New specialist GPs strengthen NT health workforce

Twenty-three doctors have achieved Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) in the Northern Territory since last year, boosting the Territory's specialist GP workforce and helping improve access to care for communities across the NT. 

The new Fellows were recognised at the prestigious annual RACGP NT Fellowship and Awards Ceremony at Parliament House on Friday evening. 

RACGP President Dr Michael Wright said the growing number of specialist GPs choosing to train and remain in the Northern Territory was encouraging for both the Territory and Australia's broader healthcare system. 

"General practice is the foundation of Australia's health system, and ensuring communities can access specialist GP care no matter where they live is essential," Dr Wright said. 

"The Northern Territory offers some of the most rewarding and diverse training experiences in the country. Doctors who train here gain invaluable experience caring for patients across rural, remote and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. 

"It's fantastic to see so many doctors achieving Fellowship and choosing to continue serving Territory communities. Every new Fellow strengthens access to quality healthcare and helps build a more sustainable GP workforce for the future. 

"The RACGP is committed to supporting doctors throughout their training journey and ensuring communities across the NT have access to the specialist general practice care they need." 

RACGP NT Chair Dr Sam Heard AM said each new Fellow represented a valuable addition to the Territory's health workforce. 

"Every doctor who chooses to train, work and build a career in the Northern Territory strengthens our health system and improves access to care for communities across the Territory," Dr Heard said. 

"It is great to see more young doctors interested in training and building their careers in the NT, and brilliant to see this next generation of talented and committed specialist GPs coming through. We are so proud of them all and congratulate each and every one of them on achieving RACGP Fellowship. 

"We are seeing impressive retention rates among GPs who have embraced the unique opportunities of training in our rural and remote communities and decided to stay. It is a terrific reflection on the hard work being done to strengthen the GP workforce in the Territory." 

Doctors training towards RACGP Fellowship undertake placements across the NT, including in the remote MMM6 and very remote MMM7 communities, the most remote under the Federal Government classification system. 

These placements expose registrars to a wide range of clinical experiences, broader scopes of practice and the unique opportunities that come with living and working in regional and remote communities. Registrars also play a vital role in supporting local health services while completing their training. 

The RACGP continues to work closely with training practices, supervisors and communities to attract doctors to the Territory and support them to remain in the NT after achieving Fellowship.

The ceremony also recognised the important contribution of GP supervisors and medical educators who support the next generation of specialist GPs. 

Dr Heard said Rural Generalists were increasingly important to healthcare delivery across the Territory. 

"Services in regional hospitals in the Territory are increasingly delivered by Rural Generalists," he said. 

"It is great to see interest in this pathway building and ensuring Territorians can access great medical care as a result." 

Rural Generalists build on their general practice expertise with additional advanced skills in areas such as emergency medicine, obstetrics and anaesthetics, helping address healthcare needs in communities where access to specialist and tertiary services can be limited. 

~ENDS 

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