Planned what to learn

The Advocate needed to understand the complexities of the issue. Simply Advocating for more doctors in Latrobe may not be a practical solution and may not get to the bottom of the problem. Research was undertaken to identify what we knew and what we needed to know.

The Advocate asked a range of questions including:

  • Are there reasons why people in Latrobe are visiting a GP, when another health professional or service may be best placed to assist?
  • What can local GPs and clinics do to ensure continuity of relationship and involvement of patients when there is GP turnover? How can the impact on patients be lessened?
  • What can GPs and clinics in Latrobe do to be more approachable and inclusive of all Latrobe communities?
  • What are the systems, pathways and processes that enable a GP to work in Latrobe? What are the barriers / enablers?
  • What, from a systems point of view has the biggest influence on numbers and turnover of GPs in Latrobe?
  • What are the current numbers, demographics and experiences of GPs in Latrobe?
    • Who are they?
    • Where have they come from?
    • Where are they working?
    • What are their plans for the future?
    • What are their needs now and in the future?
  • What is the distribution of patients in Latrobe and how does this relate to the spread and availability of GPs?
  • What are the emerging policy directions at a Commonwealth and State level?
  • What do key stakeholders such as GPHN, peak training and accreditation bodies have planned for the future? What are they advocating for?
  • What do our stakeholders see as the underlying cause of the problem? How do their perspectives differ? How are they similar?
  • What is working well that should be done more?
  • What isn’t working that needs to change or stop?
  • What works in other places and health systems and why?
  • What might be possible in Latrobe and what might it take to make this happen?
  • What do our stakeholders see as the solutions?
  • Who is best placed to influence and make decisions on these proposed solutions?
  • How do these solutions need to be addressed and what is the best way to approach them?