Wreck Bay Clinic Survey

Wreck Bay Clinic
Service Preference Survey

Background

South Coast Medical Service Aboriginal Corporation (SCMSAC) have provided General Practice (GP – Doctors) Clinics to the Wreck Bay Community for many years. Recently a decision was made by the CEO of Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community Council to allow an additional General Practice (Waminda) to provide services from the Wreck Bay Clinic, we are told this is what the Community wants.

Although the Wreck Bay Clinic is owned by the Community, SCMSAC have continuously paid for the Clinic expenses including: a rental fee, installation and equipment for the phone system and internet, call costs, security of the building, ground maintenance, cleaning (infection control), sanitary services, electricity, insurances (Public Liability/ Professional Indemnity, Business, etc) as well as other maintenance costs. We believe the decision to allow an additional General Practice to work in the Clinic has been made without full consultation or consideration for logistical matters mentioned above and how this will impact on our service delivery.

More importantly, SCMSAC are concerned with how this is going to affect the Community and feel our strong opposition to this has been disregarded. With the co-location of GP services, we have real concerns for the quality of services to the Community regardless of the days of operation of respective General Practices.

Our concerns regard the consistency of medication delivery and the potential harm this could bring for clients, the potential for duplication of medical testing including invasive testing and a potential for over prescribing of medications. There are also potential issues with legal ramifications for providers (General Practitioners), client privacy and confidentiality, complaints management and handling and the potential for data breaches which could prove damaging for respective agencies.

Our Commitment

SCMSAC still remains committed to providing Doctor Services to the Wreck Bay Community on 2 days with the potential to go to 3 days, however we are temporarily providing Doctor Services from the Jane Ardler Centre in Nowra only (as we believe the two practices should not co-locate). We are also providing transport for those in need to access this Clinic until these matters have been adequately and appropriately addressed. All other services such as Counselling (Psychologists, etc), Drug and Alcohol and Case Work will continue to be provided from the Wreck Bay Clinic weekly.

Survey and Eligibility

Due to the above, we are asking our Aboriginal clients who are at least 16 years and over, who have attended the Wreck Bay Clinic Doctors in the past 12 months, as well as any Aboriginal residents of the Wreck Bay and Jervis Bay Villages, who are 16 years and over to complete a short survey and indicate their preference of provider for Doctors Services within the Community, further how they would prefer these services to be delivered.

Incentive

As an incentive for completing the short survey, we are providing eligible persons with $20 regardless of your answers. Participants will need to enter their First and Last Name, Full Address and Date of Birth so we can verify that you are eligible to partake in the survey.