Joining a vital team 

Last year, after working for 25 years at a family general practice in Eltham, Dr Lisa Bendtsen decided she was ready for a change. 

“I've always had a hankering to work in rural communities, but my husband is a structural engineer, and years ago, when I was first married, [his job] tied us to the city,” says Lisa. “But now that our children are all grown up and left home, I felt this was the perfect time for me to go and do locum work.” 

Lisa decided to sign up to a few organisations offering locum GP services, specifically looking for opportunities to travel to and work in rural and remote communities for a few days or weeks at a time. The Flying Doctor’s Rural Women’s GP service was one of these organisations. 

“My friend Julie (who services the community of Yarram through the Rural Women's GP service) suggested that it might be something that I would enjoy,” says Lisa.  

The service appealed to Lisa for a number of reasons: first and foremost, it gave her the chance to work in remote areas, allowing her the opportunity to see people who for a variety of reasons had difficulties accessing a GP.  

She was also well aware of the Flying Doctor’s reputation, so the role also meant she could feel connected to an Australian icon. 

And as an added bonus, working at clinics in regional areas gave her the chance to travel and see more of Victoria than she’d ever had the chance to before. 

“When I head out there, it's lovely to do things and explore. I love cycling, so I’ll take my bike or my runners or my bathers, depending on where I end up, and just try and get out there and see things too.” 

Initially, Lisa was tasked with servicing the community of Charlton in North Central Victoria, due to a vacancy left by Dr Vivienne Whitechurch, who recently retired after 14 years with the program. In Charlton, there is only one local GP, who is a man. As such, Lisa, just like Vivienne before her, was not only able to support the local GP, but she was also able to offer gender choice to all local patients – both men and women – who preferred to consult with a female GP. 

Then, in early 2022, an opportunity arose for Lisa to visit a second town, when the Harrow Bush Nursing Centre approached the Flying Doctor to see if the Rural Women’s GP service could potentially expand into Harrow.  

Due to GP shortages within the region, Harrow had been without a local GP for more than 18 months, and visiting GP services had ceased in early 2022. As an isolated community in Victoria’s far west, this had a great impact on the health and wellbeing of Harrow’s community members. Many people were choosing not to follow up on assessments and important appointments, as their only option was to travel to clinics located more than one hour’s drive away, which had limited availability anyway. Considering that Harrow also has an aging population with no access to public transport, this shortage of local GPs was making it increasingly difficult for community members to have their health needs met. 

Thanks to funding from the Rural Workforce Agency Victoria (RWAV) and the Flying Doctor’s generous donors, the Rural Women’s GP service expanded to include Harrow in July, with Lisa beginning to visit the Wimmera town for two days every six weeks. And, as Lisa explains, the reception she received was quite humbling. 

“It felt like being a rock star,” she says with a laugh. “People were overwhelmingly appreciative, and I was quite humbled by that to be honest. I felt golly, I better live up to this standard now! I better make sure I can fulfill what people are expecting or wanting or needing.” 

The support offered by the nursing team at the Harrow Bush Nursing Centre was also exceptional. 

“The nursing staff are incredible at Harrow,” says Lisa. “The nurse that showed me around was also a first responder, so she would often go out if there was a farm accident or a traffic accident or a heart attack, and she'd provide urgent care until the ambulance arrived. I thought, ‘Gosh, these people really are on the forefront’. Once again, I was quite humbled by the experience.” 

In just her first two visits, Lisa has seen 42 patients, with the value of the service evident through her conversations with patients. 

“It is really nice for people to sometimes see someone who isn't part of the community. I think some of the patients were staff or staff members’ husbands who hadn't been accessing a doctor for a while, as I think it can feel a little awkward to speak openly if the doctor lives in town,” says Lisa. “Sometimes people feel that they can very much open up to someone who comes for a few days and then goes away again. I think rural communities – women, yes, but men as well – need that support.” 

For Lisa, the chance to provide continuity of care to the community of Harrow, and offer support to the dedicated local nurses, makes for a wonderful new chapter in her career. 

“The nursing staff are obviously having to step up because of the shortage of medical personnel, and they’re doing an absolutely fine job,” says Lisa. “It’s so nice to be part of that team, if only intermittently.”