ACCHO-led GP training trial launches in rural QLD

Marking a first-of-its-kind milestone for Australian healthcare and GP training, a new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led Single Employer Model (SEM) trial has launched in rural Queensland.
 
Based in Charleville, a town of around 3000 people sitting 700 kilometres west of Brisbane, the $2.4 million trial will be led by an Aboriginal community controlled health organisation (ACCHO).  
 
Launching in February, it will see up to six GP and Rural Generalist (RG) registrars complete their training in the Charleville region.
 
This includes training with Charleville and Western Areas Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health (CWAATSICH), the South West Hospital and Health Service and the local GP clinic, Acacia Community Practice – delivered in partnership with the Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC).
 
Under the SEM, the registrars are guaranteed income and entitlements, including annual leave, parental leave, and sick leave, in line with those completing hospital-based training.  
 
RACGP Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Chair Dr Karen Nicholls said an employment model that ‘works for the community that the doctors will be serving’ is a positive step forward.
 
‘This is a fantastic opportunity for GPs in training to be able to experience the ACCHO model, while still being able to retain some of their employment benefits,’ she told newsGP.
 
‘The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health approach is holistic – the way in which community controlled organisations are set up, they are a one-stop shop, they will engage and have access to services, and there’s a lot done in-house to support the health and wellbeing of the patient.
 
‘It is challenging work, but it is very rewarding, and the doctors I know who work in community controlled organisations have a real commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health equity.’
 
CWAATSICH Chief Executive Sheryl Lawton said the trial enables registrars to build on existing pathways of collaboration and understanding of healthcare in rural remote regions within a culturally safe environment’.
 
‘We have a history of building long-term relationships and connections with our doctors who have worked with us over the years, and we hope this innovative approach will attract the next generation of doctors for our region and the ACCHO sector,’ she said.
 
‘With supporting GP registrars under the SEM trial, we have an opportunity to ensure they are given that opportunity to work and learn from our community.’
 
SEMs are gaining momentum across Australia, with several states rolling out the initiative in recent years.
 
Last year, the Queensland Government announced it will be trialling a separate SEM with hopes the program will encourage trainees to build connections with the local community and consider a future in rural or regional medicine.
 
Dr Nicholls said the program also allows GPs to work to their full scope of practice, something that is ‘particularly satisfying’ in rural and remote settings.
 
‘Being able to tailor care to a patient, and their family, and where they are within the community is important for achieving the outcomes that the patients want and that the doctor is able to best support,’ she said.
 
‘That’s one thing that GPs do really well because we know our patients so well.
 
‘It should be encouraged that as many GPs and registrars experience the service that you can provide in rural settings.’
 
RACGP Rural Chair Associate Professor Michael Clements said he would now like to see the model expanded into more communities moving forward.
 
‘It should be something that’s available to people nationally, because it recognises that trainees actually do benefit from being exposed to multiple environments,’ he told newsGP.
 
‘Rural GPs in particular need to accumulate skills in the hospital environment, in the community general practice environment, and now they’ve got the benefit of working with a First Nations focused model of care as well.
 
‘To work across three different areas is wonderful for the community, but it does need something like an employment model that’s more suited, and this is achieving that, which is fantastic.’
 
The outcomes of the trial will be evaluated to inform any broader application of the SEM across the ACCHO sector.
 
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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation ACCHO Queensland Single Employer Model