Bundaberg and Burnett residents are desperately competing for medical appointments as the GP workforce shortage worsens, but Member for Burnett Stephen Bennett has put a solution on the table.
The Burnett MP tabled a Question on Notice for the Minister for Health that outlines issues around the lack of supervisors for GP Registrars in Regional Queensland.
Mr Bennett said it’s about opening more opportunities for GPs to train, live, and work in the region.
“The combination of General Practitioner practice closures and Queensland Health facilities being staffed mostly by Locum Doctors is resulting in many regional towns having no supervisory capacity for GP Registrars,” said Mr Bennett.
“This means that GPs in training gain no exposure to these towns and therefore, they often have no interest in practicing there when qualified.
“I’m asking the minister to review Queensland Health practices and policies on contractual matters such as Senior Medical Officer appointments, including the outdated Medical Officers with Right of Private Practice (MORPP) model, as a matter of urgency. *
“These policies have resulted in the mass exodus of locally resident medical staff in our regional and rural towns.
“We need to be doing all we can to keep pace with the growing community demand, not making it even more difficult for our already overworked General Practitioners.”
Mr Bennett said it’s time to give our medics a break.
“The Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service is already scrambling, waitlists have blown out, ambulance ramping is through the roof, and now we’re seeing the extremely dangerous practice of double banking in our emergency rooms.
“If patients can’t book an appointment with their GP, often the only option is to visit our Emergency Departments.
“This puts an even bigger strain on our ED’s that are already overrun and understaffed.”
Senior Clinical Lecturer at James Cook University and Childers Family Medicine Practice Principal Dr Cindi Jackson said there are only two MMM4+ training locations in the entire Wide Bay and North Burnett region with sufficient supervisory capacity to accept training GPs.
“The loss of senior doctors from our rural towns, particularly across the North Burnett, results in a loss of not just their clinical expertise, but their supervisory skills as well,” she said.
“Without permanent GPs to provide supervision, it is extremely difficult to place trainee GPs in these communities, perpetuating and worsening the GP shortages being experienced.
“Queensland Health needs to be doing all it can to enable contracts that encourage GPs to engage in local hospital work, instead of relying on a locum hospital medical workforce.”
* Question on Notice: https://documents.parliament.qld.gov.au/tableoffice/questionsanswers/2023/1433-2023.pdf
ENDS.
21/11/2023