Dr Tim Jones
Dr Frank is a GP Advocate for the State Electorate of Torrens, South Australia. He has been a GP for nearly 50 years, and is now turning his wisdom and experience towards educating members of parliament on the role GPs play in primary care; building relationships through sharing information and advice.
How long have you been a GP, where do you work, and what made you choose a career in general practice?
I started work as a GP registrar in 2016 and achieved my fellowship in 2017. I work on the Eastern Shore of Hobart in a small doctor-owned clinic. Before becoming a GP I was training in paediatrics, and it was while doing night shifts in the neonatal intensive care unit that I found myself talking to the parents, seeing their vulnerability and need for time and support. It was at that point that I recognised that I wanted to care for whole families. I was inspired too by my wife Marita who by that stage was already training as a registrar.
Was there a pivotal moment in your career that led you to become a GP Advocate?
I’ve had two pivotal moments that led to me wanting to be an Advocate. The first was when I was talking to a family with a very vulnerable infant who didn’t have any financial means to afford the meningococcal B vaccination that this child was at high risk of contracting. I knew then that I had to work on issues outside of the consult room to make sure preventative care is available to all regardless of status. The second issue was when Tasmania lost its Mother Baby Unit, leaving us the only state without a facility to support new parents. My wife and I had fairly young kids at that time and knew that we couldn’t sit on the sidelines, so we began a grassroots movement that has led to a return of these services to our state.
You’re Chair of the Child and Young Person’s Health SIG, Deputy Chair of RACGP Tasmania, and a champion for women’s and children’s health. How does advocacy underpin your work in these spaces?
Advocacy is a core part of every role I perform. The concept of ‘influencing without authority’ was introduced to me through the RACGP Future Leaders program last year and has shaped how I try to support positive change. I make sure that I keep the issues that are hurting people on the agenda and have clearly articulated plans for how we can address these. It’s been very positive for me to form relationships with those in positions to activate change and see that they are receptive even if the gears turn slowly sometime.
As a Senior Medical Educator, do you see advocacy as an important skill for the future workforce of GPs?
The future of primary care will be what we make it. Good primary care is 99% invisible to all but us and our patients. Every time I’m engaging with registrars, they bring nuanced thoughts about how to improve our systems of care for the better. I see empowering those registrars to feel okay to come forward in whatever way they feel comfortable regarding their good ideas as a key part of being an educator.
What’s your biggest tip for successful advocacy?
My biggest tip for advocacy is to do your backgrounding of those you wish to influence. I’ve connected with many politicians through showing respect for the health issues that matter to them and then building stronger bridges from there.