What happens now the Hunter New England local health district will trial Single Employer Model?

The health model aims to attract more doctors and will be trialled in the Hunter New England local health district, it was announced on Wednesday, July 5.

The model is a "game changer" to encourage young doctors into general practice, according to Armidale think tank convener Maria Hitchcock.

READ ALSO:

New England Visions 2030 Institute included the implementation of the model in its list of demands to NSW health minister Ryan Park when he took to office after the state election.

The model is successful in attracting young doctors because it allows them to be employed by the hospital, enjoying paid leave and other benefits, Ms Hitchcock said, while also having the freedom to work in private practice.

"Of course, once they start practising in a regional area, most of them love being in the bush, and will stay," she said.

"That's the real benefit of it."

Ms Hitchcock is interested to find out how many trainees will be employed at hospitals across the North West.

"I would hope that if it's being given to Hunter New England, that we're going to end up with the bulk of those doctors in the New England, and not down in the Hunter," she said.

The push to secure the single employer model for the region revved up about a year ago, and Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall said it's "taken longer than anticipated".

NSW shadow regional health minister Bronnie Taylor said she called for the model to be expanded while she was in office.

"It's great for the regions, it's great for healthcare, and it's going to make a real difference," she said.

"It's very rewarding to see when all of the hard work that you put in, actually comes off."

For the model to go ahead, exemptions to the Health Insurance Act had to be made. Ms Taylor said the federal government was "very slow" in bringing that forward.

Following the October 2022 budget announcement to establish 10 trials, all states were asked to indicate their interest in participating, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Aged Care said.

But Ms Taylor had not completed an expression of interest for the state until February 2023, and a formal proposal was submitted in March, the spokesperson said.

A further 10 trials were announced in the May 2023 budget, and an expanded trial approach was agreed at the end of last month.

Ms Taylor said the work had been done.

"I'm just focusing on the outcome, and I know that we did all the work, and the department of regional health did the work on it," she said.

"I was very loud and very proud about it, and it's happened, so it's great."

The government needs to "get going" on delivering the model, she said.

"You've taken long enough for the bureaucracy to process it," she said.

The NSW regional health division is consulting with local health districts on the next steps, which will include a recruitment process for new trainees.

Full proposals for implementing the model are due by the end of 2023, the Department of Health and Aged Care spokesperson said.

Each participating district has a maximum cap of 80 rural generalist and GP registrar trainee numbers, and the discretion to determine the distribution across their trial sites.

Make sure you are signed up for our breaking news and regular newsletters