The small town of Northampton in Western Australia’s Midwest is grappling with a healthcare crisis following the abrupt announcement of the closure of its only general practice clinic, Northampton Doctors Surgery. Dr. Tara Hamilton, the clinic’s lead physician, shared the news on social media last Friday. She announced this week that the surgery will be closing its doors at the end of July. This closure leaves Northampton’s approximately 1,000 residents without accessible medical care, thrusting the community into uncertainty and concern about their health services.
The closure comes in spite of Northamptonshire Council’s recent efforts to continue the practice and save it from closure. Earlier in 2023, the council entered into a financial agreement with the surgery, providing a low-cost lease for the clinic and a residence for a doctor in hopes of maintaining healthcare access in the area. To bring a doctor to Northampton, the shire offered $600 travel subsidies. Yet, these measures have been far from enough.
The only town that provides complex medical services is Geraldton, just 50 kilometres away. Residents face an immediate impediment with no consistently available or affordable public transportation route between Northampton and Geraldton. Adding to this scenario is the challenge it creates for those in desperate need of medical care.
Community Reactions and Concerns
Developing a respectful dialogue between local residents and health professionals about the long-term impacts of this closure would go a long way. Ian Taylor, a physician in the region, stated that “It’s very difficult for practices in Geraldton, for example, to take up the slack.” He told of how Geraldton tended to be “fairly under-doctored.” This new reality can create busyness, making it difficult to absorb new patients from Northampton.
Long-time local resident Bec Reynolds said she was devastated that the surgery was closing. “People are going to freak out and miss this. It was always booked out,” she noted. Her sentiments are echoed by many residents who used the clinic for their primary care needs. Reynolds further explained that BUSPH’s Pharmacies, Health and Equity Initiative, the pharmacy in Northampton, would be extremely impacted by the surgery’s closure.
Dr. Hamilton shed light on one of the major challenges that continues to make recruiting medical professionals to rural areas a tall order. Four years into the process, as he lamented, “I just cannot recruit a physician — locally, nationally, or internationally — to come serve our lovely community. In her communication with residents, she promised them that her decision hadn’t come easily. External pressures on rural healthcare systems significantly impacted her decision to walk away. Consider this decision in the context of how difficult it is to operate rural health care today. It doesn’t mean people aren’t committed or don’t care.
Systemic Issues in Rural Healthcare
The recent closure of Northampton Doctors Surgery is the latest indicator of a worsening trend for rural healthcare across Australian states. Dr. Michael Clements concurred, stressing that the majority of practices are hanging on by a thread with unsustainable funding mechanisms. So, Mr. Israel has said, they have been put through several years of largely annual frozen rebate cycles. Even with the government’s newly increased investments in Medicare, he says, the existing rebates are insufficient to maintain a survivable practice.
Dr. Clements reminded participants that the Medicare system under-serves, and sometimes harms all care in rural communities. Ultimately, many practices are finding the Medicare system bursting at the seams with unideal funding for community needs. This problem is exacerbated by a lack of infrastructure, particularly in rural communities,” he continued. This invisible, systemic problem is what makes real towns such as Northampton continue to have difficulties keeping healthcare providers afloat in their community.
Ian Taylor from the federal government noted that feds don’t have many tools to work with. He reiterated that there aren’t great alternatives for directly targeting small towns. He further expressed concerns about tailoring Medicare to fit towns like Northampton, which ultimately affects their access to necessary health services.
Government Response and Future Outlook
The Western Australian government is currently lobbying hard for additional federal subsidised support for GPs. It has resulted in them concentrating their efforts to meet the persistent demand in regional and rural communities. The Albanese government has pledged to make nine out of ten GP visits free by the end of the decade, aiming to alleviate some financial burdens on patients. Major rebate changes are going into effect on November 1. Without some of the strongest provisions, none of these changes ensure unlikely to keep many other rural practices, like Northampton Doctors Surgery.
Northampton is preparing for a future in which it has no GP clinic. Residents and local elected officials are understandably nervous about the future access to critical healthcare services in their communities. The distance to other medical facilities with obstetrics available and lack of public transportation only adds to the burden for this tiny community.
