A GP will be based at Beaudesert State High next year, as part of a pilot program working to increase young Queenslander’s access to doctors.
The Scenic Rim high school was among 50 schools in Queensland included in the initiative.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the program was part of the $100 million student wellbeing program which Labor announced at the last election.
“This will make a difference to thousands of students throughout the state,” she said.
“Every Queenslander deserves to be able to book a doctor’s appointment when they need one but for many young people, getting in to see a GP is often difficult and expensive.
“We know that one of the greatest barriers for many young people is the difficulty in finding a GP that bulk bills.
“The last 18 months have affected us all. Our students, in particular, have had to overcome great challenges throughout the pandemic. This has undoubtedly had an impact on their health and wellbeing.
“This is an important investment.”
Public Health expert, Aletha Ward said she was excited by the rollout of the program.
“What [the program] is trying to achieve is removing barriers by providing direct access to appropriate medical care, which is timely, free and confidential,” she said.
“That means we’re removing those barriers to access and also increasing early intervention where medical concerns arise and that stops them escalating.”
Education Minister Grace Grace said the State was inundated by Queensland schools’ interested in the program and in response, expanded the initial scheme.
“Originally, the GP pilot program was designed to base GPs at 20 state secondary schools throughout the state,” she said.
“We asked schools to register their interest to participate in this program and we were inundated with requests which is why we’ve expanded it to 50.
“These schools are spread across the length and breadth of the state and I have no doubt the GP service will make a big difference to each and every one of them.”
Dr Ward said the overwhelming interest in the program echoed the pilots need.
“I think the [added schools] are a reflection on the need that’s in this age group and communities,” she said.
“And also, the difficulty accessing care in the community to start with but also it can be difficult for young people to navigate a sometimes complex health care system.”
Dr Ward said the pilot would work to tackle issues in young people like mental health, substance abuse, sexual health, food insecurity and obesity.
Dr Ward said notifying parents on discussions between students and the school based GPs would be dealt with on a case to case basis.
“Generally [parents] won’t be notified,” she said.
“If the medical practitioner thinks the student understands the treatment options, what they’re on it for and they have the cognitive and emotional capacity to make that decision, then it will be confidential.
“Obviously GPs are medical practitioners under AHPRA [Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency] so there’s certain reportable incidents.
“But generally, this will provide a really comprehensive confidential service that will get on top of things early and introduce that early intervention.”
Dr Ward said the rollout wouldn’t be a silver bullet in fixing the issues, families also needed to play a role in the health and education of their kids.
“This can’t be done in isolation, a GP won’t fix all the problems,” she said.
“Health and Wellbeing Queensland have funded a number of programs recently and they are very interested in the food insecurity and obesity space and how to support that.
“The approach needs to be multifaceted in helping these areas youth and we do need to still be accessing programs like the ones funded by Health and Wellbeing Queensland.”
