Addressing inequities in access to high quality medical care has been a longstanding challenge in Australia and the Government recognises the importance of providing all Australians with timely access to quality, safe, and affordable health care services, no matter where they live.

To assist in attracting and retaining medical professionals in regional, rural, and remote areas, the 2019–20 Budget provided $62.2 million to commence a National Rural Generalist Pathway (the Pathway). Rural Generalists are general practitioners (GPs) who provide primary care services, emergency medicine, and have training in additional skills like obstetrics, anaesthetics, or mental health services. The Pathway recognises the extra requirements and skills of rural generalists and supports them to meet the diverse health needs of regional, rural, and remote communities. Rural Generalists complement and work alongside rural GPs to increase local access to a wider range of specialist medical services.

The Australian Government is working with the state and territory governments and with the GP Colleges to support the implementation of the Pathway.

The Department of Health has worked with the National Rural Health Commissioner, Adjunct Professor Ruth Stewart and with practicing Rural Generalist Dr Preston Cardelli to develop a video to highlight elements of rural practice. We hope the video will provide insight to medical students and junior doctors who might be considering a rural career.

Watch the video here.

Townsville Head to Health, funded by Northern Queensland Primary Health Network (NQPHN) through the Australian Government’s PHN program, will be a front door for people over the age of 18 to access mental health support.

Residents in Townsville and surrounding areas who need mental health support for themselves, their family, or friends will be welcomed through a ‘no wrong door’ approach and supported to receive the support appropriate to their needs.

The centre will assist to address some of the current gaps existing for people experiencing high levels of distress or suicidal crisis and will reduce the number of emergency department presentations by providing a more accessible entry point to the mental health system.

NQPHN Chief Executive Officer Robin Whyte said Neami National was selected as the lead provider following an extensive tendering process.

“NQPHN’s commissioning objective was to identify a provider with local experience and a robust plan to engage with the Townsville community, not only in co-designing the service but also in ongoing service delivery and partnerships,” said Ms Whyte.

“The successful applicant also needed to have robust systems, corporate and clinical maturity, and experience in delivering mental health services.

“We were so pleased by the enthusiasm and interest shown by the market throughout this process and are honoured to be working with Neami National to bring this important mental health support service to Townsville.” 

NQPHN and Neami National will now work closely with the Townsville community, people with lived experience, general practice, and other local health professionals to ensure the centre is warm, welcoming, and embraces an evidence-based recovery approach that is client-centric and tailored to the needs of the local community.

Neami National Queensland State Manager Karen Thomas said working with NQPHN and their community partners allows them to offer something new to benefit visitors to the service and the wider community.

“Collaborating with Richmond Fellowship Queensland, Lives Lived Well, Townsville Multicultural Support Group, and the broader community will be the foundation to delivering a new way to access safe, welcoming, and inclusive mental health support for the people of Townsville,” said Ms Thomas.

“With co-design playing an important part of shaping the service, we are looking forward to engaging broadly to ensure we can meet the real neds of the community.”

With half of Townsville Head to Health staff in dedicated lived experience roles, the new service provides ‘peer-first, peer-last’ support, with lived experience support right on arrival all the way to when someone is ready to leave.

“We are excited to develop opportunities for people to bring a lived experience as part of a multidisciplinary team offering clinical and psychosocial support. Working together helps everyone understand how to best support good mental health and wellbeing,” Ms Thomas said.

The new service is scheduled to open in late 2021 and will be located in a prominent facility in the Townsville CBD.

Further, medical practices can bow book onsite interpreters on weekends for COVID-19 vaccination purposes. Telephone interpretation services continue to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Pharmacists are able to utilise interpreters from TIS National to assist in their consultations with patients and to ensure informed consent is given for COIVD-19 vaccines.

Medical practices and Pharmacists can use their existing TIS client code to request interpreters for both their Medicare and non-Medicare patients. For those who are not already registered with TIS National, registration can be done online at https://tisonline.tisnational.gov.au/registeragency 

For more information, contact the TIS Free Interpreting Service Team on 1300 575 847 or email tis.freeinterpreting@homeaffairs.gov.au

The Principles on the role of the GP in supporting work participation are Australia’s first national principles developed by the Collaborative Partnership to improve work participation in consultation with key stakeholders across sectors and industry. The Principles have been officially recognised as a Supported Position Statement by The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.

The Principles guide GPs on how they can empower people to engage in good work. The Principles support the evidence that work is an important social determinant of health and ‘good work’ can be used as part of a patient’s recovery and wellbeing.

GPs are ideally placed to provide advice to patients and other stakeholders on the health and social benefits of participation in good work. The advocacy role of GPs includes understanding a patient’s needs and advocating to ensure they are empowered to choose and control their treatment pathway, recovery, and goals, including engaging in good work.

GPs, employers, and other professionals need to work together as a team to improve work participation rates for people with a health condition or disability.

A one-page snapshot summarising the Principles has been developed to guide the role of the GP in facilitating the health benefits of good work. The snapshot provides a summary of the three key roles for GPs in supporting work participation for people with injury, illness, or disability.

The one-page snapshot on the Principles is available here.

Visit Medical practitioners | Comcare for more information and resources to assist with work-related injury or illness.