Federal government approves Single Employer Model trial for Hunter New England local health district

The Single Employer Model employs junior doctors directly at local public hospitals, while also allowing them to practise as a private GP under supervision.

The federal government green lit the model on Wednesday, July 5, meaning the state can now access exemptions to the Health Insurance Act allowing public hospitals to bill the federal government for consultations by a GP working in a hospital.

It's a pathway for doctors wanting to become rural generalists and will give more people across regional NSW access to locally available services, according to the government.

Shadow regional health minister Bronnie Taylor and Northern Tablelands Nationals MP Adam Marshall have pushed to target the declining GP workforce by accelerating a roll out of the model, which began as a trial in the Central West's Murrumbidgee region.

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The model will be expanded to cover additional trial sites: the first beginning in the Far West, Illawarra Shoalhaven, Murrumbidgee, Southern and Western local health districts; and the second trial will cover Hunter New England, Mid North Coast, and Northern NSW.

Federal health minister Mark Butler said the government is committed to supporting further trials to ensure communities in need are reached.

"This innovative program will make training and working in rural general practice a more attractive option for young doctors and importantly it will make it easier for people in regional NSW to see a doctor close to home," he said.

NSW health minister Ryan Park said it was an opportunity to improve access to primary care and essential medical services.

"This announcement by minister Butler will ensure the creation of attractive and secure training opportunities to foster the next generation of rural generalist doctors in NSW," he said.

The NSW regional health division is consulting with local health districts on the next steps for this expansion, which will include a recruitment process for new trainees, he said.

The government has made another move to attract more doctors to train and practise in regional and rural Australia by announcing $114.2 million across four years on Tuesday, July 4, to deliver a permanent increase of 80 new medical Commonwealth-supported places for rural-trained medical students per year from 2024.

Up to $82 million will also be invested in rural medical school infrastructure, which the government hopes will increase the supply of rural-trained doctors entering the workforce.

Universities with existing medical schools or those who have partnered with an existing medical school are eligible to apply now.

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