I WAS rather surprised to learn just how many vacant general practitioner positions there are across regional SA at the moment. I would never have thought it would be as high as 62.
Rural Doctors Workforce Agency chief executive officer Lyn Poole says a large number of the advertised vacancies are in "thriving practices that could have extra people in bigger communities". While I'm relieved to hear there aren't 62 small SA towns on the hunt for a doctor, this is still cause for concern.
Related reading: SA govt releases draft plan to address rural GP shortage
A "thriving" GP practice must be one where there is high demand for the services on offer. No practice is going to pay to put on an additional GP if there aren't patients lined up out the door waiting to see them.
If this is the case, and no one can be found to fill the position, it places a huge strain on the existing doctors.
Say, for example, there is demand for five doctors in a town or practice, but only four are on staff. It seems to me there are two possible outcomes. Either, regional patients face increased waiting times to see a doctor - hardly an acceptable outcome - or the existing GPs take on a higher patient load, leaving them overworked and potentially more likely to begin looking for other employment if the situation isn't rectified.
The other potential issue I see is that the best recruitment decisions are ultimately made when there is robust competition between candidates, but with more than 60 GP vacancies across regional SA, it would appear competition is severely lacking.
Building a relationship and a level of trust with your doctor is far more beneficial than having to start every appointment by introducing yourself to the latest locum or visiting GP.
In this instance, people can be forced to hire the only candidate, rather than the best candidate. What regional communities need is someone who is open to making the community their long-term home, rather than someone who believes having a year or two of rural experience will be a helpful stepping stone to their ideal job in the city.
I'm not suggesting we get our country doctors to sign lifelong contracts forcing them to stay in the town forever. But, I firmly believe that continuity of care is really important. Building a relationship and a level of trust with your doctor is far more beneficial than having to start every appointment by introducing yourself to the latest locum or visiting GP.
I won't even pretend to have the solutions to solve our doctor shortage. I doubt there's an easy or quick fix, but it's heartening to at least see the issue being recognised and - hopefully - addressed by our government.
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