Name Hastings Macleay Division of General Practice Division Number 223 Classification Rural Number of Member GPs 106 State New South Wales Year Established 1994 Number of Member Practices 38 Postcodes Covered 2431, 2439, 2440, 2441, 2443, 2444, 2445, 2446, 2898. Population 94,850 (2001 Census) Area Covered The Division covers 7 060.9 square kilometres, including the towns of Port Macquarie, Wauchope, Laurieton, North Haven, Lake Cathie, Kempsey, Crescent Head, Hat Head, South West Rocks, Bellbrook, Willawarrin and Lord Howe Island. CEO Mr Paul Ward Chair Dr David Gregory Physical Address: 53 Lord St PORT MACQUARIE NSW 2444 Australia Postal Address: PO Box 5116 PORT MACQUARIE NSW 2444 Australia Email: gpdiv@hmdgp.org.au Phone: 02 6583 3600 Fax: 02 6583 8600 Website: http://www.hmdgp.org.au

Efforts to establish a local Division of General Practice commenced in May 1993 with the Division being registered as a public company limited by guarantee in February 1994 and achieving Income Tax Exempt Charity and Deductible Gift Recipient status in 2003.  The Division is governed by a Board of eight GP Directors elected at the Annual General Meeting. The Board of Directors sets the Strategic Direction of the Division and allows the Division staff and Committees under the direction of the Chief Executive Officer to implement the Annual Plan.

92% of GPs in this area are members of the Division (109 out of 118). Of these full and part-time GPs about 75% are based in the Hastings and 25% in the Macleay.

All GPs who practice within the boundaries of our Division are eligible for membership. Membership to GPs is free.

The Hastings Macleay Division of General Practice covers the Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Hastings and Kempsey, extending from South West Rocks in the north to Laurieton in the south.  Lord Howe Island is also included in the Division area.  The total area covered by the Division is 7,060 square kilometres. The area has a total population of 88,933.

The following post codes are allocated to HMDGP: 2444, 2443, 2446, 2440, 2431, 2898, 2441 (shared with MNCDGP).

The Hastings LGA covers an area of 3,684 square kilometres with a Census 2000 population of 60,488 of which 2.0% are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.  The Hastings LGA stretches from Point Plomer in the north to Diamond Head in the south and west to the Great Dividing Range.  Port Macquarie (pop. 37,982) is the largest coastal town and is a major tourist destination.  Wauchope (pop. 9,500 - includes outlying areas) is the major inland centre for the LGA.  On the southern coast lies the Camden Haven area (pop. 9,406) that includes Dunbogan, Laurieton, North Haven and West Haven. Lake Cathie (pop. 3,600) lies 12 Klms south of Port Macquarie.

The Kempsey LGA, often referred to as the Macleay after the it's major river, covers an area of 3,377 square kilometres with a June 1998 population of 28,090, of which 8.5% are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.  The Kempsey LGA extends from Point Plomer in the south to Scott's Head in the north and west to the Great Dividing Range.  Kempsey is the largest town (pop. 20,400 - includes rural) and is the major centre for the area.  South West Rocks (pop. 6,500) and Crescent Head (pop. 1,190) are coastal towns and popular tourist destinations.

This region has a number of unique characteristics that include:

• High percentage people >65 years -Kempsey 16.7%, Camden Haven 37%, Port Macquarie 23%, Wauchope 15.7%
• Increasing numbers of indigenous people - Kempsey 8.5% and Hastings 2.0%
• High percentage of people on low incomes
• High population growth in the Hastings
• High unemployment rates - Kempsey 16.5%, Port Macquarie 10.2%, Camden Haven 15.2% and Wauchope 11.4%
• Very high percentage of children and young people under 15 years

The towns of Wauchope and Kempsey are rural in nature with economies largely dependent on primary industry (agriculture and forestry).  Port Macquarie and the other coastal towns have significant tourism industries and are also influenced by the large number of people who move to the area to retire.  Other issues for the area are the decline in rural industries and the very limited public transport services available.

The Hastings-Macleay shares common boundaries with the NSW Police local area command, Department of Education and Training, the RTA as well as sector boundaries within the Mid North Coast Area Health Service.

Both LGAs rate well below the NSW average, often at or below the 25 percentile, on each of the five socio-economic indicators developed by the ABS.

Division Overview:
The Hastings Macleay Division of General Practice aims to improve the health of our community by empowering general practice. The Division's core business is to optimise the capacity of general practice to improve the health of the community by providing a range of effective and relevant services and by working with key stakeholders.

The Division has identified the following Program Areas as its priorities for the 2004-2007 triennium:

• Program Area 1: Governance and Management
• Program Area 2: Practice Enhancement Program
• Program Area 3: Population Health
• Program Area 4: More Allied Health Services

Our Agreement and Annual Plans address four of the five National Health Priority Areas: Mental Health, Diabetes, Asthma, and Cervical Screening.

Our plans also have a mix of programs that address local needs (GP and Community).