UCC is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is staffed by highly qualified nursing professionals including newly appointed Nurse Practitioners, Rural and Isolated Practice Registered Nurses (RIPRN) and Registered Nurses who are supported by medical staff and virtual Emergency Department specialists from the centre’s virtual care model.
UCC associate nurse unit manager Sharon Smith said the Leongatha Urgent Care Centre has five beds and a doctor from 8am to 11pm, seven days a week.
“It’s a wonderful team,” said Ms Smith.
“We have an emergency doctor with two nurses in the morning and two nurses in the afternoon.
“We see all types of urgent presentations.”
Expert health advice can also be sought 24 hours a day from a registered nurse via the Victorian Nurse-on-Call Service by ringing 1300 60 60 24 or the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED) which allows you to access care for non-life-threatening emergencies from the comfort of your home. Go to vved.org.au/patients to connect to the VVED from anywhere in Victoria.
Telehealth is available at GSHS Urgent Care Centres (UCCs) for after-hour medical support of non-urgent presentations allowing patients to access medical consultations between the hours of 9pm and 7am using My Emergency Doctor.
For more information on the Urgent Care Centre in Leongatha phone 5667 5555 or go to gshs.com.au/locations/leongatha-urgent-care-centre online. In an emergency call 000.
