Bridget Archer (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It's a pleasure to speak to this motion today and take the opportunity to congratulate all the hardworking and dedicated health professionals in my community and, in particular, to highlight a couple of stand-out services that have recently been awarded for their innovative contributions. Firstly, I want to acknowledge the government's recent Stronger Medicare Awards and share the fantastic work of one of the inaugural winners, City Mission's Mission Health service in Launceston, in my electorate. Local nurse practitioner Jane realised there was a gap in services that could provide free health services to the homeless. Jane joined forces with a registered nurse and lecturer, Michele, and collaborated with City Mission, a charity organisation, to set up Mission Health clinic.

Mission Health runs on a weekly basis, providing bulk-billed health care for patients in Launceston experiencing homelessness. The service provides free health care for people who may otherwise go without, and has been assisted by the volunteer efforts of other local health practitioners. Services include chronic health management, general health assessments, immunisations and sexual health testing, and it is making a measurable and substantial difference to the lives of vulnerable people. Jane said:

…that Medicare has been an integral puzzle piece in the establishment and continued running of Mission Health.

Without Medicare, the clinic would either be non-existent, or it would have been far more difficult to achieve what we have. Without Medicare, much of Mission Health's work would mean this group would pay private costs for prescription medication, there would be problems referring to local hospitals, obtaining Medicare funding toward radiology and pathology investigations, and so much more.

As one of the clinicians of Mission Health, Medicare means that I can receive a fee for service in the work to support homeless people of Launceston. I have elected to return a percentage of this fee to the clinic to buy essential consumables such as wound care products.

This cohort of people have difficulty managing appointments, so the drop-in service is ideal for them.

Mission Health routinely sees patients in need of immediate health care. Recently, the service helped a young woman with a hormonal device that was three years past its effectiveness date. Mission Health was able to remove the old device, replace it with a new one and provide a health check. There are countless stories like this that Jane and her team encounter each week.

This is an innovative and responsive service. It's a model that could be expanded, with greater support, but it will need further support. Although Medicare has helped in delivering this important service, it is not completely responsive to the model, and attention will need to be given to ensure the service's ongoing sustainability. I have met with Minister Mark Butler to raise the issues facing the centre, going forward. I thank him for his time and interest in the program, and I hope that a sustainable pathway can be assured.

Similarly, I congratulate RACGP General Practice of the Year award recipient Beaconsfield Family Medical Practice, led by practice principal Dr Reddy, as he's known to his patients. He only took over the practice in 2023, as a solo GP, but in a little over year he's grown the clinic to now include four full-time GPs and integrated allied health services, and he's bulk-building all his patients. It must be pointed out this is an exception to the norm in Tasmania, with most practices unable to bulk-bill at that level. Primary Health Tasmania, Tasmania's primary health network, provided information and support in areas including accreditation, Australian government funding programs, digital readiness work and other programs. Dr Reddy said:

We feel like the PHN has stood as a backbone in this journey of our new medical practice, and we are very thankful for that.

What I've seen in this last 12 months is that not only did Primary Health Tasmania help me to set up the clinic, but it also helps me and my staff to have continuous professional development through the workshops it runs.

The community has embraced the GP and his young family with open arms. I visited the practice recently, and I can see how much of a difference the increased services have meant to the community. I'm excited about the vision and enthusiasm that Dr Reddy has for delivering health care in this rural area, but, again, more needs to be done. Medicare plays an important part, but it's not the whole story. I am happy to give credit where it's due, but I'd urge the government to redouble its efforts, because the job is far from done. There remain huge and urgent gaps in primary health care provision in Tasmania. Despite the unfortunate self-congratulatory tone of this motion, many Tasmanians are being left far behind, and the Tasmania Liberal government has been doing much of the heavy lifting to fill the gaps that the federal government has not filled. The government has opened new urgent care clinics, but, in the meantime, primary health practices have continued to close in regional and rural areas. Your Medicare card may be more important than your credit card, but it is still your postcode that you need to turn your attention to.

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