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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-07-22 Daily Xml
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Ministerial Statement

RURAL DOCTORS

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Southern Suburbs, Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts) (15:10): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: In February 2010, agreement was reached between the Rural Doctors Association of South Australia and Country Health SA on a new deal for rural general practitioners who provide medical services in public hospitals across country South Australia. At the time, I understand the Rural Doctors Association said in a press release that the deal is 'currently the best statewide agreement across Australia for rural GPs'. The new terms will provide consistency in the engagement of rural general practitioners and, over time, we will see a move away from a few existing locally-negotiated arrangements.

Copies of the new terms were sent by Country Health SA to the 412 rural general practitioners and registrars in South Australia, along with an invitation to enter into a formal agreement under the new terms. By 1 July 2010, 317 rural practitioners (77 per cent) had signed up to the invitation to enter into a formal agreement. Doctors can still sign up but will no longer be eligible for back pay from 1 January this year under the new conditions.

Once a doctor has signed up to an intention to accept these new terms, the finer details pertaining to their specific circumstances are negotiated. Members would appreciate, I think, that, while the rates are consistent, the mix of services and the number of general practitioners varies from location to location across rural South Australia and the contracts, of course, need to reflect those local variations. In most cases, the negotiations have proceeded smoothly.

Of the 95 doctors (23 per cent) who have not signed up, 77 are currently on existing contracts. These are generally doctors at the largest country sites; 19 doctors at various Whyalla practices covered by the Upper Spencer Gulf agreement, and doctors at Mount Barker, Port Pirie, Port Augusta and also the South Coast Hospital locum arrangement. When some of these contracts come up for renewal, the opportunity will arise for them to move on to the new agreement. This figure also includes doctors in the Riverland and Gawler, which offer a different model. That is a 24-hour service rather than on-call service. However, Mount Gambier Hospital is not included in these numbers as the hospital already has an in-house service provided by salaried doctors.

There are also eight registrars who have not signed up because their supervisors are amongst those who have not signed up to the new agreement. This leaves 10 doctors who have not signed up to an accident and emergency contract with Country Health SA. Nine of these doctors are at Millicent. Currently, Millicent general practitioners are not prepared to perform full-time emergency, on-call and inpatient services for the rates agreed to by the Rural Doctors Association of South Australia and Country Health SA in the recently negotiated on-call payment schedule. As a result, the doctors are only providing services for approximately 16 days out of the month, usually on weekends and days preceding or following a weekend.

Country Health SA representatives have been negotiating in good faith with the general practitioners in an attempt to resolve the issues. However, no more money will be paid beyond that recently negotiated with the Rural Doctors Association of South Australia. The new agreement represents a new, fairer and more transparent system for which the Rural Doctors Association, the peak representative body, has been lobbying.

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