The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) welcomes today’s announcement to extend the Office of the National Rural Health Commissioner and commends the decision to expand the expertise of the Office by establishing new Deputy Commissioner roles for Indigenous health, nursing and allied health.
ACRRM President Dr Ewen McPhee says the decision will ensure rural and remote communities have a strong independent advocate to advise government on key health issues.
“The College believes the Office of the National Rural Health Commissioner plays a crucial role in ensuring the right policy and support systems are developed to ensure access to high quality care for remote and rural communities.
“We also take this opportunity to acknowledge and commend the work of Professor Paul Worley as the inaugural National Rural Health Commissioner. "His leadership and commitment has been crucial to bringing a National Rural Generalist Pathway (NRGP) to life,” Dr McPhee says.
Since his appointment in 2017, Professor Worley has made great inroads into building a broad understanding of the scope and value of a Rural Generalist workforce among communities and the health sector.
His NRGP Advice Paper was supported in full by the Australian Government and forms a blueprint for important reform. He also developed a plan for advancing allied health and nursing needs in rural and remote Australia, focussing on the Rural Generalist approach to healthcare.
“ACRRM has enjoyed a strong and collaborative working relationship with Professor Worley and we thank him for taking on this role with such obvious passion,” Dr McPhee says.
“We especially commend Professor Worley for his dogged commitment to keeping rural and remote communities front and centre, promoting rurally-focused training pathways, and producing rural and remote doctors based in their local communities.
“There is still significant work to be done to implement the NRGP and ensure that our rural and remote communities have improved access to quality health care.
“We look forward to the Government’s announcement of Professor Worley’s successor together with the new Deputy Commissioners, and to continuing to work together to improve the health outcomes for rural and remote people across Australia.”
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