Rural Generalist Strategy 2022–2027 Launch!
The Northern Territory Rural Generalist Coordination Unit are pleased to announce the launch of the five-year NT Rural Generalist Strategy (2022–2027) PDF (9.4 MB). We are the first in Australia to put a Rural Generalist Strategy of this kind in place.
It is our vision for all Territorians to have access to medical services and doctors who are equipped to meet rural and remote community needs, and this Strategy is our pathway to achieving that.
The strategy aims to:
- build the rural generalist capability of the NT medical workforce
- support medical professionals who pursue rural generalism with the opportunity to train and work in both hospitals and primary healthcare settings
- incorporate rural generalist medicine into the NT Health system and promote integrated employment models through optimising the rural generalist scope of practice and embedding patient-centred models of care.
The cornerstone of the Strategy is the NT Rural Generalist Training Pathway, which has been established in response to the Federal Government’s National Rural Generalist Pathway. The NT Rural Generalist Pathway will provide pre-vocational doctors with rural and remote primary healthcare rotation opportunities. These rotations provide doctors with the foundations of Rural Generalism training as they prepare to enrol in GP vocational training.
We hope that with this pathway, we will encourage an increased number of rural generalists in the NT. This is important as they can provide patient-centred and culturally safe care across multiple health services in the Territory. Moreover, a strong rural generalist workforce can minimise the use of locum services, and reduce the need for patient travel.
Thank you to all of members of the NT Reference Committee, our partners, as well as the many individuals and organisations who have contributed their time and expertise to the development of this Strategy. I look forward to working with you all as it is implemented.
