Rural and Remote Specialist Interest Group

 

Rural and Remote SIG Autumn Update

It is nearly 5 years since the R+R SIG was founded. This SIG exists to provide a forum for sharing information, networking and professional development on, and advocacy for rural and remote palliative medicine/care, trends and best practice. The SIG currently has 48 registered members, including 6 on the Working Group.

Recent and current activities of the SIG include advocacy (members were invited to provide feedback to ANZSPM to include in their submissions to the Commonwealth Government Primary Care Workforce Review and MBA Rural Generalist Review), peer support (monthly case based discussion led by Dr Chrstine Barry), and participation in the RACP sponsored (FATES funded) project to scope and establish the Rural and Remote Institute of Palliative Medicine (DR Christine Sanderson – clinical lead; Steering committee includes members of the R+R SIG).

A number of Working Group members will complete their 5-year term later this year, so there will be vacancies on the Working Group (Co-chair and members) at the end of 2024. There will be a call for nominations in June, with elections to be held at our annual R+R SIG meeting in Adelaide during the ANZSPM 2024 Conference.

Any ANZSPM member working in an Australian or Aotearoa NZ rural or remote setting is eligible to join the R+R SIG. If you would like to be more actively involved, please consider joining the Working Group.

Sue Rainsford and Rosemary Ramsay (co-chairs)

Co Chairs: Dr Suzanne Rainsford, and Dr Rosemary Ramsey 

Cased Based Discussion Forums Coordinator: Dr Christine Barry 

The Rural & Remote Palliative Care SIG was formed after an informal meeting of rural and remote palliative medicine practitioners at the 2018 ANZSPM conference in Manly, NSW. It provides a forum for sharing information, networking and professional development on, and advocacy for rural and remote palliative medicine/care, trends and best practice. The SIG currently has representation across diverse settings including metropolitan, regional, rural and remote, specialist palliative care and general practice across all states of Australia and New Zealand.

The Terms of Reference for the group were formalised and accepted by ANZSPM Council on 5th December 2019. The aims of Rural & Remote Palliative Care SIG include:

  • to provide peer support for rural/remote palliative medicine practitioners by facilitating communication, relationships, and collaboration between those with an interest in rural and remote palliative medicine/care
  • to promote, support and advocate for the ongoing development of rural and remote palliative medicine/care and its provision in Australia and New Zealand.

The SIG currently has representation across diverse settings including metropolitan, regional, rural and remote, specialist palliative care and general practice across all states of Australia and New Zealand.

Priorities for the SIG were decided by a survey of SIG members in June 2020 and are listed below in descending order.

  • growing the rural and remote workforce
  • strengthening member support
  • developing research.

 

Case Based Discussion Forums

The ANZSPM rural and remote special interest group (R&R SIG) currently supports a peer based continuing professional development group that meets monthly to discuss complex case management in rural settings. This group is currently full. If there is sufficient interest from members to become part of another group, support for this would be provided, in the form of zoom access, the existing agenda and guidelines, and initial facilitation/attendance by a member of the current group for support. If you would like to become a part of another case based discussion group, contact [email protected] or  [email protected] 

If you would like to join this SIG, contact ANZSPM Secretariat at [email protected] and we will put you in contact with the Group Chair.