Rural communities deserve access to safe and quality health care and to have that they must have access to safe and first-class hospital facilities, says the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) President, Dr Ewen McPhee.
Dr McPhee adds, to achieve this, there must be effective standards for rural Emergency Departments, in conjunction with robust clinical governance mechanisms that support the unique systems and structures in rural hospitals.
Additionally, these rural facilities must be supported by a workforce that has the comprehensive skills required to meet the diverse requirements of rural communities.
“ACRRM is continually reviewing and revising its recommended minimum standards for small rural hospital emergency departments to ensure they provide clear guidance and promote world-best practice,” Dr McPhee says.
“The College also calls for appropriately stringent clinical governance, enabled through clinical frameworks, guidelines and protocols which improve systems that support patient safety in hospitals outside urban areas.
“These standards will work when associated with a skilled Rural Generalist workforce which has the comprehensive breadth of knowledge across multidisciplinary areas of practice that is required to serve communities.
“Access to quality health care should not be determined by location; every Australian deserves to receive safe and high-quality health care.
“ACRRM’s vision is to the have right doctors in the right places, with the right skills, providing rural and remote people with excellent health care.
“We will continue to set professional standards for practice and advocate for specialist General Practitioners and Rural Generalists,” Dr McPhee says.