Derwent Valley mother Polly Cousens has two-hour drive to see GP amid state-wide shortage & More News Here

When mother-of-seven Polly Cousens and her household moved to Tasmania’s Derwent Valley 12 months in the past, she tried to make an appointment with the native physician’s surgical procedure simply minutes from their house.

But she was instructed no waitlist, the books have been closed, and they might have to go someplace else.

Instead, they make a two-hour spherical journey south to their previous clinic.

“I and all of the kids are neurodivergent, it’s either ADHD, autism or learning disabilities,” Ms Cousens stated.

“That means we have to connect with a lot of allied health professionals, there are medications, there are referrals to paediatricians, there’s seeing the GP to get NDIS paperwork filled out.

“One of my daughters has bronchial asthma in order that form of wants to be monitored. Then there’s simply the on a regular basis regular childhood diseases.

“It’s just entirely inadequate in an area growing so quickly. It’s frustrating and it’s disappointing really.

“What it comes down to [is] we do not have entry to sufficient well being care, and that should not occur in Australia.”

The doctor’s surgery at New Norfolk has struggled for years to meet the needs of a growing community.

Doctor shortage decades in the making

AMA Tasmanian President John Saul said there was a shortage of general practitioners across the country.

“Some of our inner-city areas are struggling… however particularly in our rural areas we’re actually quick,” he stated.

Dr Saul said there were 60 advertised positions for GPs in Tasmania but he estimated 150 doctors were actually needed across the state.

The AMA said the number of medical students expressing interest in general practice as a career is declining.

In 2019, only 15 per cent of students identified general practice as their preferred speciality.

In the past, around 50 per cent of students chose a career as a GP.

The AMA said GP registrars were paid around $500 per week less than their hospital-based registrar colleagues.

He said the problem had been decades in the making.

“It’s going again to successive governments, decreasing coaching applications and decreasing the Medicare rebate,” he said.

He is hopeful the new government’s plans to strengthen Medicare will begin to address the issue.

Remote community takes ‘kitchen-table approach’ to tackling health shortages

Despite being far from a major centre, the Tasman Peninsula now has two full-time doctors working from Monday to Friday.

But the local clinic cannot provide after-hours care and there have been other areas of need on the Peninsula, like mental health support.

That is where a community group called Tasman Voice for Health is stepping in to help.

The group has taken a kitchen-table method to gathering info from the area people about its well being wants.

“That’s merely enabling the group to have conversations amongst themselves with none consultants or bureaucrats or exterior folks there,” said Bruce Levett from Health Consumers Tasmania.

“They ran about 13 kitchen tables, they spoke to over 80 folks on the Tasman.

“It was quite empowering for us to see it roll out.”

Mr Levett stated the group was working to unfold the phrase on all of the well being providers out there on the Peninsula.

“It could be the pharmacist or the GP, it could be a cafe or a service station, if someone is asking about where a service is, then the community here can direct and support people in different ways.”

Where there are shortages in well being providers, Tasman Voice for Health is working to tackle them.

“We’ve actually got the Royal Flying Doctors service coming down here now on a fortnightly basis three days a week to provide mental health counselling for young people, which is really very fabulous,” stated Hannah Fielder from Tasman Voice for Health.

“Also the GP surgery has now got a resident psychologist who is working three days a week as well so we’re already filling a gap.”

The group additionally goals to prescribe social options to well being points.

“A GP can actually prescribe an activity or social connection that’s not necessarily a biomedical approach to solving their health problems,” stated Ms Fielder.

That might imply recommending a strolling membership for somebody scuffling with weight problems.

“If food nutrition is an issue for somebody, then a GP might say, ‘Here is a cooking class’, or ‘Here’s a group that grows vegetables’,” Mr Levett stated.

Sallie Creese from the Peninsula Art Group stated the Eaglehawk Neck Hall not solely hosted portray courses however different actions like dance and train periods.

“Every day there is something on and it just brings the community together and just helps mentally as well as physically for all age groups,” she stated.

Tasman Voice for Health shouldn’t be anticipating giant will increase in authorities funding for well being, however it’s hoping for a higher say in how that cash is spent.

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