National Rural Health Commissioner Ruth Stewart tours region and innovative models of care

National Rural Health Commissioner Ruth Stewart was in the region last week, joining Minister for Regional Health Mark Coulton to tour some of the commonwealth funded innovate models of care being initiated in western NSW.

During their tour, the pair visited the Bogan Shire Council and met with deputy mayor Glen Neill to discuss ways to secure and retain a GP. They also visited Trangie and met with key stakeholders from the '4Ts' model of healthcare, before visiting the University of Sydney medical program's new teaching facility in Dubbo.

Professor Stewart said innovate health models being trialled in rural NSW, and moving single-doctor towns to a networked health service was important, not just for the safety and quality for staff, but for the quality of service.

"We know its much easier to practice high-quality care when you're well connected," she said.

However Professor Stewart there was an "even bigger problem" with the lack of allied health professionals out west.

"Doctors are more able to do the work they need to do in primary care when they're working as part of a whole multi-disciplinary primary care team," she said.

"And whilst we have a problem with doctors, we have a bigger problem with getting allied health practitioners."

She said research over the last 25 years had demonstrated to health professionals what needed to be done to encourage doctors into rural communities, and programs like the 4Ts and the new teaching facility in Dubbo were steps in the right direction to a multi-disciplinary approach.

"You do need to acknowledge the grief and almost level of despair that exists in the communities in the west, because they're not getting the health service they remember having," she said.

"It's not the hospital you need, it's the primary health care team, because if you have good primary health care, then you don't need a hospital anywhere near as often.

"I really believe that a change is coming. It's just like when you know there's a big fall of rain upstream, you've got to wait for the water to come down, I think its a bit like that with the medical workforce."

Visiting Trangie last Monday, Professor Stewart said the '4Ts' model of healthcare was a "really inspirational" initiative.

The '4Ts' is a collaborative primary health care model to help improve service delivery and workforce shortages in rural areas.

The model, which is being trialled in Trundle, Tullamore, Trangie and Tottenham has been under development under the Western NSW Collaboration, which includes of the Western NSW Primary Health Network, Western NSW Local Health District, Far Western NSW Local Health District and NSW Rural Doctors Network.

Part of this will include shared GP services and telehealth will ensure resources are better harnessed and available across the region.

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