Services will continue uninterrupted at Longreach Family Medical Practice and Barcaldine Medical Centre as their ownership transfers from Outback Medical Services to Central West Hospital and Health Service.
Outback Medical Services and Central West Health have previously partnered to support the delivery of these services, with Outback Medical owning and operating the clinics, and Central West Health employing the doctors and supporting some systems.
The two organisations have reached an agreement regarding a change of ownership which seeks to best support the ongoing care to our communities and ensure continuity of GP services in Longreach and Barcaldine.
Private and public patients will continue to see the same doctors following the transition to Central West Health from 19 December.
During the transition process, patient medical records at Longreach and Barcaldine will remain secure and patients will have the opportunity to transfer their records elsewhere if desired.
An updated consent form will be available to patients on their next visit.
There will be no change to existing appointments.
The Longreach Family Medical Practice and Barcaldine Medical Centre will now join our other three Central West Health wholely-owned and operated practices at Alpha, Blackall, and Winton.
The practices at Alpha, Barcaldine, Blackall, and Winton all are located in health service-owned premises, while the Longreach Family Medical Practice operates from leased premises in the Iningai Health Arcade.
I’d like to thank Outback Medical Directors Dr John Douyere and Dean Workman for what has been a longstanding relationship between our two health service providers that started in July 1997.
They have been long-time members of the Longreach and wider Central West communities and are highly valued health partners of Central West Health.
We are grateful for all that John and Dean have offered the community over the years and for their support in ensuring services can continue to be offered.
Both have been passionate and dedicated contributors to the health and wellbeing of our communities.
We are very pleased to welcome highly skilled nursing and administrative staff from these practices to our Central West Health team.
We look forward to continuing serving our Longreach and Barcaldine communities.
As we approach the Christmas–New Year period, both the Longreach and Barcaldine practices will be taking short breaks.
- Barcaldine Medical Centre: Closed from 23 December to 8 January and reopens 9 January.
- Longreach Family Medical Practice: Closed from 23 December to 2 January and reopens 3 January.