❓ Hon. Alison Xamon inquires about areas of unmet need for GP services in Perth, including classification criteria and service availability. The Minister provides information on AoN and DWS, but cannot provide specific GP location data due to their private practice status.
AnsweredQoN 5841Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to page 32 of the Legislative Assembly Estimates Hearing for Division 8: Health in, dated 30 June 2012, specifically the areas of unmet need, and I ask —
(1) What criterion needs to be met for a suburb to be classified as an area of unmet need?
(2) How many areas of unmet need are there within the metropolitan area?
(3) For the areas in (2), how many currently do not have a General Practitioner (GP) service?
(4) For those suburbs without a GP service, would the Minister please indicate the closest service available for residents of those suburbs?
(1) What criterion needs to be met for a suburb to be classified as an area of unmet need?
(2) How many areas of unmet need are there within the metropolitan area?
(3) For the areas in (2), how many currently do not have a General Practitioner (GP) service?
(4) For those suburbs without a GP service, would the Minister please indicate the closest service available for residents of those suburbs?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
11 September 2012
Responded by
Minister for Mental Health representing the Minister for Health
Response time
28 days
(1) There are currently two systems operating in Australiato identify medical practitioner workforce shortages. Both must be addressed to satisfy legislative requirements for the employment of international medical graduates (IMGs):
District of Workforce Shortage
(DWS) - is administered by the Commonwealth Government Department of Health and Ageing, and is based on doctor-to-patient ratios and linked to the provisions in the
Health Insurance Act 1973
(the Act), specifically s19AB of the Act. DWS is the mechanism that enables IMGs to access the Medicare benefit arrangements.
Area of Need
(AoN) - is administered by State/Territory Governments to address issues of medical practitioner workforce shortage and mal-distribution within each jurisdiction. In Western Australia (WA) the processes for AoN determination are administered by the WA Department of Health (DOH).
In WA and most other jurisdictions, classification of a location as a DWS is a prerequisite for a submission of AoN. Criteria that need to be met for AoN in WA include demonstrated evidence of need (e.g., accessibility issues), evidence of labour market testing (e.g., advertising of positions for prescribed periods without being able to fill them), and evidence of stakeholder involvement (e.g., letters of support from relevant organisations). All information regarding the WA AoN application process is transparent and publicly available on the DOH website at:
http://www.overseasdoctors.health.wa.gov.au/docs/UAN_Database.pdf
.
(2) There are 58 active AoN determinations in the Perth metropolitan area, of which 39 are for General Practitioner (GP) services and 19 are for other medical services (specialists, registrars, and Resident Medical Officers) [see tabled paper no].
(3) As GPs are private practitioners, no further information relating to the number of doctors employed, the location of GP practices, or service provision by GPs in the metropolitan area can be provided.
(4) As GPs are private practitioners, information regarding suburbs without GP services, or the closest service for those residents without a service, cannot be provided by the DOH.
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District of Workforce Shortage
(DWS) - is administered by the Commonwealth Government Department of Health and Ageing, and is based on doctor-to-patient ratios and linked to the provisions in the
Health Insurance Act 1973
(the Act), specifically s19AB of the Act. DWS is the mechanism that enables IMGs to access the Medicare benefit arrangements.
Area of Need
(AoN) - is administered by State/Territory Governments to address issues of medical practitioner workforce shortage and mal-distribution within each jurisdiction. In Western Australia (WA) the processes for AoN determination are administered by the WA Department of Health (DOH).
In WA and most other jurisdictions, classification of a location as a DWS is a prerequisite for a submission of AoN. Criteria that need to be met for AoN in WA include demonstrated evidence of need (e.g., accessibility issues), evidence of labour market testing (e.g., advertising of positions for prescribed periods without being able to fill them), and evidence of stakeholder involvement (e.g., letters of support from relevant organisations). All information regarding the WA AoN application process is transparent and publicly available on the DOH website at:
http://www.overseasdoctors.health.wa.gov.au/docs/UAN_Database.pdf
.
(2) There are 58 active AoN determinations in the Perth metropolitan area, of which 39 are for General Practitioner (GP) services and 19 are for other medical services (specialists, registrars, and Resident Medical Officers) [see tabled paper no].
(3) As GPs are private practitioners, no further information relating to the number of doctors employed, the location of GP practices, or service provision by GPs in the metropolitan area can be provided.
(4) As GPs are private practitioners, information regarding suburbs without GP services, or the closest service for those residents without a service, cannot be provided by the DOH.
Notice: This document is created or edited using unregistered or evaluation copy of rtLib valid for testing or development purposes only. To use it for productive or any other purposes please register it. You may purchase the license on
http://www.rtlib.com
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