Red Cliffs’ medical centre wins RACGP Victorian GP practice of the year 2025 on strength of mums-and-bubs program and after-hours line
A post-partum clinic, a direct number for ED “frequent flyers” and remote monitoring put Sunraysia Medical Centre on top, named RACGP Victorian GP practice of the year 2025.
A mums and bubs clinic and a direct line for frequent ED patients are reshaping care at an award-winning GP clinic in Red Cliffs.
At Sunraysia Medical Centre, GP and supervisor Dr Mehdi Sanatipour said the team looked not only internally but at external health care gaps in the community.
“We started to run a postpartum clinic for the new mothers and the babies who don’t have a GP,” he said.
“Our experienced, usually female, doctors look after the mum, look after the baby, make sure that everything is in place, everything is addressed.”
Emergency department “frequent flyers” had been tackled head-on to ease pressure on the local ED.
Mildura Base Public Hospital’s emergency department sees more than 200 patients on a typical weekday, a heavy load for a single regional hospital.
Families also reported extreme waits, including a 14-hour delay for a six month old’s admission.
GP access is also tight. Federal modelling points to a national shortfall of about 5560 GPs by 2033, with regional areas hit hardest.
“We approached these patients and gave them an after-hours phone number … This way we could divert some demand from the emergency department to the service in the GP sector.”
For patients deep in the bush, the team brought the clinic to them using a mix of technology and the clinic’s dedicated nurses.
“We give them devices which are Wi-Fi enabled and connected to their mobile phone and nurses check the logs each morning. This way the patient doesn’t wait until they get to the stage where things are out of control.”
The hard work by Dr Sanatipour and his team was recently recognised by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) when they were announced as General Practice of the Year in Victoria for 2025.
“Sunraysia Medical Centre has impressive state-of-the-art facilities and a patient-centred and community-minded approach,” the RACGP said in a statement when the award was announced.
Partnerships underpinned the model, with links to Mildura Base Public Hospital, Murray PHN, Sunraysia Community Health, Hands Up Mallee and nursing homes.
The clinic began with one GP, one nurse and two receptionists. By 2025, it had four full-time GPs, two part-time GPs and three nurses.
“I used to work in Mildura in TriStar Medical Group for about 10–12 years … and there was only one retiring GP in Red Cliffs and there were no other medical services. So, we decided to come here and start the service,” Dr Sanatipour said.
As a training practice, Sunraysia Medical Centre also built the pipeline, giving new doctors their final training.
“We have been training the new doctors for the last six years and so far we have had six GPs who successfully completed their training and most of them are working locally here in Mildura.”
“It is not easy to attract, employ, and retain GPs, I think we have done a very good job by keeping this level of service in Red Cliffs,” Dr Sanatipour said.
For Dr Sanatipour, community was everything, and he was passionate about providing the best health care in Red Cliffs.
“My kids play on the same soccer team … I go to the same shopping centre. So, we are part of the community.”
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