Recruitment and retention of Far North Queensland allied health professionals by the FNQ Division is a constant challenge. The role is demanding and challenging, with practitioners required to travel regularly to remote communities and work long hours in difficult circumstances.
With a limited workforce available, the FNQ Division remains focused on filling the gaps in allied health services in our regional and rural heartland. It does this by actively identifying and seeking targeted funding opportunities such as the Rural Primary Health Program and by forging strategic partnerships, wherever possible, to pool resources, expertise and local knowledge.
Allied health professionals visit Yarrabah, Mossman-Port Douglas, Babinda, Innisfail, Mission Beach, Tully, Jumbin, Cardwell Kuranda, Mareeba, Atherton, Yungaburra, Malanda, Ravenshoe and Cooktown on a regular basis.
As part of our commitment to fostering dynamic, multi-disciplinary primary health care teams, the FNQ Division actively promotes the sharing of information about group workshops and events for patients. It also manages and maintains Cairns Health Online – a comprehensive local directory of Cairns health care providers.
Allied Health Reference Group
The Allied Health Reference Group meets regularly to discuss common issues and provide input to the strategic direction of the FNQ Division from an allied health care perspective. Cairns allied health professionals share a common interest with the FNQ Division in taking a proactive stance on shaping the future of primary health care delivery in our community.
The Allied Health Reference Group is currently:
- finding ways to form multidisciplinary clinical teams around special areas of health needs based on expertise/interest – to service the whole FNQ area, and
- generally providing an allied health perspective on all issues relating to the health care reforms.
For more information, contact the inaugural chairperson, Christine Coop.