This is Care Opinion [siteRegion]. Did you want Care Opinion [usersRegionBasedOnIP]?
Care Opinion

A shortage of doctors

Posted By Aussie pensioner

"A shortage of doctors"

About: Exmouth Health Service

(as a volunteer/advocate),

Not sure if the doctor shortage at Exmouth is temporary or not but it is certainly affecting locals like me when I try to make an appointment and get told that I need to wait a month or to be prepared to wait in Triage. Exmouth has regular seasons of extreme numbers of visitors [over 20,000 at times I believe] and many delays going to their own local doctors where they have to pay for consultations in preference to free consults at Exmouth - which of course compounds the situation. I believe this situation will get much worse when COVID hits Exmouth - not only a shortage of doctors but no doubt a shortage of oxygen and respirators if multiple people are infected. In my opinion, even transferring COVID patients to Perth could be an issue if the airlines refuse to accept COVID patients on public flights and the RFDS would also be hard pressed to cope especially if more than one town is hit with COVID, so in my belief, it would lead to people dying for the lack of facilities. A scenario that I am sure would tarnish the fantastic efforts of the WA government.

More about:
Do you have a similar story to tell? Tell your story & make a difference ››

Responses

Response from Grant Patrick, Operations Manager, Carnarvon, WA Country Health Service 2 years ago
We are preparing to make a change
Grant Patrick
Operations Manager, Carnarvon,
WA Country Health Service

Submitted on 24/01/2022 at 11:10 AM
Published on Care Opinion at 12:20 PM

picture of Grant Patrick

Dear Aussie pensioner,

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with Care Opinion.

I sincerely apologise for the wait times you experienced when trying to make a GP appointment at Exmouth. I understand the importance of accessing appropriate and timely care and the lack of alternative options often available to residents of country WA.

Across the state the priorities of all hospitals is ensuring that Emergency Departments are staffed to ensure that emergency care is available to critically sick and injured patients. If a staff member is unavailable to fill a shift in an ED, we use our network of employees to endeavour to cover this critical need as a priority and at times that means asking staff to work in alternate locations for short periods of time. I acknowledge that this puts pressure on the everyday services of the site the staff member came from, however it does ensure the members of our broader regional WA community requiring emergency care can access that care.

I am pleased to advise that we are in the process of recruiting an additional doctor to Exmouth Health Service. Whilst we have regularly increased our staffing on a fixed-term basis to accommodate seasonal increases in demand, appointing another doctor on a permanent basis will help us to better meet the needs of the Exmouth community. We are also working to improve our access to telehealth services, particularly for patients who need to see a doctor sooner than the next available appointment, however who do not require emergency care.

Thank you for sharing your story on Care Opinion. I would like to assure you that WA Country Health Services (WACHS) is genuinely committed to listening and learning from the experiences of our patients and their families and carers and is very grateful to receive your feedback.

Best regards

Grant Patrick

Operations Manager Gascoyne

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful
Opinions
Next Response j
Previous Response k