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Katie Woolf spoke with Katherine Family Medical Practice, Practice Manager Melanie Usher · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Three sixty with Katie Wolf thanks to Joyce Main Dowin
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: Homes owned Stuart Highway, Beermo.
• 0:06
  Speaker 2: Well, we know for quite some time in Catherine there
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: were concerns when the GP service had closed Busha in
• 0:13
  Speaker 2: some wonderful news we know that a private GP clinic
• 0:17
  Speaker 2: has opened its doors in Katherine. And joining me on
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: the line to tell us how it's all going, Catherine
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: Family Medical Practice Manager Melanie Usher, Good morning, mel.
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: Good morning, Katie. Good to talk to you again.
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: Yeah, you too. Now you opened your doors on Monday,
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: as I understand, how's it all been going?
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: Really well? Thank you. Yes, there's been lots of people
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: wanting appointments, so we've had full books for our doctor
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: and our books are filling fast for our nurse practitioners.
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: So it's been very positive.
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: Oh, that is good to hear. How did you go
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: sort of recruitment wise in terms of filling all those
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: positions to open the doors.
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: Yes, So we've been really fortunate that the docor that
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: is here is someone who has worked in Catherine before,
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: and we got in contact with her because we knew
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: she wanted to help out, and so she's made it
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: possible for herself to come up for four weeks to
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: give us a hand and make sure Catherine's got doctors
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: for at least a little while we are still recruiting
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: for more doctors. There's still a lot of work to
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: be done, and we do have we do have a
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: full time doctor starting in June. But so yeah, there's
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: still more work to be done, but we're very fortunate
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: there are a lot of people out there that want
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: to give us a hand and make sure we have
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: access to doctors.
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: Well, that is good to hear, and I guess it's
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: always it can be quite difficult to recruit to different
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: parts of the Northern Territory anyway. But you know, when
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: you're looking at trying to get people to locate, would
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: to relocate, I should say, it can be sometimes a
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: tough sort of decision for people to make with their families.
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: Yeah, that's right. So we've got a doctor who I'm
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: hoping is coming up in June, another one who's coming
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: to see if his family with his family to see
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: if they want to move here and if they will
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: move here. So that's essentially what wanting to do is
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: get them here, show them a fantastic time, how wonderful
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: our community is and everything and hope that they fall
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: in love with the place. And today, oh.
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: That is wonderful and mel, so plenty of people have
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: been in to see the GP and also the nurse
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: practitioners over the last couple of days.
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: Yes, yes, that's right. We've been run off our feet,
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: particularly on Monday when we opened, and of course, you know,
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: had our technical teething problems that means you've actually opened
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: a business. But it's been great. Yeah, We've seen lots
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: of people and everyone's been really happy just to have
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: access to a doctor and a nurse.
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: Oh good stuff. So you'd say the first week so
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: far is going quite smoothly.
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, i'd say quite smoothly.
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: Oh well, Mel, I'm really glad that you guys have
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: been able to open the GP service there and hopefully
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: you're able to recruit those full time doctors that you
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: are after. I know that it's tough sometimes with those
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: types of jobs, particularly in these COVID times as well,
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: when our health practitioners are so very much in demand. Yeah.
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and you know you've got also the issues of
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: locans coming from interstate. So until Dr Kaufman actually landed
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: in the territory. I was concerned that there would be
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: a hotspot declaration if I wouldn't have her.
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: Well, I'm glad she's there. Oh well now sure. It's
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: always good to catch up with you. I really appreciate
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: you having a quick chat with us this morning, and
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: please to hear that the practice has opened.
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: No worries. Thank you very much, Katie, thank you