Hunter - GP Placement
John Hunter Children's Hospital and The Maitland Hospital in conjunction with the Rural Division of GPs
Rural GPs who deliver care to children in their local hospitals and are the on-call emergency medical officers, were given the choice to spend a week at either the John Hunter Children's Hospital or The Maitland Hospital to enhance their skills and increase their networking opportunities for professional support outside the local area.
Unfortunately, due to practitioner shortage in the Hunter Area and the difficulty in getting locums, placements were not taken up. As an alternative, secondments were offered to nurses and allied health staff. One paediatric dietician attended Princess Margaret Hospital in Western Australia for training in continuous insulin pumps/nutritional needs, as Princess Margaret Hospital has set the benchmark in the use of these procedures. Project funds provided airfare and staff replacement for 2 days to maintain clinics at John Hunter Children's Hospital.