Expanded medical practice to offer brand new array of services following rebrand

A popular, city-based medical practice is set to overhaul is set to expand as Townsville cries out for more GPs.

A CITY centre medical centre is expanding and undergoing a rebrand as demand for health services in the region increases.

Dr Michael Clements, who owns a number of practices across Townsville, has rebranded his former Townsville Central Medical Practice to Clements Medical and expanded the practice in the City Arcade.

A reshuffle of premises opened up the opportunity for the practice to expand, providing city residents and office workers an opportunity to see a GP in a convenient location.

The Clements Medical Group’s first centre opened in 2015 at Fairfield Central and has continued to grow.

As part of the expansion, Clements Medical will be moving into new fields.

“Clements Medical now offers employment medical services including Aviation Medicals and Coal Board Medicals as part of the expansion,” Dr Clements said.

The rebranding is set to rollout at the Clements Medical Group’s Fairfield and Magnetic Island locations in the coming months, with the prospect of more locations opening in Townsville and regional North Queensland in the coming months.

“It’s still us, the same doctors, locations and compassionate approach to medical care,” Dr Clement said.

“We focus on quality, evidence-based, team care using modern technology in a family medicine environment.”

Doctors slam government for ‘downright risky’ Pharmacist plan

A SENIOR Townsville general practitioner has labelled a proposal that will allow pharmacists to diagnose a range of chronic conditions as ‘downright risky’.

The criticism of the proposed Full Scope of Practice Pilot comes amid a broader struggle over GP staffing levels.

A trial of the pilot program, which allowed participating pharmacies to diagnose some urinary tract infections and prescribe treatment, began in mid-2020.

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Rural Chair and Townsville GP Dr Michael Clements said the pilot program would have harsh impacts on patient care if it becomes standard practice.

Dr Michael Clements. Picture: Supplied

“It’s inherently less sage and puts patients at greater risk of misadventure through incorrect diagnosis,” Dr Clements said.

“Pharmacists don’t use stethoscopes, blood tests or clinical examinations as part of their training.
“Basically, it’s telling North Queenslanders that they’re going to get a lower standard of care.”

A recent study commissioned by The Pharmacy Guild of Australia and conducted by independent research firm Insightfully said that nearly half of North Queenslanders with chronic diseases couldn’t access a GP.

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia, Queensland Branch Vice President, Amanda Seeto, said it has been evident for years that the program is needed.

“Nearly four in ten respondents agreed that they were waiting an unacceptable length of time just to secure a GP appointment.

“Alarmingly, more than a quarter of North Queenslander participants have had to visit an emergency department due to lack of GP access, this fact alone places enormous stress on our emergency departments and hospitals.”

\\Vice President of Pharmacy Guild of Australia, Queensland Branch, Amanda Seeto as MC at the International Women's Day breakfast at Victoria Park hosted by the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, Queensland Branch. Pics Tara Croser.

While Dr Clements acknowledged that remote and rural placement of GPs had been an issue, he said that using pharmacists as the solution was the government attempting to ‘look for the cheapest solution on the shelf’.

“There is a GP shortage, what we really need is a focus on providing Queenslanders the best care possible,” Dr Clements said.

“This is a proposal to move medical management and diagnosis into a retail and selling environment. They’re hoping to bring in more people to spend more money on products they don’t need.

“Their measure of success is based on customer satisfaction, that really shows they’re a retail agency looking for retail solutions.”

Dr Clements said the flow of information between GPs and hospitals was already stressed and introducing another figure into the mix would make things even harder to accurately treat.

“For some of our most chronic and complex patients to have another provider that can do something without any sort of interaction really cheapens healthcare.”

Originally published as Expanded medical practice to offer brand new array of services following rebrand