NT Remote Health Rural Workforce Agency

Name: NT Remote Health Rural Workforce Agency Year Established: 1998 State: Northern Territory Physical Address: Unit 3/8 Gregory Terrace (entry via WorkZone) ALICE SPRINGS NT 0870 Australia Postal Address: PO Box 4829 ALICE SPRINGS NT 0871 Australia Phone: 08 8952 3881 Fax: 08 8952 7105 Website: http://www.ntrhwa.org.au Additional Addresses PHYSICAL Alice Springs 1st Floor, Centrepoint Building 54 Hartley Street Alice Springs NT 0871 Australia POSTAL Alice Springs PO Box 1195 Alice Springs NT 0871 Australia FAX Alice Springs 08 8952 3536

The Agency is one of seven Rural Workforce Agencies established in each state as part of a Commonwealth strategy, the General Practice Rural Practice Program. In the Northern Territory, all GPs working outside Darwin are in rural or remote localities, as defined by the Rural, Remote and Metropolitan Areas Classification.

The Northern Territory Remote Workforce Agency (NTRHWA) aims to prepare GPs so that they have realistic expectations of the practice environment, and to assist them to adapt accordingly. This is achieved by processes that orientates people to working effectively in a cross cultural and multi-disciplinary context, through mentoring arrangements, family support and in providing adequate training and locum support.

The NTRHWA multi-disciplinary and collaborative perspective is crucial to planning, policy development and program implementation. Its aims include:

• Building consensus and commitment amongst communities, funding bodies, service providers and support agencies.
• Assisting stakeholders to identify the funding contributions or actions each is willing to make to achieve the agreed priorities.
• Designing support and funding programs in response to these identified priorities.
• Working collaboratively to develop cross-sectorial and systemic responses in the area of policy and planning developments.

The Territory's population is concentrated in the urban areas, with 100 000 in the Darwin region, 25 000 in Alice Springs and 17 368 in other major centres. The NT has the youngest population in Australia, with a median age of 28.1 years, compared to the national media age of 34.6 years. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is 48 700, representing 28.5 per cent of the total population.

The NTRHWA Board is a collaborative arrangement of Member organisations. Members include: Central Australia and Barkly Aboriginal Health Workers Association, Territory Health Services, Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance of the Northern Territory, Central Australian Division of General Practice, Consumer Health Forum, Top End Division of General Practice, Council for Remote Area Nurses of Australia, Department of Health and Aged Care.

The NTRHWA liaisons with stakeholder groups such as Royal Australian College of General Practice, Medical Departments of Universities and the Centre for Remote Health routinely.

PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS

CURRENT PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS

The NTRHWA's performance outcomes are:
to improve access to GP services in rural and remote communities,
to improve stability and sustainability of GP services to rural and remotecommunities,
to improve levels of GP skills to meet the needs of rural and remote communities,
to improve GP satisfaction with rural and remote practice, and
to improve community satisfaction with GP services in rural and remote areas.

The Northern Territory RHWA also targets improved data collection and collaboration in regional planning.

The NTRHWA continues to implement its current range of programs and activities, including the following:

• In recruitment, the Agency provides a brokerage service between health services and GPs, assisting health services to identify and match the needs and expectations of GPs and locums.
• Administering a grants program that provides financial support through Remote Area Grants, Relocation and Training Grants, contract locums and/or locum
• subsidies and Continuing Medical Education (CME) Grants.
• A comprehensive framework of support for GPs and their families. This covers every stage of a doctor's employment from recruitment through pre-arrival, orientation, service and exit. This framework has identified the support needs of GPs according to specific categories. For example there are specific personal and family support services, training to orientate doctors to Primary Health Care in the remote setting, Cultural Safety and Clinical Skills.

Remote and Rural Locum Program

The aim of the Locum Program is to support rural/remote GPs working in the Northern Territory by assisting and subsidising the services of suitably trained locums for the purpose of approved leave. A package has been produced for GPs and employers covering all aspects of employing a locum. A locum database is maintained and communication links established with selected locum agencies based interstate.

The NTRHWA has a commitment that no GP will be disadvantaged through distance from a major centre. NTRWHA covers all transport and transit accommodation costs for locums.

Continuing Medical Education

The Agency has contracted both the Top End and Central Australian Divisions of General Practice to deliver Continuing Medical Education (CME). The Agency has representation on both CME planning committees ensuring appropriateness of CME content and equity of access to remote GPs. Scholarships have been made available to support GP attendance at CME events outside the NT.

Undergraduate Placement

The Agency is active in providing opportunities for undergraduates to experience remote practice in the NT. In Central Australia the Agency placed more than 60 undergraduates through 1998/99 and plans are in place to broaden the student placement program to include the full multidisciplinary team.

MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS

The Northern Teritory Remote Health Workforce Agency (NTRHWA) began operations in July 1998 and has established for itself a key place amongst the plethora of health agencies in the Territory.

The NTRHWA has assisted in the recruitment of GPs (to a level of 100%) to all current salaried and remote GP positions in remote NT. The organisation has also created four new resident GP services in remote Territory.

The NTRHWA has undertaken a number of key projects and developed a range of policy and information papers, these include:

• NT Model of Sustainable General Practice in Primary Health Care Teams
• Territory wide Workforce survey
• Essential Standard Equipment for Remote Clinics - list and procurement manual
• Community Board Resource Manual
• Benchmark GP contract and Position Description
• Development of Grants Program
• Review of Remote Area Grants
• Locum Guidelines review and redevelopment
• Community satisfaction with GP services review
• Overseas Trained Doctor scheme
• Equipment Grant program
• Participation in creating ARWAG
• Medical Student Accommodation Project - seven communities
• Mentoring Program
• Multi-disciplinary team Resource Manual
• Remote Health Service Administration Manual
• Establishment of Rural Medical Family Network secretariat
• Increased numbers through RUSC program

CHALLENGES FOR THE FUTURE

• Strategic planning for 2001 - 2005
• Improved flexibility for registrar training
• Protocol development with Territory Health Service for support to GPs
• Strategic discussions with Divisions of GPs
• Establishing a transparent method of measuring "need" to inform future grants review processes

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