The Karumba community has heard how the three month trial of a nurse practitioner in town will work at a public meeting on Friday morning.
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The trial is needed because the North West Hospital and Health Service cannot convince a doctor to live in the town full time.
A nurse practitioner can act similarly to a GP, prescribing, diagnosing and referring and one will be based for four days a week at the Karumba Health Clinic instead of having a visiting doctor from Normanton.
Carpentaria Mayor Jack Bawden had previously called the trial unacceptable especially during flu and tourist season however NWHHS Chief Executive, Lisa Davies Jones, who attended Friday's meeting with board member Dr Don Bowley, and Executive Director Medical and Clinical Services, Dr Karen Murphy, said they had addressed community concerns.
"We were able to assure them that this was only a trial and would be reviewed at the end of three months, in mid August, and during the trial we do want to hear from community members as to how they think it is working," Ms Davies Jones said.
"Further, we are now able to offer the community increased GP services, so although for the period of the trial, they will no longer get doctor visits from Normanton Hospital, they will receive an extra GP visit of two days per month, to alternate with the existing monthly GP visits via CheckUp."
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The extra GP visits would be for chronic disease patients, and Ms Davies Jones said this would enable people with complicated medical issues to have care plans under Medicare.
"We have a GP who is very experienced in rural and remote healthcare very keen to be the visiting GP for Karumba, via CheckUp services, and I am sure this will help keep the population healthier for longer," she said.
"In between the two days every two weeks GP visits, the Nurse Practitioner will continue to lead clinics.It's a unique model of care treating chronic diseases and I think it will work very well in Karumba."
The Chair of the Karumba Community Advisory Group, Kyra Hill, said the meeting helped people understand the benefits of getting a Nurse Practitioner for four days a week.
"In addition, we're getting extra GP services for two days a month, which will be a huge boost to the community, and the fact that we will get the same doctors flying in is fantastic, as people were definitely worried about continuity of care," Ms Hill said.
"People don't want to see a different doctor every time they turn up to the GP clinic; so, to know we're getting a dedicated GP service with a regular doctor is great. We will continue to receive Telehealth support, support from Normanton Hospital and great service from Queensland Ambulance Service."
NWHHS assured the meeting that during peak times, if there was a GP wait list, extra help in the form of medical locums would be brought into the town.
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Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
