Central Australian Remote Health
Location:
3 Stuart Terrace Alice Springs
Category:
PGPPP, GPR
Description:
Currently Remote Health employs a team of Rural Medical Practitioners (RMP), who visit remote communities in Central Australia regularly. This work is mainly routine General Practice, with the majority of patients being Aboriginal. Much of the General Practice work is chronic disease management, and primary and preventative health care orientated. Diabetes, hypertension, renal disease, obesity and heart disease are the main chronic diseases. Depending on the size of the community, visits may be 1-4 days in length and ideally occur every 3-6 weeks.
The remote community clinics are managed by a Remote Area nurse, or Senior Aboriginal Health Worker. Each clinic is equipped with standard emergency equipment (including heart monitoring, defibrillator equipment, and “Zoll” monitor), as well as a standard imprest stocked pharmacy, of all medications mentioned in the CARPA and Women’s Business Manuals. The communities in Central Australia vary in size from 40-800 people. A program participant could attend any of these clinics. They would most likely have 2-3 core communities to ‘look after’ as a patch. Patch sizes are usually limited to approximately 600-700 people. Each clinic has phone/fax facilities and the majority also has satellite broadband internet services
Supervision would be by phone contact with any of the nominated supervisors, when a program participant is undertaking a clinic in the communities. Also when a program participant is performing on-call duties, there would always be another Senior RMP on phone backup, or present in the office at the same time. The team arrangements also include regular fortnightly team meetings. Educational sessions are normally fortnightly for all RMPs. There is time in the week for case-discussions or scenario discussions face-to-face with a supervisor when-in-town.
In addition to the bush work CARH also managed the Air-Medical Service for Central Australia. This is by means of phone contact with the communities and supplemented by fax and e-mail when required. The AMS manages medical problems, liaises with appropriate services and facilities both in-town and out-bush, and arranges evacuation by road or air. Proportionally, approx 20% of all consults are evacuated.
The roster covers on-call services as a priority, meaning that a RMP is usually in town for a run of 3-4 days or nights for this purpose. On average the aim is for each RMP to be rostered on-call days or nights for one weekend in four (with days off in lieu afterwards) and one week in four. This ideally leaves them able to go out-bush for clinic visits for three (3) out of (4) weeks a month.
There is an intense orientation process that each program participant must go through.
Hours:
8.00am – 4.30pm Monday to Friday
4.30pm - 8.00am On call
Staff:
Remote Area Nurse
Senior Aboriginal Health Worker
General Practitioners x 5
Visiting DMO service
