Geelong families facing ‘critical’ paediatrician shortage

Geelong families are being forced to travel to Melbourne to access paediatricians amid a “critical shortage” of the doctors.

Ben and Wren Wilson with their children Adeline and Hunter. The family has to go to Laverton to see a paediatrician due to a shortage in Geelong. Picture: Alan Barber

GEELONG families are being forced to travel to Melbourne to get the medical help they need for their children because of a “critical shortage” of paediatricians.

Mount Duneed’s Wren Wilson has two neurodiverse children — a six-year-old daughter and nine-year-old son.

“We need to see a paediatrician quite regularly,” she said.

Mrs Wilson said she could not even get them on a waitlist in Geelong, and had started going to Laverton in Melbourne’s west to see a paediatrician earlier this year.

Ben and Wren Wilson with their children Adeline and Hunter. Picture: Alan Barber

“I find it really frustrating, not only do you have accessibility issues … you just get what’s left over,” she said.

“You’d like to have a choice.”

Geelong Children’s Clinic practice manager, Meg Noorderbroek, said its paediatricians were at capacity and it had to decline 30 to 40 referrals per week.

Ms Noorderbroek said new estates were contributing to demand and there was “a critical shortage” of paediatricians in Geelong.

She said the practice was working to attract new staff.

Barwon Health women’s and children’s services clinical director, Dave Fuller, said the organisation provided a number of specialist outpatient services for kids.

“Waiting times for a non-urgent appointment at these clinics vary between one and 18 months,” he said.

Associate Professor Fuller said new models of care were needed to be able to meet the growing demand for paediatric services, as not all children needed to see a paediatrician.

He said multidisciplinary teams featuring allied health, nursing and medical care could be an effective way to treat children.

“Barwon Health North is one such model and offers a specialist child and family service focused on children under five years of age in the northern suburbs, with a focus on developmental and behavioural concerns and on early intervention,” he said.

“This service has a five-month waiting time for a first appointment.

“Barwon Health has also recently commenced three new general paediatric clinics that accept GP referrals for specialist paediatric assessment and care.”

Prof Fuller said there was a documented shortage of paediatricians across Australia and particularly in rural areas, which was consistent with all medical specialities.

“The shortage of other medical practitioners, particularly general practitioners, also increases demand for paediatrician care, resulting in longer waiting times for appointments,” he said.

A federal health department spokesman said in the greater Geelong area, data from the National Health Workforce Data Set indicated there were 11 paediatricians and child health specialists in 2014 and this increased to 22 in 2020.

The spokesman said while an increase in paediatricians and child health specialists was encouraging, the government was aware there was an uneven spread of the medical workforce in Australia, which included specialists.

“To address these challenges, the government is committed to implementing the National Medical Workforce Strategy 2021-2031, which will guide long-term collaborative medical workforce planning,” the spokesman said.

A state government spokeswoman said it was working to improve access to paediatric physicians in the Geelong area with the Victorian Basic Paediatrics Training Consortium.

It enables trainee paediatric physicians to do the majority of their training in rural and regional locations, promoting recruitment and retention in these areas.

Originally published as Geelong families facing ‘critical’ paediatrician shortage