The program has been designed to provide Dr Jeyakumar with an attractive work-life balance, and to encourage him to sustain a long-term practice in the town.

The initiative will change how some patients are treated in the emergency department (ED). Under the new program, those who attend the Guyra ED with less urgent conditions after hours will be treated by an appropriately skilled senior nurse, and referred to see the doctor if needed.

Tablelands Cluster General Manager, Wendy Mulligan said that often people who visited emergency departments were seeking treatment that Registered Nurses are quite capable of providing – not necessarily a doctor.

“This new system will relieve the pressure on our new General Practitioner (GP). It will also empower our nursing staff to utilise their wide range of professional skills, while at the same time ensuring people get access to care with the most appropriate health professional,” Ms Mulligan said.

“We hope this approach to care will improve our GP’s enjoyment of rural practice. We also hope it will improve our ability to attract and retain doctors to rural areas in the future, while continuing to provide a high standard of care to the community.”

Dr Jeyakumar – or Dr Jey as he prefers to be called - will start work at Guyra MPS and the Guyra Medical Centre from July 1. Dr Jey was appointed following the resignation of Dr Martin Danke earlier this year.

HNE Health Director of Operations, Primary and Community Networks, Scott McLachlan, said the emergency department program had been highly successful in Walcha, with Guyra set to reap similar benefits from the initiative.

“The feedback from Walcha GPs has been extremely encouraging, with doctors indicating the program positively impacted on their work-life balance as a result of fewer after-hours call outs,” Mr McLachlan said.

“HNE Health is continuously developing innovative, effective ways to recruit and retain GPs, and we want to address issues such as the impact of long working hours, on-call demands, and the sense of isolation some doctors’ experience in rural medicine.

“We hope community members show their full support for the Guyra emergency department initiative, so that in return they can access appropriate health care with a familiar GP over the long-term.”