coming under three of the Regional Health Boards.

There are 74 hospitals located in rural and remote South Australia: South Australia currently has 347 rural and remote general practitioners delivering services in a variety of settings from remote, isolated solo practices to large group practices. The solo practices are found mainly on the Eyre Peninsula, Upper Mid and Far North and Murray Mallee areas. Large group practices are found in the South East and Riverland Regions.

One of the aims of SARRMSA is to develop and maintain effective links with all key stakeholders such as Divisions of General Practice, government bodies and non government organisations, other health service providers and rural communities. As with all of its aims, it is not an isolated goal, but an integrated part of the work of SARRMSA as a whole.

SARRMSA sees its major stakeholders as being the rural GPs. Others are: Rural Divisions of General Practice, Rural Doctors Association of South Australia, State and Federal Governments, Regional Health Boards, Educational bodies (ACRRM, RACGP, Universities), AMA and Rural communities.

SARRMSAs overriding philosophy concerns the recruitment and retention of doctors in rural areas of South Australia, its main aim being to improve the viability, sustainability and equitable distribution of general practice in rural and remote communities of South Australia, leading to improved health outcomes of rural and remote South Australians. SARRMSAs Mission is to provide a focus for, strategic directions in and improved coordination of all matters of relevance to the rural medical workforce in South Australia with particular reference to:

• Recruitment of rural and remote medical practitioners;
• Retention of rural and remote medical practitioners, including the provision of professional and personal support for rural medical practitioners, their families and partners;
• An appropriately skilled rural medical workforce by ensuring vertical integration of education and training at all stages;
• Effective roles of advocacy, representation and support for rural medical
• practitioners; and Effective and efficient liaison, coordination, cooperation and close working relationships with all key stakeholders involved in rural medical workforce issues.

MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS

• SARRMSAs Locum Service had an 84% success rate in meeting locum requirements during the past year.
• It has recruited 42 Overseas Trained Doctors.
• Increased number of GPs in rural South Australia from 328 to 347.
• In collaboration with SADI conducted a survey of urban GPs which provided valuable information for future targeting of recruitment programs to urban GPs.
• Successful CME conferences in conjunction with ACRRM, Rural Doctors Association of South Australia, Rural Training Stream of the RACGP and rural Divisions.
• The support of Rural Club students which includes attachments with the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Seminars, Clinical Skills Workshops and country visits.
• Support for Year 12 students of rural origin applying for entry into medicine.
• Overwhelming acceptance by South Australian rural GPs

CHALLENGES FOR THE FUTURE

• To reduce the number of GP vacancies in rural South Australia.
• Attract more OTDs through its OTD Recruitment Strategy.
• Encourage new medical practitioners to consider rural medical careers through a New Doctor Program.
• Ensure that an adequate number of appropriately skilled GPs are available to support rural and remote South Australian communities.
• Successful implementation of an urban GP program to promote rural practice to urban GPs.
• To be more strategic and cost effective by expanding SARRMSAs networks and devolving some previously centralised retention functions to the local setting through capacity building in rural regions of South Australia.
• Support existing rural GPs through programs and personally.
• Ensure that its organisational aims and outcomes are being met and that we have made a difference.
• To raise the profile of SARRMSA as a one-stop shop for rural GPs with an appropriate marketing plan.
• Achieve excellence in Corporate Governance.