The Federal Government has honoured its election pledge for a $2.8 million Central Highlands allied health clinic in Emerald.
Assistant Minister for Regional development, Senator Anthony Chisholm, said the new clinic would be located beside, and managed by, the neighbouring Emerald GP Super Clinic.
On completion in late 2024, the twin-building facility would include 10 practice rooms, an expanded assessment room and a dedicated training facility.
The facilities would enable a range of allied health professionals to provide direct patient care and to collaborate with other practitioners caring for locals.
GP Super Clinic practice principal Dr Ewen McPhee said the allied health clinic would be a welcome addition to the support services needed by Central Highlanders.
“Access to physiotherapy, occupational and speech therapy are critical to supporting patients with chronic and complex illnesses as well as developmental support for children,“ Dr McPhee said.
“Access to, and the provision of, healthcare has been increasingly challenging, both for patients and for those few health providers left in regional Queensland.
“We need to give local people the opportunity to train in the health professions, as we know fro strong evidence that those people will stay in the long-term.
“Rural communities often have many frail aged, in addition to the burden of childhood disability is greater, so this initiative will lead the way to improved health outcomes.“
Dr McPhee said the ongoing shortage of general practitioners would not be solved overnight and it was becoming critical to elevate the roles and enhance the skills of pharmacists, allied health professionals and nurses to support doctors in a health team that wraps around patients.
“The health system has been burdened by late presentations to emergency departments of patients for whom earlier team-based care could have made a difference.
“This opportunity could well be transformative for the way health services are delivered in regional and rural Australia.“
Dr McPhee said the allied health clinic would work in close partnership with the Central Queensland University’s Department of Rural and Remote Health, in its co-located campus to support the next generation of health providers to train locally.
Senator Chisholm said the expansion of the GP Super Clinic to incorporate the new facility was a win for the Central Highlands region.
“The $2.8m grant to expand this crucial care facility won’t just improve services for those in Emerald, but for the whole Central Highlands region,” Sen Chisholm said.
“We understand the importance of allied health care provided by GPs and other medical professionals.
“It is vital that people can access the healthcare they need and have modern facilities that can provide high quality care closer to home.
Federal Member for Flynn Colin Boyce urged Sen Chisholm to have the facility up and running “as soon as possible“.
“Allied health is the second-largest clinical workforce in Australia. Allied health plays a critical role in primary healthcare in helping people to lead healthier lives,“ he told Emerald Today.
“I welcome investment into allied health for Emerald and the Central Highlands by the Federal Government.
“However, we have seen a number of broken promises by the Federal Labor Government, including a promise to have a registered nurse on site 24 hours a day, seven days a week in every aged care home in the Flynn electorate by 1 July, and that they would deliver 50 ‘urgent’ care clinics across Australia within their first 12 months in government.
“The Federal Labor Government needs to stick to their promise and have this allied health clinic up in running in Emerald as soon as possible.”
More than one in five Emerald residents have been identified as having at least one long-term health condition requiring care from different health professionals.
Allied health includes services such as physiotherapy, psychology, dietetics, speech pathology, occupational therapy and audiology.