A NSW Parliamentary Committee has tabled its report into Health outcomes and access to health and hospital services in rural, regional and remote NSW on 5 May 2022.

Overall, the Committee concluded that the services provided in rural, regional and remote locations do not always accord with community needs and there is a critical shortage of health professionals in rural areas.

Dianne Kitcher, CEO of COORDINARE – South Eastern NSW PHN, presented at one of the Parliamentary hearings with other representatives of the NSW Rural Primary Health Networks. Although the inquiry was ultimately into the state of NSW hospitals, COORDINARE and other stakeholders testified that general practitioners are a key workforce in rural locations as they provide both primary and secondary care. A declining number of GPs in these areas was a key contributor to the increasing pressure on hospital emergency departments.

The Committee also heard that the visiting medical officer model is no longer feasible due to the changing nature of health needs and the increased demands on doctors. The Committee heard evidence that the Murrumbidgee Rural Generalist Training Pathway where the LHD employs trainees for the duration of their rural generalist training and rotates them across hospital training positions and GP practices is a possible solution to attracting trainees to rural areas.

Establishing collaborative healthcare models with the Australian Government, such as the Rural Area Community Controlled Health Organisations (RACCHO) model, and increasing the use of nurse practitioners were also discussed at the inquiry.

Access for First Nations people to healthcare was a key issue at the inquiry, as was access to specialist services including oncology, allied health and palliative care.

The full report can be found here.

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