Huon Valley Council Medical Services
The Huon Valley Council took over the management of the Geeveston and Dover Medical Centres to ensure the continuation of primary care to the local community.
The practices have a strong focus on looking after the well-being of the community and would welcome enquiries from VR GPs with no restrictions who have a commitment to providing the full range of primary care. This is a great opportunity for a satisfying part-time or full-time role to use or develop your skills, working across two sites with a busy, friendly and supportive team.
Dover Medical Centre is part of a Multi-Purpose Centre providing comprehensive medical care where, in addition to the General Practice, there are 3 inpatient beds, 18 aged care beds and an emergency treatment room.
Geeveston Medical Centre also provides the full scope of primary care and can provide care at the close by Huon Regional Care Facility with aged care and low acuity Inpatient beds.
The Huon Valley is Australia’s southernmost municipal area. It is a vibrant, semi-rural community in close proximity to Hobart with four principal townships and a population of more than 17,000.
The Valley is dominated by waterways and forested hills and is well known for an excellent range of gourmet produce that has helped Tasmania earn its reputation as a food lover’s paradise. Food and music festivals aside, the waters of the Huon River and D’Entrecasteaux Channel offer world class fishing, sailing, diving and rowing experiences. It boasts National Parks and the World Heritage Area with a diverse range of outdoor activities, from bushwalking to climbing, kayaking to photography and birdwatching. There is a flourishing arts scene with music, visual arts, ceramics and sculpture. Local artists sell their works in the many local markets, including the famous Salamanca Markets.
No traffic jams and only one hour from Hobart – live where it suits best, from the country to the beach.
Opportunity
The Huon Valley Council is seeking Expressions of Interest from General Practitioners seeking to work in the beautiful natural surrounds of the Huon Valley. The General Practitioner will have the opportunity to work across the Geeveston and Dover Medical Centres with flexible work arrangements.
This opportunity will expose you to a diverse range of presentations, whilst working with multidisciplinary teams across the two sites, including GP’s, Registrars, Practice Nurses, students, visiting allied health professionals, and practice staff. There are also close links with community teams such as community nursing , community palliative care and the local pharmacy. The position allows you to work with four other GP’s with the capacity to use your wide array of skills and, of course, to develop new ones if you wish. The practices have well equipped treatment rooms where a range of procedures can be carried out and Emergencies are managed.
There are regular practice meetings as well as education sessions such as EMET (Emergency Medicine Education and Training) with scenario-based training carried out on site by Emergency Physicians from the tertiary hospital. This provides a great level of support and education appropriate to the Rural Setting.
The Practice is in MMM5 area, and eligible for a range of Rural and other incentive payments.
Accommodation is also available for a period of time subject to negotiation and individual circumstances.
For more information, please contact:
Margaret McPherson
Manager Medical Services
hvc@huonvalley.tas.gov.au
Phone: (03) 6264 0300
We look forward to hearing from you.
Teaching and Learning Practices
Working in a rural practice can be very rewarding and satisfying. Our General Practitioners understand the importance of training and supporting medical students. They provide the students with a real feel for working in a rural general practice. Both practices host 3rd, 5th and final year medical students from the University of Tasmania and John Flynn placements.
The practices are also accredited for Registrar placements, working closely with General Practice Training Tasmania for the placement of Registrars from the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) and Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP).
The professional benefits of working in a rural practice include access to professional development and support networks that will help foster skills and develop leadership. Emergency medicine education and training sessions are conducted on a regular basis by staff from the Royal Hobart Hospital as well as regular combined practice clinical meetings held throughout the year.
Both practices are AGPAL accredited and provide a wide range of primary care services, including minor surgery and occupational medicine. The doctors do home visits and can admit to rural health beds at Huon Regional Care in Dover and Franklin to allow for the care of acute medical conditions and palliation. Ambulance services are located in Huonville and the nearest A&E is in Hobart.
After hours needs are triaged by Healthdirect, which minimises after hours call-outs. Doctors are on call in a 24/7 rostered capacity currently at 1:4.
Geeveston Medical Centre
The Geeveston Medical Centre is located at 19 Arve Road, Geeveston, 50 minutes from Hobart. Geeveston is the gateway to the Hartz Mountains National Park and has historically been known as a timber town, with attractions such as the Tahune Airwalk, Geeveston Town Hall, and Visitor Information Centre. Geeveston has a population of more than 1300 people, a median age of 46 and a total of 355 families.
The local area includes a private and a public primary school, Early Learning Centre, and Child and Family Centre as well as a bank, pharmacy, library, hardware store, supermarket and cafés.
The Medical Centre is open from Monday to Friday located in a restored heritage cottage with three consulting rooms, one allied health room and a separate treatment room providing a wide range of diagnostic and procedural equipment.
Dover Medical Centre
Dover Medical Centre is co-located with aged care provider Huon Regional Care with three consulting rooms and a separate treatment room providing a range of diagnostic and procedural equipment. An expansion of the centre is underway adding an additional two consulting rooms to be used for General Practice and Allied Health treatment.
Dover is one of Tasmania’s most southern towns, sitting at the head of Esperance Bay, one of the many bays off the D’Entrecasteaux Channel, and overlooking the small islands of Faith, Hope and Charity. It has attractive beaches and unspoilt scenery, while quaint cottages and English trees give the town an old-world charm. Dover is the entrance to the famous Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area and other popular tourist attractions such as Hastings Caves and Thermal Springs, and Cockle Creek.
Dover has a population of more than 850 people with a median age of 54 and a total of 229 families. The local area includes a public school providing education from Kinder through to Year 12, a Child Care Centre as well as a bank, pharmacy, library, hardware store, supermarket and cafés. There are vibrant clubs in the area including a football, bowls and sailing club as well as a book club, writers group, museum and more.