The Limestone Coast Local Health Network (LCLHN) claims it is strategically shifting away from depending on expensive locum doctors. Instead, the LCLHN says it has increased its roster of salaried medical staff and is implementing a “targeted strategy” aimed at developing a stable, long-term healthcare workforce in the region.

LCLHN chief executive officer Emma Poland told The [Naracoorte] News that recruitment efforts were ongoing, with a focus on attracting permanent staff and deploying resources more efficiently.

LCLHN chief executive officer, Emma Poland. Photo by LinkedIn; Shadow minister for Regional Health Services, Penny Pratt; Independent member for MacKillop, Nick McBride. Photos courtesy The Naracoorte News

But shadow minister for Regional Health Penny Pratt has rejected the network’s claims, saying they did not reflect the reality she hears “almost weekly” from rural communities.

“Sadly, I am contacted almost weekly about yet another rural practice that has lost its GP, downgraded its treatment hours to a part-time service, or has been forced to close its doors,” Ms Pratt claimed.

She said it was the result of a failure by the government to develop a workforce plan that incentivised doctors to look beyond the city limits.

“The Labor government has no solution other than to support the heavy reliance on locum doctors.

“Given the hefty cost to the Limestone Coast Local Health Network, this is not a sustainable model or a long-term solution.

“It also denies patients continuity of care.”

Ms Pratt said country health was faced with a “recruitment crisis” across all fields.

“…and it requires immediate attention from both the federal and state governments to address the chronic shortage of permanent GPs and the number of rural patients who are being forced to travel to the city more often due to a lack of resources and services.”

Ms Poland said locum doctors played an important role in supporting the provision of healthcare in the region and were engaged where needed.

“Numbers (locum doctors) vary daily based on vacancies and demand across the entire local health network,” she said.

“The LCLHN ensures all doctors working in the network have the appropriate skills and experience to provide safe and effective care.

“As part of our targeted strategy to build a sustainable medical workforce, we have been able to increase our salaried medical staff numbers, which means that we are relying less on locums.”

Ms Poland said senior locum doctors were engaged at Naracoorte and Millicent hospitals mainly for emergency department and inpatient needs.

“We continue to investigate ways to maximise the use of our medical workforce across the network and are always looking at innovative ways to achieve that. We are not immune from the challenges regional Australia faces in recruiting and retaining a workforce in a competitive national and international market.”

She has encouraged anyone interested in a career in regional medicine to get in contact with the network.

“We offer competitive salary packages and training opportunities along with a vibrant and diverse community to live in.”

Cost and sustainability

Member for MacKillop Nick McBride has raised concerns about the long-term sustainability and cost-effectiveness of the locum doctor model used across regional hospitals.

Speaking to this newspaper [The Naracoorte News], Mr McBride explained that the locum system was introduced to fill a gap caused by a decline in GPs fulfilling dual roles—serving both local clinics and hospitals.

“It’s my understanding that the locum model was brought in to address the shortfall of GPs and a lack of traction with GPs moving, or that they had been moving, doing a dual role where they were meeting the medical clinics of the region, but they also played a dual role by meeting the hospital needs, particularly in the last 10 years,” he said.

Mr McBride expressed doubt about the efficiency of relying on locums, especially compared to having local GPs directly involved in hospital care.

Mr McBride said it wasn’t a better alternative and the best use of resources.

He highlighted concerns about the financial burden of the locum system, citing public reports that locum doctors were being paid between $2,000 and $4,000 per day.

“I think that’s a very high cost to pay, and I am not sure who is responsible for that payment—does it fall back to SA Health? They would then pass it back to the federal government—I am not quite sure who is responsible.

“I think in the local scenario, those costs are somehow not absorbed and connected to the local budgets, as potentially they could be hence why this model, let’s just say, has been rolled out in the last 10 years and hasn’t been at a faster pace and speed to rectify and bring back local GPs back into our local hospitals.”

Despite these challenges, Mr McBride pointed to some promising developments.

“What I do know, and I have heard it, not in any sort of documented form, is that there are negotiations going on with Kincraig Medical Clinic back to the hospital, in other words, conversations are being reengaged in this space, and I am hearing that these conversations are being described as fruitful.

“We also have another medical clinic on Smith Street in Naracoorte, which I think is adding to the diversity and expertise as well as the competition around choices of doctors we can see.

“That will also go well for whatever representation the Naracoorte Hospital requires by capturing and working with the GPs in the town to look after the hospital’s need in the way of GP representation.”

Locum doctors in South Australia can earn significantly higher daily rates compared to permanent positions, with specialist doctors potentially earning between $2,000 and $3,500 per day, according to Salt Medical Recruitment.

GPs can earn between $1,200 and $1,800 per day. Rural generalists may see rates between $1,800 and $3,500 per day.

These rates vary depending on experience, speciality, and location.

This article appeared in The Naracoorte News, 20 August 2025.