Jurien Bay loses only female doctor amid regional GP shortage

Spectrum Health have petitioned the RACGP to re-accredited the practice. A review will take place in February.

Locals in a Wheatbelt town are frustrated after an issue with remote supervision forced their only female doctor to relocate.

Only two male GPs have been left to service Jurien Bay and surrounding areas, 220 kilometres north of Perth, amid an ongoing regional doctor shortage.

The regional town is home to around 2,000 people and according to the Shire of Dandaragan there is only one other health facility which mostly provides accident and emergency services.

The fully qualified female doctor, who does not want to be named, was taking part in a Fellowship Support Program to become a specialist GP at Jurien Bay Medical Centre.

The fellowship program, which can be done in rural or metro practices, involves two years of supervised education and up to three further years of consolidation before sitting examinations.

Spectrum Health operates the medical clinic and its chief executive Philip Coelho said the doctor had been practising there since mid-2024 with an off-site supervisor.

He said in December the Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) revoked the centre's accreditation to host doctors under the Fellowship Support Program, quoting the use of off-site supervision and no practice manager.

Mr Coelho said the RACGP had initially approved the doctor's application with the same conditions. He said he was confused by the sudden change in decision.

"You have allowed [the] GP who has been practising for several months, practising extremely well, become very popular with all the locals," Mr Coelho said.

Policy confusion

A RACGP spokesperson said remote supervision was allowed but "must provide future GPs with the support they need in a suitable environment".

They said the supervision guidelines were last reviewed in August 2023 and the situation at the Jurien Bay Medical Centre did not mean the guidelines had recently changed.

The RACGP said while the situation was unfortunate the affected doctor was able to secure another placement in remote WA.

Mr Coelho said she was allowed to work at the Jurien Bay Medical Centre until the RACGP reassessed the practice this February, but not work towards her fellowship and at a lower pay.

"Of course she wasn't happy with that," he said. Mr Coelho said the doctor decided to move on to a practice where she could continue the fellowship.

'Tragic' community loss

Dandaragan shire president Tony O'Gorman said losing the female doctor was "tragic" for Jurien Bay and surrounding country towns, especially for women.

He said the doctor in question had recently bought a house in town. He said the shire has submitted support letters to get the RACGP to re-accredit the Jurien Bay Medical Centre.

"It's great they're [RACGP] making sure that our doctors are up to standard ... but they really have to consider it on a case-by-case basis," he said.

Wait times expected to grow

Mr O'Gorman said it was already hard to secure doctors in the coastal town, and going from three doctors to two would put further strain on the centre.

Mr O'Gorman said at one stage in 2024 the practice had a single doctor, and appointment wait times were up to five months.

"Even with three GPs they are pushed all the time," he said.