Tottenham medical trial

Lachlan Shire’s Tottenham is set to benefit from the recent Federal Budget with the town being targeted for a new health delivery trial with national implications.

New primary health care models to improve health service delivery and address workforce shortages in rural areas will be trialled across southern and western NSW as part of the regional health package announced in the Federal Budget.

Tottenham is one of four NSW communities in our region who will be part of the project, known as “the 4Ts”. The other three are Tullamore, Trangie and Trundle.

Regional Health Minister and Member for Parkes Mark Coulton said the Coalition Government is investing in first-of-a-kind primary care models as part of a broader effort to improve health outcomes for rural Australians.

“The challenge of delivering services in small communities is well known, and it is clear the existing one-size-fits-all approach to health delivery isn’t working for every rural community,” Minister Coulton said. “We are breaking new ground by investing in sub-regional models of primary care to provide local solutions and to test how these new approaches can address perennial rural health challenges across the nation.

Minister Coulton said the project will test the suitability and sustainability of a shared health workforce across the region. Part of this will include shared GP services and telehealth to ensure resources are better harnessed and available across the region.

“Telehealth will complement in-community service to ensure locals from any of the towns can access services at any time. We’ve seen incredible progress in the delivery of telehealth services, which has shifted from a rural and regional tool to being central to the national pandemic effort,” Minister Coulton said.

The model has been under development for some time with the Western NSW Collaboration, which comprises the Western NSW Primary Health Network, Western NSW Local Health District, Far Western NSW Local Health District and NSW Rural Doctors Network.

Lachlan Shire Mayor John Medcalf OAM, who lives in Tottenham, said he was cautiously excited that his community was chosen to be a part of the trial.

“The provision of a shared doctor across the 4T’s, together with access to 24 hour telehealth service, would be a positive step towards retaining medical services available in our communities. In the future we need more trained doctors with incentives provided for these professionals to live and work in rural areas,” the Mayor said.