The resignation of the last GP in an outback town has forced Queensland health authorities to make changes to attract a replacement.
Cameron Hoare became the only GP in Cloncurry, 120 kilometres east of Mount Isa, after purchasing the town’s private practice for $2 in 2022.
But he left this year, burnt out and defeated, for the sake of his own health.
Dr Hoare’s role was to run the GP practice for the town of 3,000 and be Cloncurry Hospital’s medical superintendent.
As part of a hospital service agreement with Queensland Health, the two roles were part-time.
Dr Hoare also works at Cloncurry Hospital. (ABC North West Qld: Emily Dobson)
The rural generalist said the job-share model pushed him to the brink of mental collapse.
“I was holding on by a string,” Dr Hoare said, when he announced his resignation in March.
Since Dr Hoare’s resignation, the roles have been split into two separate full-time positions.
‘Too much for one person’
Townsville-based outreach doctor Michael Clements purchased the private practice in June and is passionate about providing continuity of care to the people Cloncurry.
Michael Clements says it should not have taken Cameron Hoare’s resignation for change to be made. (Supplied: RACGP)
He said a condition of the sale was that Queensland Health must abandon its job-share model, and separate the hospital and GP practice responsibilities.
“He [Dr Hoare] was facing the normal pressures of running a small business, plus the Queensland Health pressures of providing 24/7 care to a hospital for a community that needed it,” Dr Clements said.
“It was too much for one person to do … it’s no wonder the stress was too much.”
Cloncurry is home to more than 3,000 people. (Supplied: Cloncurry Shire Council)
Queensland Health has since hired a second doctor, Jillian McClimon, in Cloncurry as the regional director of medical services.
She began the role this week.
Dr Clements said before he resigned, Dr Hoare advocated for separating the hospital and private practice roles, but his pleas went unanswered.
“When the system hasn’t fallen over, those claims tend to fall on deaf ears,” Dr Clements said.
“Sadly, it took Cameron walking away and the potential collapse of the service entirely to actually get the negotiating table working again.”
Systemic change
Dr Hoare has now moved from Cloncurry and is between roles in Far North Queensland’s Atherton Tablelands.
“When I made the decision [to quit] and started moving forward, there was like a weight lifted off my shoulders, and my physical and mental health just improved dramatically,” he said.
Cameron Hoare has since moved from Cloncurry. (ABC News: Meghan Dansie)
Dr Hoare said rural health worker advocacy groups, including the Rural College of General Practitioners (RCGP), were aware of the pressure facing small-town medical professionals and were doing what they could, but more action was required from governments to stop other doctors falling through the cracks.
“I don’t think these groups [like the RCGP] need the learnings, I think it’s who these groups report to and lobby to and advocate to,” he said.
“I think it’s the higher governmental levels and policy settings that probably need to learn and listen a bit more.”
Sean Birgan says the new split doctor roles will benefit the Cloncurry community. (ABC North West Qld: Emily Dobson)
North West Hospital and Health Service (NWHHS) chief executive Sean Birgan rejected claims Dr Hoare’s concerns went unnoticed.
“We acknowledge the efforts that Dr Hoare’s put in and also the comments that he’s made about the importance that we need to have in supporting the medical workforce,” Mr Birgan said.
“We believe this model that we’ve put in place will do that.”
Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Tim Nicolls said the new NWHHS’s medical model in Cloncurry was designed to improve long-term workforce sustainability.
