(From left) Jessica Andrew (Rural LAP), registered nurse Carmel Short, Megan Short and Janine Connell (both of Roxby Downs Health Service in SA) with their awards commemorating the milestone. Photo: Aspen Medical.
Since its beginning in 2011, the Rural Locum Assistance Program (Rural LAP) has now placed 10,000 health professionals throughout the country in its effort to support regional and rural workforces.
Funded by the Department of Health and Aged Care, the program brings aged-care workers, obstetricians, anaesthetists, nurses and allied health professionals to services struggling with the demands of their locations.
Registered nurse Carmel Short marked the milestone with her placement at Roxby Downs Health Service in South Australia, which is about 250 kilometres north of Port Augusta. Over the past decade, it’s had 69 Rural LAP placements, helping them provide accident, emergency and general medical services to the Flinders and Upper North Local Health Network region.
Director Janine Connell said the Roxby Downs service had great difficulty attracting suitable qualified workers to the remote setting, so being able to release staff for leave and professional development activities was particularly challenging.
“Rural LAP has made this so much easier for us,” she said. ”The process of booking staff for locum placements is seamless and reliable, and the quality of staff coming here from Rural LAP is fantastic.”
Aspen Medical and the Rural LAP, formerly the Nursing and Allied Health Rural Locum Scheme (NAHRLS), were awarded the government’s contract upon the program’s conception. But in 2016, it was expanded to include obstetricians, anaesthetists and the GP education assistance program so that it could provide locum coverage for continuing professional development (CPD) and recreation leave.
The government opened it up again in 2022 to provide targeted support for aged-care services in rural and remote facilities impacted by sudden departures, annual leave and training.
Up to 14 working days are provided for rural locum coverage, 28 are given for placements in remote locations, and between 14 and 90 days are covered under the aged-care program. However, facilities facing exceptional circumstances can request extensions for up to 30 additional days.
Due to the government’s funding, no fees or charges are associated with locum services, covering the costs of travel, accommodation and incentives for health and aged-care workers taking CPD or recreational leave.
A combination of the NAHRLS, the Rural Obstetric and Anaesthetic Locum Scheme (ROALS) and the Rural Locum Education Assistance Program (Rural LEAP), the program will remain funded until 30 June.
Rural LAP national manager Jessica Andrew said without dedicated locums such as Carmel, her peers would not have the downtime and training they needed to provide the best possible service to their patients.
“We extend our gratitude to all the health professionals and clinics who have supported this program since 2011,” Ms Andrew said.
”Working in remote and rural locations across our beautiful country has its clear advantages.”
