The number of doctors undertaking GP training in regional South Australia is at a three-year high and will be supported by the major expansion of a new employment model, thanks to the Albanese and Malinauskas Governments.

A total of 196 second-, third- and fourth-year registrars are undertaking their general practice and rural generalist training with SA Health and private employers in regional SA this year. This compares with 123 in 2023.

This is in addition to 41 regional interns (first-year trainees) employed by Local Health Networks (LHNs) this year as part of a record statewide intake, including, for the first time, the Yorke and Northern Local Health Network. This is a 242 per cent increase since 2020, when there were just 12 regional interns between only two LHNs.

Regional GPs and generalists play a vital role in the regional health system, providing not only primary care but aged care, emergency care and acute care in rural hospitals.

To attract and support trainee GPs, this year the Albanese and Malinauskas Governments are supporting them further by expanding the Single Employer Model (SEM), which provides certainty around where they work, their income and employment conditions like work hours, on-call obligations and leave entitlements. It also provides patients with more consistent access to primary care.

A trial of SEM run by the Riverland Academy of Clinical Excellence in the Riverland Mallee Coorong Local Health Network (RMCLHN) has operated since 2023, with up to 20 generalist trainees at a time. It has received positive feedback from general practices and trainee GPs.

A new four-year trial of SEM is underway at all regional Local Health Networks and will be able to support up to 60 GP and rural generalist trainees.

So far, 57 GP practices have been approved to take part in the new SEM trial across the five regional LHNs, with 11 trainee doctors having joined the trial this year and another two due to join by the end of August.

It is hoped the expansion to other areas in the state will result in more trainees remaining in regional areas, leading to better medical support for those communities.

Doctors completing their GP training usually must change private employers for each required training placement, which affects their leave entitlements and other conditions.

The SEM allows them to be employed by SA Health for up to four years as they finish their rural generalist and general practice training, moving between private and public placements as needed.

It’s made possible by exemptions issued by the Federal Government that allow SEM trainees to bill primary care services as an employee of SA Health. Regional GP practices take part by signing agreements with their LHN.

The model is an attractive option for GP trainees and rural generalist trainees who want the option of stable employment and the chance to build connections and lay down their roots in a regional community.

Applications are now open for next year’s intake of SEM trial participants.

Quotes

Attributable to Chris Picton

The Single Employer Model will help to address one of the biggest health workforce issues in regional and remote areas – recruiting and retaining doctors.

We have seen how successful the Single Employer Model has been in the Riverland for the past two years, increasing the medical workforce by more than 25 per cent in the region.

Bringing in more doctors to regional South Australia continues our recruiting drive to boost the state’s health system, where we have hired nearly 2,800 extra health workers since 2022.

Attributable to Mark Butler

We want to attract more doctors to regional South Australia and this innovative approach will help to retain the doctors we need to continue to provide essential primary healthcare services to South Australians.

We look forward to working collaboratively with the Malinauskas Government to make training and working in rural general practice a more attractive option for young doctors.

Importantly, it will make it easier for people in regional South Australia to see a doctor close to home.

Attributable to Dr Mike Beckoff, Rural Generalist Program Lead

Following the successful SEM trial in the RMCLHN – where the medical workforce has increased by some 25 per cent and rural generalist registrars have indicated they appreciate receiving quality medical training in their own LHN – they have also indicated their willingness to remain and provide sustainability to the local workforce and, more importantly, contribute to the health of their rural communities.

Further SEM trials now underway in the other five rural LHNs, with governance sitting under the RGPSA Steering Committee, pave the way for a significant increase in rural generalist training in SA, thereby enabling our rural and remote communities in SA to have access to more rural generalists.

Significantly, the Australian Medical College has recommended to the Medical Board of Australia that rural generalism be recognised as a speciality in its own right within the speciality of general practice.

Attributable to Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine President Dr Rod Martin

The extension of the Riverland Single Employer Model is a positive step towards addressing the workforce challenges facing rural and remote communities in South Australia.

By allowing registrars to remain within the SA Health system throughout their training, they have the opportunity to not only gain valuable experience but also establish long-term connections with the communities they serve.

This model is a win-win for registrars and rural and remote communities, ultimately ensuring a more sustainable, committed rural healthcare workforce.