The New South Wales Government has a major challenge attracting and retaining health staff to work in regional NSW.
Whether it be Tamworth, Wagga Wagga or Bathurst, nurses, doctors and specialists are reluctant to leave the population centres on the coast.
To make things easier, the State government has instituted a “concierge” service through Skillset to make the transition to the bush as smooth and hassle free as possible.
In many regional cities there are seniors living alone in a comfortable family home, with empty rooms after the children have grown up and moved away. Some even have granny flats with separate entrances that could easily be used for temporary accommodation.
For Bathurst, Oberon, Lithgow and Blayney areas, Cara Curtis (employed by Skillset to implement this new concierge program) has already spoken to U3A and Probus.
These health workers are not strangers off the street. They have undertaken years of university study, are in full-time employment and have been fully vetted with health checks, working with children checks and any other test you could think of.
If interested, please contact Cara Curtis on cara.curtis@skillset.com.au or 0456 494 452 and she will advise you what you need to do regarding any Centrelink payments you may be receiving already.
This could be a wonderful way to meet new people and welcome a new health worker into our community. You never know, you may be needing that service for yourself in the future!
