The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is congratulating this year’s NSW and ACT RACGP Award winners.
The winners are:
· Raymond Terrace Family Practice has won General Practice of the Year
· Dr Isabel Hanson working at the Gandangara Health Services in Liverpool has won GP in Training of the Year
· Dr Karen Douglas from Terrigal and Avoca Beach Medical Centres on the Central Coast has won GP of the Year
· Dr Saif Alkadhi of Abermain has won GP Supervisor of the Year.
RACGP President Dr Karen Price congratulated this year’s winners.
“The RACGP Awards are an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the hard work of GPs and their teams in caring for their communities,” she said.
“This year’s winners have truly gone above and beyond for their patients and contributed to the health of their communities, congratulations to you all.”
Dr Sarah Bayley of Raymond Terrace Family Practice welcomed news of the award.
“At Raymond Terrace Family Practice, we have a long, proud history of helping patients in the local area,” she said.
“The practice has been serving the community since the 1940s and some patients may even recall attending the practice and waiting on the veranda to see their GP. It has moved around a few times but retained a strong reputation with every relocation.
“I have always said that being a regional GP is an incredibly rewarding profession. You are connected to your community; your patients know and trust you and you can see the positive impact of your work every day.”
Raymond Terrace Family Practice’s Dr Chris Boyle also welcomed the award.
“We take on medical students and registrars at all stages of training who require support and supervision including Australian Defence Force registrars and we have a committed culture of learning and sharing knowledge,” he said.
“Indeed, all of the doctors who work in the practice have gone through as registrars to become specialist GPs. I have personally had a hand in everyone’s training.
“Since our Health One GP Superclinic was built in 2014, patients have been able to experience integrated care by general practice and community services including pathology, dental, psychiatry and child and family health.
“The pandemic has required all of our staff to step up to help the local community and I am proud of what we have done. Our COVID-19 respiratory and vaccine clinics have required many long hours and I’m glad to report that so far, we have delivered more than 18,000 respiratory assessments and 25,000 vaccinations – an incredible achievement that will help keep our local community safe.”
Dr Hanson said that the award was a welcome bonus during a busy year.
“Working as a registrar has been an incredibly rewarding experience. I have been fortunate to have inspiring general practice mentors across my training who have shaped who I am as a doctor,” she said.
“My aim is to become an academic GP who can contribute to the local community through clinical work, research, teaching and leadership. To reach that goal I am looking to get the most out of my final GP placement and the academic registrar program this year. There is always much more to learn and I can’t wait for the next steps in my career.
“My academic post research project is aimed at identifying social prescribing activities and gaps in current knowledge. So say a patient presents with mental health issues and a number of chronic conditions, a GP may be able to change their health trajectory by prescribing a non-clinical service such as joining a local walking group where they will exercise, connect with their community, and enjoy being in uplifting green spaces outdoors.
“GPs know all too well that social disconnection and isolation contributes to poor physical and mental health – we see the end product of this every day.
“I want to learn more about the barriers standing in the way of social prescribing in Australia. We know, for example, from recent surveys that GPs agree it can improve health outcomes but less than 20% regularly discuss social prescribing with their patients. So how can we change that? How can I help social prescribing grow in communities nation-wide? These are the questions I want to help achieve answers to.
“When working with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in Liverpool, serving our patients is not just about treating their presenting symptoms on the day, it is about seeing the whole person in their context.
When we see and treat people this way, we contribute to lifelong health and wellbeing, not only curing illness.”
Melissa Williams, Chief Executive Officer of Gandangara Local Aboriginal Land Council, said it was wonderful for Dr Isabel Hanson to be recognised.
“A key goal for Gandangara Health Service is providing the best possible patient experience for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients by ensuring that their voice is heard loud and clear in determining their health and wellbeing journey. This is a key focus of Dr Hanson’s work, and she is doing a tremendous job,” she said.
Dr Douglas was humbled to achieve recognition.
“I started 31 years ago as an FMP trainee in our practice and am still here, very happily, as part of the Central Coast Community. I’ve now looked after some four generations of Coasties,” she said.
“There are so many aspects to the way we work that engages my passion and enthusiasm, not least access to high standard health care for all Australians, especially women, children, first nations and anyone who might otherwise struggle to get the healthcare they deserve.
“The pandemic has been challenging for us all; however, it has also highlighted the best of general practice.
“At every step along the way, I have been proud to work as part of a really strong team, both within my practice and across the broader medical community to achieve the best possible outcomes for the region.
“I am deeply honoured to receive this award, but am certain that many other health professionals are working just as hard as I am in these unprecedented and difficult times.”
Dr Alkadhi welcomed his award as GP Supervisor of the Year.
“It is great to be recognised for my work but acting as a GP Supervisor is reward enough because I love teaching,” he said.
“Investing that time in a range of skills, whether it’s providing advice on counselling distressed patients or suturing pig skins, is incredibly rewarding. I have increased the number of registrar positions in my practice and it’s great to see that registrars are keen to come on board and learn from my colleagues and me.
“Don’t forget, I learn from them too! By listening closely, I may pick up an insight that I hadn’t considered before, there is always something new to learn.
“I am very proud of my practice is Abermain, it is a central part of the local community. I am continually expanding the services offered, working closely with local providers, and establishing visiting practitioners to enhance patient access to services – that includes podiatry and exercise physiology.
“I encourage any future doctor to strongly consider a career as a rural GP. You are an integral part of the community and never taken for granted by patients who may not have ready access to a full suite of medical services. Why not give it a shot? You may surprise yourself and never look back.”
The RACGP national awards will be announced on 20 November this year.