The Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) has visited general practices and healthcare services across Mount Gambier to hear directly from GPs, practice teams and community healthcare leaders about healthcare delivery in regional South Australia.
RACGP South Australia Chair Dr Siân Goodson and RACGP SA Rural Representative Dr Dianne Carr have visited practices and healthcare services in Mount Gambier and Millicent, including Pangula Mannamurna Aboriginal Corporation, The Medical Clinic Millicent, Hawkins Medical Clinic, Limestone Coast Health Hub, Ferrers Medical Clinic and Village Medical Centre. The visit also included meetings with Mayor Lynette Martin OAM and Dr Patrick Burgon at the Flinders University Rural Medical School.
Dr Goodson said the visit provided an invaluable opportunity to hear directly from local GPs and practice teams about the successes, challenges and opportunities facing healthcare in the region.
"General practice is the cornerstone of healthcare in regional communities, and visits like this give us the opportunity to hear directly from the doctors, nurses and practice staff delivering care every day," Dr Goodson said.
"We met with a wide range of practices across the region and heard firsthand about the dedication of local healthcare teams working to meet the needs of their communities.
"To build on this progress, the RACGP is calling for stronger financial incentives and support for international medical graduates and the GPs who supervise and mentor them in regional Australia. International medical graduates make an invaluable contribution to rural and regional communities, but attracting, retaining and supporting these doctors requires sustained investment.
"Financial incentives for both international medical graduates and their supervisors would help address workforce shortages, strengthen local training pathways and ensure more communities can access the care they need. Supporting supervisors is particularly important, as they play a critical role in providing the training, mentoring and oversight that helps doctors establish long-term careers in regional practice.
"These measures would help more practices expand their workforce, increase patient access to care and support the long-term sustainability of general practice services in regional and rural Australia.
"While every practice is different, there are common themes around workforce sustainability, attracting and retaining GPs in regional areas, supporting registrar training, and ensuring communities can continue to access high-quality care close to home.
"The RACGP is committed to advocating for policies that strengthen regional general practice and support the doctors who choose to live and work in rural and regional Australia.
"During our visit, we met with GPs who have relocated to Mount Gambier, settled into the community and are committed to building their future there. We also met early-career GPs who have returned to their hometown to care for the communities that supported them growing up.
"We spoke with a number of registrars undertaking the Fellowship Support Program who bring extensive international experience and they told us they feel welcomed, valued and well supported by the local community.
Encouragingly, this growth in the local GP workforce is already having a tangible impact on patient access. Some practices that had previously reached capacity and closed their books to new patients are now able to welcome new patients again, improving access to timely and ongoing care across the region.
It was also an opportunity to visit a GP-owned and operated Urgent Care Clinic that is filling a much-needed gap in after-hours healthcare, providing patients with an additional local care option when their usual general practice is closed.
"It is equally encouraging to see the strong commitment to teaching and training the next generation of GPs. The strong outcomes we continue to see through the AGPT program show that investing in GP training works. Regional communities are central to that success and play a critical role in growing Australia's future GP workforce. Continued investment will help ensure this pipeline remains strong for years to come."
GPs also highlighted that patients in the region would benefit from improved access to palliative care services, helping more people receive high-quality care closer to home and reducing the need to travel at a difficult time in their lives.
"We are grateful to all the practices, healthcare leaders and community representatives who generously shared their time and insights with us. Their perspectives will help inform the RACGP's ongoing advocacy to improve health outcomes for patients across regional South Australia."
During the visit, RACGP representatives also attended a local member gathering, providing an opportunity for GPs from across the region to connect, share experiences and discuss issues affecting general practice.
The RACGP will continue working with members, governments and local stakeholders to ensure people living in regional and rural communities can access timely, affordable and high-quality GP care.
