A new Rural Medical Workforce Centre is now open as part of the Rockliff Liberal Government’s plan to bolster rural and regional health services across the State.
Located at the Mersey Community Hospital, the workforce centre is a collaboration between the Tasmanian Liberal Government and University of Tasmania designed to support the training, recruitment and retention of doctors and health professionals in the north-west.
It is a key part of the Government’s long-term plan to expand the regional health workforce across Tasmania and improve access to health care in rural and regional areas.
Minister for Health, Guy Barnett, said the establishment of the centre was an important milestone in building the workforce pipeline necessary for rural and regional health services.
“We know that doctors and health professionals who have a positive training experience in rural regions are more likely to live and work in rural communities in the future,” Minister Barnett said.
“The Rural Medical Workforce Centre will continue to support our long-term workforce strategy by further enhancing the training opportunities that we can offer to medical graduates, trainee doctors, and health professionals.
“Supporting the recruitment of more rural doctors and health professionals is essential to ensuring all Tasmanians can access the health care system they deserve.”
As the State’s rural training hub, the workforce centre will coordinate attractive training posts for trainee rural doctors by giving them the opportunities to develop skills across a range of specialities including emergency medicine, rural general practice, anaesthetics, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology.
It will play a central role in driving Tasmania’s Rural Generalist Training Pathway and coordinating the nation-leading Single Employer Model pilot, which is aimed at supporting the recruitment and retention of the next generation of GPs.
The workforce centre will also support the training of the wider health workforce in Tasmania, including nursing and allied health staff.
The Rockliff Liberal Government has committed $4.3 million towards the establishment of the new Rural Medical Workforce Centre at the Mersey Community Hospital.
This includes $1 million for the recently completed capital works to establish the centre and upgrade the existing training facilities in collaboration with the University of Tasmania.
Upgrades to the existing facilities include a flexible training space, video conferencing facilities, an additional office in the library and additional workstations for students. The four-month construction project was delivered by Fairbrother Construction.
