Matt Partington is an industry expert in Medical Recruitment in Australia and gives us valuable insights into the opportunities for local GPs in 2021 & beyond.
It is a well known fact that GP practices in Australia have been some of the most affected in the pandemic, however the signs are good for a transition to the next normal to see this area grow.
In 2020, we saw a major shift in the GP market, with the Government fast tracking and rolling out bulk billed telehealth services to meet the rapid decline of patients attending their local clinic. This had a large impact on the market in with 31% of GP’s reported Financial Stress (MELBOURNE INSTITUTE HEALTH SECTOR REPORT) & 61% of GP’s noting feeling stress more often than usual. (MELBOURNE INSTITUTE HEALTH SECTOR REPORT). Telehealth allowed some of this impact to be offset, with many practices quickly pivoting from private billing to bulk billing telehealth services. In short, our GP’s were working about the same as usual for less financial reward.
As the economy is starting to improve and rebound, coupled with restrictions easing, we are seeing at rapid pace demand for GPs across all areas of Australia. Locum work is back to near on full demand and the increase in practices looking to bolster their teams of GP’s to support a busy book of clients is back to pre-pandemic demand. As with before, the requirements in Rural and remote areas dominate as well as new emerging areas such as checking in on celebrities whilst they self quarantine in arrival in Australia. As a GP looking to supplement your arrangements with locum work, or if you are seeking your next practice there are options similar to pre COVID. Practices are keen to welcome patients back, and many have used the time to improve their patient experience by investing in technology and infrastructure refreshes and upgrades. Travel is now becoming easier domestically too, making the return to the locum lifestyle a realistic option.
At Charterhouse Medical, we are excited to be working with practices around Australia who have a mixture of high paying roles, and attractive destinations. If you would like to discuss these opportunities further, please reach out to our General Practice Team on 02 7201 2437.
