Gracemere, Mount Morgan GP clinics given bigger pool of choice for new doctors

Two small towns in Central Queensland will have a bigger pool of doctors to recruit from after their DPA classification was reviewed. Here’s what it means for you.

GP clinics in two Central Queensland areas will be able to welcome international doctors after their Distribution Priority Area status was reviewed.

Clinics in both Gracemere and Mount Morgan will now being able to recruit overseas trained doctors and bonded medical practitioners, with both areas now classified as DPA following a successful application to the Federal Government’s “exceptional circumstances review”.

The DPA classification identifies regions where people find it harder to see a doctor, based on the needs of the community.

The DPA indicator has been in place for three years, helping prioritise access to doctors for under-serviced rural areas.

Regional Health Minister Dr David Gillespie set up the review process to ensure an area’s DPA status was based on contemporaneous information, supported vulnerable patient cohorts and was responsive to significant workforce and population changes.

The exceptional circumstances review applications were considered by an independent working group, which made recommendations to Minister Gillespie.

As well as changes to the health workforce or services, the review considered demographics, and more up to date data which was not available at the time of the previous DPA update.

Flynn MP Ken O’Dowd said the change meant medical practices in the catchment had more opportunity to address local GP shortages.

“It’s going to be a weight off their shoulders and will help them expand their recruiting of doctors and allied health services,” he said.

“This change gives local GP practices a larger pool of doctors to recruit from, which should make it easier for clinics to secure more doctors for Gracemere and Mount Morgan.

“Although the classification is updated each year, several medical practices in this area indicated they had been hit by sudden and unexpected changes and unmet demand during the pandemic period and had found it especially difficult to recruit doctors to the area.”

Reasons include the retirement of GPs without replacement, changes in socio-economic circumstances of an area, increased GP waiting times, increased emergency department presentations for GP type treatments or a sharp increase in patient numbers.

Regional Health Minister Dr David Gillespie said Mount Morgan and Gracemere GP clinics would be able to recruit from a bigger pool of doctors under the DPA reclassification.

Capricornia MP Michelle Landry said outer Rockhampton patients would also benefit from the new DPA status.

“While the new DPA classification does not guarantee a doctor, it allows medical practices in the DPA catchments to recruit doctors subject to location restrictions, such as those who trained overseas or GPs with a bonded arrangement,” she said.

Students who have accepted a Commonwealth supported place in an Australian medical course in return for a commitment to work in a regional, rural or remote area at the end of their studies must also work in a DPA, under the Bonded Medical Program.

Dr Gillespie said many catchments had applied to be reviewed.

“We reviewed what was going on in the Gracemere and Mount Morgan district and the analysis showed there’s delayed access, it’s hard to get into a clinic or you have to go to the hospital for what should be a GP visit,” he said.

“We’ve declared it a distribution priority area so they can search in a bigger pool of doctors, namely the overseas trained doctors who are required to work under serviced areas between five and 10 years before they go anywhere else in Australia, and also bonded medical students.”