Eighteen general practices receive funding for infrastructure upgrades

General practices across Tasmania are set to receive infrastructure upgrades through a unique, ‘nation-leading’, training model only found in this state. How clinics will use the money.

Glebe Hill Family Practice Director Alice Frampton, Federal Franklin Member Julie Collins and Tasmanian Health Minister Jacquie Petrusma. Picture: Simon McGuire.

Eight general practices around Tasmania will receive funding for infrastructure upgrades to train new doctors.

The $1.7m in grants are being handed out as part of the Single Employer Model (SEM) program.

The trial program is a partnership between the Tasmanian and federal governments that allows training doctors to be employed by the state while working at a general practice.

The program aims to allow trainees to work across both general practice and hospitals.

Glebe Hill Family Practice is one of the locations receiving a grant, with director Alice Frampton saying the money would be used to build “some new spaces to help with training, learning and collaboration.”

“This is going to help us free up consulting room spaces for GPs to see patients whilst creating new spaces to collaborate on QI projects and training and learning experiences.”

Dr Frampton said she believed SEM was reaping benefits.

“It’s going to help our practice to improve the experience for medical students who are becoming doctors, for doctors to become GP registrars, and for GP registrars to move on to becoming specialist general practitioners.”

Glebe Hill Family Practice Director Alice Frampton, Federal Franklin Member Julie Collins and Tasmanian Health Minister Jacquie Petrusma. Picture: Simon McGuire.

So far, 22 GP trainees have gone through the pilot SEM program.

Federal Franklin Member Julie Collins said the program was nation-leading.

“What it is doing is encouraging people who are doing medicine degrees at university to go into general practice,” Ms Collins said.

“We all know we need more general practitioners here in Tasmania and around the country.

“What the SEM is doing is showing a unique way of making it work to encourage more people into general practice.

“What it shows here, importantly, is you can have two governments of different persuasions working together in the best interests of Tasmanians to get more Tasmanians into general practice to help more Tasmanians with their help.”

Ms Collins said the SEM would be evaluated and potentially refined later.

“This is a very good model for Tasmania to pilot.

“We’re small enough; we’ve got enough GPs in the system who want to become specialist general practitioners, and we want to encourage that.”