OPENING an after hours medical clinic in Armidale is among demands by the New England Division of General Practice (NEDGP) in a push for the state and federal government to fill healthcare gaps.
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No GP practices in Armidale offer the service as of several weeks ago, NEDGP secretary Michelle Guppy told the Leader.
"If someone needs assistance in Armidale after hours, they need to go to the hospital emergency department," she said.
"Unfortunately, that's their only option at the moment."
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The hospital is having issues staffing its emergency department, she claims, and said patients who need a GP after hours face long wait times, and problems are less easily solved by doctors without GP patient medical history.
It was announced this month the GP Access After Hours service in Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Maitland will continue for a further two years.
The clinic was closed at the Calvary Mater Hospital in Newcastle in December 2021 due to funding shortfalls.
The Hunter New England Central Coast Primary Health Network is re-establishing a GP, nurse and admin workforce to reopen the clinic by end of May.
Dr Guppy said that model provides a "fantastic" service for the community, and represents the kind of funding needed for a similar clinic.
Armidale is not listed as one of 14 NSW locations slated for a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic, while one is expected to open in Tamworth.
The NEDGP and members of the Armidale community began the push before the change of state government.
"We're hoping they'll get up to speed very quickly so that we can talk to them about the issues regionally that we want them to address," Dr Guppy said.
"Rural and regional workforce issues are really heading to a crisis point, and I think both the federal and the state governments need to work together to look for solutions."
Staffing is the "number one problem" in Armidale, and more GPs would need to be recruited for the after hours service.
The service was one point in six of a plan to turn the tables on healthcare in the town devised at a community forum, following the loss of 13 doctors.
The closure of the after hours service in Wee Waa is the latest in a list of reduced services across the New England. It will operate during business hours only from May 8 due to staff shortages.
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Eva Baxter
Eva is a Northern Daily Leader journalist based in Tamworth. She covers health, politics, energy, arts & entertainment, business, community, and a bit of everything else.
Eva is a Northern Daily Leader journalist based in Tamworth. She covers health, politics, energy, arts & entertainment, business, community, and a bit of everything else.
