By Jeremy Rockliff, Premier
An innovative new employment model for General Practitioners in training aimed at boosting the number of doctors in rural and remote areas will be piloted in Tasmania following an agreement between the Tasmanian Government and the Australian Government.
In recent months, the Tasmanian Government put forward a proposal to partner with the Australian Government to fund a new Single Employer Model (SEM) for GP Registrars including rural generalist trainees, that will make training in rural general practice more attractive and will go a long way in improving recruitment and retention of GPs in rural communities.
Under the pilot model, doctors training to specialise in rural medicine will have the choice of being employed by the Tasmanian Health Service for their training period which will allow for a seamless transition throughout their hospital and community-based GP training placements.
Currently, GP registrars will have between 3-5 employers throughout their studies across a range of health care services including hospitals, primary care practices and community health centres. Because of the change in employers, the registrar loses entitlements that accrue with length of service.
By implementing a SEM, GP trainees will be employed by the Tasmanian Health Service on a contract of up to four years, providing them with a similar salary and entitlements - such as annual leave, sick leave and other benefits - to doctors working in a hospital setting.
The Agreement with the Australian Government will support the Tasmanian Government to become the employer of up to 20 GP registrars, with rotations in community GP practices, as well as in the hospital system.
Premier and Health Minister Jeremy Rockliff said the $13 million jointly funded pilot would help attract more GPs in training doctors to rural and regional areas, with the aim of boosting retention in these areas to assist more people to receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.
“The Tasmanian Liberal Government is committed to ensuring Tasmanians in rural and regional areas can access local GPs and the most appropriate health care for their needs which is why we’re investing $5 million to make sure we make the rural training pathway attractive, alongside a commitment of $8 million from the Australian Government,” said Premier Rockliff.
“Our government has long been advocating to trial a Single Employer Model for GP registrars, including rural generalists, to make rural practice more attractive for doctors and we now look forward to making it happen.
“This agreement is a significant win for Tasmania as it makes it more financially attractive for doctors specialising in general practice to undertake their training in rural and regional areas, and offers an easier, more sustainable, pathway that will strengthen the rural and regional workforce in the long-term.
“I look forward to the implementation of this model which will allow us to recruit more doctors, strengthen our rural communities and help more people get the healthcare they need, when and where they need it.
The announcement complements the Tasmanian Liberal Government’s existing commitment to strengthen Tasmania’s rural medical workforce of the future, including establishing the Rural Medical Workforce Centre and Tasmanian Rural Generalist Pathway, which recently welcomed 9 new medical interns to train for a career in rural medicine.
