Victoria's single employer model trial welcomed

The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) has welcomed the Victorian Government’s commitment to trial a single employer model (SEM) for rural generalist (RG) registrars.

The trial will allow RG registrars to be employed by a single health service while undertaking their primary care placements at Bairnsdale Regional Health Service, Grampians Health and Mildura Base Public Hospital.

SEMs are operating in South Australia, Tasmania, New South Wales and Queensland, and are a key strategy towards building a strong RG workforce, said ACRRM President Dr Dan Halliday.

“The model is attractive to junior doctors considering a career in rural generalism,” Halliday said.

SEMs offer greater flexibility with employment options, enabling registrars to gain the high-quality skills they need across primary care, hospital and other healthcare settings, Halliday said.

In its position statement on the role of SEMs in remote and rural health services, ACCRM said, “There is comprehensive evidence that rural and remote communities experience inequitable access to all medical care and especially to consultant specialist care and this access inequity is coinciding with people in these communities recording significantly worse health outcomes than their urban counterparts,”¹ said ACCRM in the position statement.

“The per capita number of non-GP medical specialist services received by people in outer regional areas was 25% lower than in major cities, and 59% lower for people in remote and very remote areas, and lower by 9% and 36% respectively for GP services.

“Similarly, per capita MBS funding for non-GP services declined by 16% for people in outer regional areas and 59% for people in remote and very remote areas compared to that spent on people in major cities, and by 8% and 28% respectively for GP services.”²

“SEMs help build connections between local health services and, most importantly, support better integrated patient care, which benefits RGs and the communities where they live and work,” Halliday said.

“Where there is strong cooperation between participating RGs, practices and health services, it streamlines training, smoothing the way for registrars to focus on skills development rather than administrative burden.

“The SEM also offers certainty of income and working conditions with registrars on the trial retaining their employment benefits such as leave, as they move through their placements,” Halliday said.

<sup>1. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) (2019). Rural and remote health. Cat. no. PHE 255. Canberra, https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports.
2. AIHW. (2021). Medicare-subsidised GP, allied health and specialist health care across local areas: 2019–20 to 2020–21. Retrieved from https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/primary-health-care/medicare-subsidised-healthlocal- areas-2020-21.</sup>

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