The sixth meeting of the Regional Health Ministerial Advisory Panel, chaired by Dr Richard Colbran, Chief Executive Officer, Rural Doctors Network was held in Sydney on 30 October 2024 and marked one year of the Panel.
The Hon. Ryan Park MP, Minister for Health and Minister for Regional Health attended the meeting and sought the Panel’s feedback on the Isolated Patients Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme (IPTAAS). The Panel noted a large increase in usage due in part to greater awareness of the scheme. The Minister also asked the Panel about the Rural Generalist Single Employer Pathway program and Panel members said that the increase in Rural Generalist trainees in the regions was making a positive difference. There was also a discussion about the benefits of having nurse practitioners in regional, rural and remote NSW, and the Panel spoke with the Minister about practical programs and partnerships to improve access to health for Aboriginal communities.
Luke Sloane, Deputy Secretary, Rural and Regional Health spoke to the Panel about the positive stories of change to improve health outcomes in regional NSW since the Rural Health Inquiry recommendations were handed down. The stories included a patient who received subsidies via IPTAAS to access specialist care that she wouldn’t otherwise be able to receive. Other stories were from Rural Generalist Doctors trainees about how much they enjoyed working in rural NSW and the opportunities they have been given, as well as about a health student who was one of the many the recipients of a New Graduate Nursing and Midwifery Relocation Scholarship. The Panel spoke about ways to share these stories with the community to encourage more students to study and work in rural areas as well as informing the community about the various healthcare services available in regional NSW.
The Panel were pleased to hear about the improvements to recruitment and retention of healthcare staff in rural and regional NSW from Richard Griffiths, Executive Director, Workforce, Planning and Talent Development, Dr Justine Harris, Chief Medical Workforce Advisor and Adj. A/Prof Jacqueline Dominish OAM, Director Professional Workforce. The growth in the Aboriginal workforce in regional NSW was noted.
Geraldine Wilson, Executive Director, Centre for Aboriginal Health and Nathan Jones, Director Aboriginal Health led a discussion about how the Panel can support their work to improve access to healthcare for Aboriginal people in regional NSW. Geraldine also spoke about embedding cultural safety in systems to benefit Aboriginal health staff and patients. The Panel recognized the excellent work that has been done by Geraldine and her team in the Centre for Aboriginal Health in developing the Aboriginal Health Plan 2024-2034. The Panel intend to discuss the plan again when it next meets.
The Panel heard about the Lumos program and data sovereignty for Aboriginal people from Patricia Correll, Acting Director of System Monitoring and Insights, and her team. The Lumos program provides new insights on the patient journey through the NSW health system. In Lumos, de-identified data from general practices is linked with other health service data to provide a more comprehensive view of patient pathways. Lumos is partnering with the North Coast Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations and working closely with Panel Member Scott Monaghan. The Panel will consider ways it can assist to take the Lumos program forward.
Kalina Koloff, the NSW Cross-Border Commissioner and ex-officio Panel member provided a presentation on the health impacts on cross-border communities, noting that NSW shares a border with 4 other jurisdictions. Memoranda of understanding have been created or are being negotiated for each of those jurisdictions to improve service delivery and integration of healthcare across these communities.
The next meeting will be held in early 2025.