Cost, geography and limited services are the three main barriers people in Walcha and across the New England face when trying to access health care close to home.
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In recognition of these problems it is the role of New England Medicare Local to identify gaps and improve access to primary health care – everything from physiotherapy, to diabetes education, podiatry and exercise physiology – to ensure the smaller communities around our region have access to the services they need close to home and at a low cost.
To do this New England Medicare Local contracts with a number of health professionals across the region to deliver services to communities where there is a service shortage or “gap”, or where local services, for one reason or another, do not exist.
A person’s access to timely primary health care, in hand with healthy lifestyle habits, can greatly reduce their risk of chronic disease, improve their general health and has direct links to keeping them well and out of the hospital system.
This in turn reduces the burden on the hospital system, enables people to monitor their own health and encourages them that prevention is better than cure.
Prue Morgan and Sally Rutherford are contracted by New England Medicare Local to offer physiotherapy sessions through their business, Walcha Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Centre, in the village four days each week.
Ms Rutherford said it was rewarding being able to provided services in the towns where she and Ms Morgan has decided to settle with their families.
“I think people are very appreciative that they don’t need to travel to Armidale or Tamworth for the services we provide.
“We see a number of elderly patients through the service who would otherwise need to organise transport to Armidale or Tamworth if the services were not available.”
Ms Morgan said there were other advantages to practicing in a small community too.
“Patients are able to be seen locally and many have been known to us for a number of years,” she said.
“They feel comfortable because they know us and over the years we have built up a strong patient / provider relationship.”
The services that Ms Morgan and Ms Rutherford provide to the Walcha community have existed for the better part of a decade as part of rural primary health care program.
These allied health services usually exist in the background, along with other supportive health services, to ensure people are cared for outside of a hospital setting.
