25 May, 2022
Clifton Medical Practice here to stay
Those concerned with the future of Clifton Medical Practice have no need to worry, with its management confirming it is open and still accepting appointments for current patients.
Clifton Community Health Services General Manager Brad Jones said the practice is most certainly still open.
“We have become aware that some community members have been led to believe that the medical practice has closed, but we want to assure the community that this is definitely not the case and we remain open,” Mr Jones said.
The medical practice recently announced it was recruiting new full-time doctors to join the practice and this was underway with a national recruitment campaign.
The widespread shortage of medical professionals across Australia makes finding suitable doctors, especially for rural practices, particularly challenging at this time.
Keeping doctors in regional, rural and remote communities was an important issue during the federal election campaign, with Labor and the Coalition both putting forward plans to ensure Australians living outside of major cities had access to adequate medical care.
Mr Jones said the current doctors and staff were working extremely hard to continue services and meet the demand for services while the search for more doctors continued.
“We are doing everything possible to find two new doctors for our medical practice,” he said.
“We are not immune to the impacts caused by the national shortage of doctors, so we are exploring all options to fill our current doctor positions.
“Despite these challenges, we are open and committed to maintaining our services for our community members.
“We thank everyone for their understanding during this time and being patient with our staff who are doing everything they can.”
Mr Jones said patients with non-urgent matters are encouraged to make appointments in advance to help the practice manage
the demand for services.
Long-term GPs Dr Santiago Celis-Monsalves, who has renewed his contract and Dr Francisco Rodriguez-Letters, who has reaffirmed his commitment to the Practice, will continue to provide their services.
Interim Practice Manager Anne-Marie Donovanis playing a key role in the recruitment of new staff, as well as the ongoing development and management of the practice.
If a community member has any questions or concerns about the medical practice and its continuity of services, they are invited to contact Mr Jones or the Practice Manager.
The incoming Labor government has committed $146 million to increase Workforce Incentive Program (WIP) payments
for medical practitioners
who provide quality care to rural and remote communities, which includes Clifton.
This will increase the number of junior doctors gaining critically important rural experience from 800 to 1000 each year.
