On-campus GPs ‘extremely positive’

Fifty state-run secondary schools in Queensland are now equipped with their own GP clinic to offer students easy access to primary healthcare services.
 
The ‘GPs in schools pilot’ aims to dismantle the barriers that adolescents and young people experience when accessing a GP, including cost, travel time and stigma.
 
The pilot program was initially set to include 20 schools; however, due to an ‘outpouring of interest’ it was expanded and an additional 30 schools were invited to participate. It forms part of the Queensland Government’s ‘Student Wellbeing Package’, which has secured more than $100 million in funding over three years.
 
Described by Queensland Education Minister Grace Grace as ‘nation-leading’, it is hoped the pilot will address the unique healthcare needs of secondary students, along with offering mental health support and referrals.
 
Participating schools are provided with a fit-for-purpose clinic that is operational one day per week and students can book an appointment without any out-of-pocket expenses.
 
Murgon State High School, located in a small rural township in the South Burnett region, has been participating in the pilot since January 2022.
 
In its first year, more than 300 appointments were booked to see the in-house GP Dr Emma Leu-Marshall, who has a special interest in adolescent health, and demand has been increasing.
 
‘The program feels like a place where you can really make a difference – even just by being a trusted adult to discuss things confidentially,’ she said.
 
‘I have always been interested in adolescent health, and helping to develop autonomy in young people as they discover who they are and transition into adulthood.
 
‘The guidance officer and student support staff have been keen advocates for the service, even attending appointments with students to help with the initial anxiety about meeting a new person.’
 
Meanwhile, a Department of Education spokesperson told newsGP the response at the school has been ‘extremely positive’.
 
‘Parents and carers consistently provide feedback that the service is addressing a gap, through improving access to healthcare,’ they said.
 
‘This is especially the case for students who may reside in more rural regions of the Murgon and Cherbourg area. This improved access to healthcare is reducing the stigma young people have in seeking support.
 
‘The prompt treatment of illness and injury and the early identification of wellbeing concerns, have supported student participation in education.
 
‘Students are reporting that they are growing more comfortable in seeking assistance from the GP and they appreciate being able to talk through their concerns with Dr Emma.’
 
Alongside general practice care, the Murgon State High School clinic also provides a culturally responsive service, with just over half of bookings from students who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
 
Students at other schools in the state have also welcomed access to an on-site primary healthcare service.
 
‘It is easily accessible and you are able to return to class quickly without losing time through transport, as it is on school grounds,’ a student from Harristown State High School said.
 
‘You are also able to chat privately and confidentially. The GP has supported me by listening and understanding. They have also given me referrals so that I can get the help I need.’
 
Other states are trialling similar initiatives.
 
Primary Health Networks in Victoria are taking part in a scheme where GPs are attending around 100 secondary schools once per week via the ‘doctors in secondary schools’ program, while in Tasmania an on-site clinic at Don College in the state’s north has been running since 2013 after it was founded by GP Dr Jane Cooper.
 
The school’s principle John Thompson previously told newsGP that many of the students who utilised the service did not have a regular doctor, and some had never even seen a GP before, highlighting the importance of breaking down barriers for young people who need to access medical care.
 
‘A key benefit of the program is the accessibility, with students being able to access timely healthcare,’ Dr Leu-Marshall said.
 
‘This provides for the prompt identification of concerns and reduces the escalation of issues.’
 
The Queensland pilot is funded to continue until at least mid-2014.
 
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