ACRRM’s Community Reference Group (CRG) supports the College to deliver programs and activities that promote the best possible healthcare outcomes for rural and remote people, including First Nations communities. The CRG has been active this month, in supporting the RG Recognition consultation and looking at opportunities to support medical students training in rural communities.

There are undeniable benefits to engaging communities in promoting health and wellbeing ¹.  Many international health policies recognised the World Health Organisation’s vision that communities should be involved in shaping primary health care services. Community engagement is defined as:

“a process of developing relationships that enable stakeholders to work together to address health-related issues and promote well-being to achieve positive health impact and outcomes”.

Through community engagement the College has an avenue for hearing first-hand from the community how policy, programs and practices are working.  This helps ensure our services are both patient-centred and tailored and responsive to local community needs. CRG members come from rural and remote communities across Australia with diverse interests and backgrounds. Their perspectives are invaluable in keeping the College informed of community priorities and needs. The group provides a conduit for strengthening community partnerships, and a vehicle for community input and advocacy in College operations.

RG Specialist Recognition 
This month, CRG has been active in raising community awareness around the national consultation on RG Specialist Recognition.

Reference Group Chair Gus Whyte joined a panel for our “Community Webinar” – RG Recognition What it Means for you and your community, on 20 November which attracted almost 200 viewers.  A recording can be viewed on our RG webpage.

The group also provided a letter for support for RG Recognition. CRG Chair Gus Whyte:

“There is an urgent need to improve access to care for people living in rural and remote areas including those remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.  We believe that a strong Rural Generalist workforce can make a significant contribution to improving these peoples’ access to high quality care and through this to bringing their health status closer to parity with that of Australians living in cities.  National recognition of the training and professional standards of care that these doctors provide will give confidence to rural communities in the care they receive.”

Community support for medical students
Another point of focus has been looking at ways that the Reference Group could help to mobilise remote and rural communities to welcome and support medical students and junior doctors during placements in those communities. 

The CRG warmly welcomes new members.  Meetings are held quarterly by videoconference, with ongoing informal email discussion where members raise issues of interest as well as responding to requests for feedback from the College, and the group reports directly to the College Council. Please encourage your community contacts to join using the Expression of Interest form on our website. 

WHO “Community engagement: a health promotion guide for universal health coverage in the hands of the people”. 5 October 2020