Rural clinic celebrates quarter century of community service

Last Saturday was a night of celebration in Collie, a small Western Australian town 159 km south-east of Perth.
 
Not only was Collie River Valley Medical Practice (CRVMP) showing off recently completed renovations, it was also commemorating 25 years of serving the local community.
 
The eight-doctor clinic, which was named RACGP General Practice of the Year in 2015, has doubled in size since opening its doors in 1998 and with almost 10,000 patients now on its books, represents the healthcare hub for the Shire of Collie and surrounding towns like Darkan and Mornington.
 
Not only do the doctors run the general practice, they also staff the local hospital, where they provide everything from emergency medicine to maternity care and surgical services.
 
Dr Shankar Paramaswaran, a GP and practice partner who has worked at CRVMP since 2015, told newsGP much has changed at the practice during his time there, but the ‘strong connection’ to the community has endured.
 
‘You feel what you do truly matters to people in the town,’ he said.
 
‘We are involved in births, deaths, emergencies and other crises … and feel the gratitude of the people of Collie for our services.
 
‘This connection is unique to rural community and is part of the attraction of rural general practice.’
 
The tight bonds also extend to the eight doctors, five nurses, seven receptionists and two practice managers working at CRVMP, who feel like ‘close family’ to Dr Paramaswaran.
 
‘The people that are part of our team become very important in our daily lives,’ he said.
 
‘We help each other and get through the challenging times by leaning on each other … I guess this is why so many of the doctors that we have trained have stayed.
 
‘It is a very fulfilling work life.’
 
However, despite the ‘many benefits’ of being a rural GP, it also comes with challenges.
 
‘Our number one problem is recruitment. This is not just of doctors but also nursing staff – even our practice manager was a challenge to recruit,’ Dr Paramaswaran said.
 
‘The doctor problem is massive. We’re struggling to attract GP registrars, which has been an important part of our recruitment process, and are needing to utilise recruitment agencies at significant expense. Even then, recruitment is not easy.
 
‘The other issue is managing the financial pressures of running a high-quality practice in an environment where Medicare rebates are not able to cover expenses, while understanding certain members of our community cannot afford private billing rates.
 
‘It’s taking a lot of effort to manage expenses to allow us to stay viable. It has become really difficult to run a rural GP practice.’
 
Despite the obstacles, CRVMP is intent on continuing its growth and development. The new renovations have not only added a new space dedicated to group meetings and education, but also a number of consulting rooms to accommodate what they hope will eventually become a 12-doctor practice.
 
It will also allow the practice to continue training the next generation of GPs, with teaching set to remain a strong focus despite recruitment issues.
 
According to Dr Paramaswaran, the changes have set CRVMP up to handle the changing face of general practice.
 
‘The new renovation has reflected the increase in general practice compliance with greater administration areas and the shift in doctors working less sessional times which has resulted in more doctors needed,’ he said.
 
‘We offer many services now that were not available when the practice first opened, such as skin cancer treatment and occupational health. The other thing that has changed over the years is how the practice integrates the various parts of the practice to work as a collective team.
 
‘There are many benefits of being a rural GP. Having a strong, vibrant and modern practice to work in is an important part of that … [and] our latest renovation has lifted our business to a new level.’
 
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Collie River Valley Medical Practice RACGP Awards rural