The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Tasmania has voiced alarm about an ongoing inability to refer non-urgent patients to the Launceston General Hospital’s endocrinology unit.
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RACGP Tasmania chair Dr Clare Ballingall said “GPs and our hospital specialist colleagues are expected to do more and more”.
A letter to Northern GPs from the Launceston General Hospital’s two endocrinologists, who make up a 0.3 FTE position, said the specialists were very concerned by long-standing staffing shortfalls. The letter by Drs Joanne Campbell and Anne Corbould deemed the situation a crisis. Endocrinologists treat patients with hormonal conditions and complicated diabetes.
“We only refer patients with complex issues and unmanageable complications,” Dr Ballingall said.
She said the low level of endocrinology access would put strain on GPs and patients. Dr Ballingall said many diabetes patients lived with other chronic health issues and were often at the “lower end of the socioeconomic health gradient”.
She said the government should be judged on how they dealt with the community’s most sick and vulnerable. RACGP Tasmania was “alarmed but not surprised” by the contents of the letter, she said.
A state government spokesman on Sunday said the government was working to fix the long-standing issue and the application process for a new full-time LGH endocrinologist closed late last year, and the recruitment process was continuing. LGH Support Group chair Rosemary Armitage said she requested an “urgent meeting” with Health Minister Michael Ferguson and the group to discuss concerns including endocrinology this week.
A state government spokeswoman confirmed the meeting would occur, and said the government was “keen to find a solution and support the staff at the LGH”. The endocrinology shortfall was worsened in 2015 when the North-West Regional Hospital’s two endocrinologists, who made up one full-time equivalent position, resigned, the letter obtained by Fairfax Media said. It said intermittent locums had since filled the position.
LGH Medical Staff Association chairman Dr Scott Parkes said GPs were playing a significant role in diabetes management, and said the 0.3 endocrinologist position was “not enough”. He welcomed recruiting a new FTE endocrinologist.
