On the Bankstown GP Division Twitter a question was raised about the scope and scale of the Southern Discomfort felt in Bowral about the state of health services and, I guess, about the comments I made about the Southern Highlands Division of General Practice.
My purpose was to draw attention to the extreme variance between the actions taken by the Bankstown Division and the lack of action taken by their counterparts in the Southern Highlands, in respect of the advocacy for a more appropriate Medicare Local. In the case of Bankstown the Division there took an active role in developing a coalition of organisations and other health providers to agitate and advocate for the maintenance of a family focused medical practice. Their community was being supported by the Division and was being invited to participate in the process.
In the Southern Highlands the Division of General Practice has not made any public comment, has not issued any press releases, and has not even published any information about the proposed changes on their website. The whole process of change appears to have become the Southern Highlands Division of General Practice "secret business".
To my knowledge no NGO or community group with a stake in the way in which health services are meant to be delivered has been advised about, or invited to, anything to do with the development of a Medicare Local as a "Branch" or "semi-autonomous rural network". One of my informants has recently advised me that the nearest that any such explanation has been forthcoming is a promise from the CEO of the Division to address some of the local psychologists about what impact the changes may have on their private practices. It also seems that the meeting has only come about because the CEO is a neighbour of the psychologist arranging the meeting.
The question needs to be asked: "Why has there not been the same level of discussion, activity and collaboration with consumers, health care providers and NGOs in the Southern Highlands as there has been in the Bankstown and similar areas?"
Possibly, the Southern Highlands Division of General Practice CEO and Board may feel that they are on top of the issues related to the implementation of the "semi-autonomous rural network" but it seems that the GPs, who the Division purportedly represents, have been left in the dark as much as has been the local community. To my knowledge there has been no dialogue with the GPs, and there certainly has been nothing in the local press. Nor has there been a public meeting for community members, health care providers and health care organisations who will obviously be affected by any implementation of a local Medicare Local.
To the Bankstown GP who asked the question about the scope and scale of the Southern Discomfort I ask "How would you feel if you had no input or feedback as to what was about to (perhaps) radically change the way in which health services would be delivered to you, as a consumer, or by you as a medical practitioner?" My belief is that most people would want to know about the change or, hopefully, want to take an active role in any proposed change. Unfortunately, in the Southern Highlands, no one other than the Division of General Practice CEO and the Board knows of the change, nor has any organisation appeared to have an active collaboration within the process.
Yes, the Southern Discomfort is extensive in scope and scale - and just wont go away.
