Nurse Unit Manager Kirsty Mitchell, HMO from Warrnambool Dr Jordan Pullman and Camperdown Clinic’s Dr Ash Singh
South West Healthcare has recently introduced a new Hospital Medical Officer (HMO) model at the Camperdown Hospital, which has boosted medical support for local GPs and relieved the pressure to fill on-call shifts or place the service on bypass.
Camperdown is currently home to five senior GPs who run clinics in the town as well as providing around-the-clock support to patients at the hospital. With the number of local GPs dwindling over the years and retirement looming for others, the workload for those who remain has become difficult to manage.
“The new Hospital Medical Officer model has allowed tremendous stability for our local GPs and has already reduced pressures and allowed us to continue to service our community at our practices. It’s also been an excellent opportunity for junior doctors to come experience the community and showcase the benefits of a rural hospital setting.” says Dr Ash Singh.
As part of this innovative new model, South West Healthcare has been rotating Hospital Medical Officers from Warrnambool to the Camperdown Hospital, providing medical staff coverage throughout the week. This medical workforce model will provide invaluable rural generalist training to junior medical staff and assist local GPs to achieve better work-life balance. The additional medical workforce can also facilitate an increased number of surgeries, deliveries and inpatients who are managed at Camperdown hospital.
“The new doctors rotating through the Camperdown Hospital have been a very welcome addition to our team. They’ve been able to support us by being a presence at the Camperdown Hospital and helping the GPs continue their work in the GP clinics,” says Nurse Unit Manager Kirsty Mitchell.
“We’re able to support the rotation doctors to learn about the challenges of being a doctor in a rural health service, and we look forward to this program continuing to strengthen the services offered at Camperdown Hospital in the future.”
“There’s strong evidence that junior doctors who train in rural and remote regions are more likely to settle and work in these areas. The ability to train in additional skills like obstetrics, anaesthetics or mental health services provides a comprehensive experience for any junior medical doctor rotating through Camperdown Hospital as a rural generalist,” says South West Healthcare Director Medical Services, Associate Professor Didir Imran.
“With this new model we will be taking a team approach to care – patient notes will be shared during handover to make sure that we can provide best care and continuity of care. Regular Camperdown GPs will still be an important part of the mix and will be leading the teams. However, instead of getting just one perspective on a complicated case, patients will now benefit from a team of treating physicians who can draw on their various experience and specialties to work together in the best interests of the patient.”
“As our second largest campus, it’s incredibly important to us that we maintain sustainable, high-quality, safe care, close to home in Camperdown. This has seen us finding innovative ways to support our local GP’s and the community by making the most of our resources whilst training the next generation of doctors and staff. We’re very proud of the entire team at Camperdown who strive to provide great care and experiences for patients, and we look forward to the ongoing development of the new Hospital Medical Model into the future,” says South West Healthcare, Chief Executive Officer, Craig Fraser.