PROFILE YARRAM MEDICAL CENTRE - GHA Central

PROFILE
YARRAM MEDICAL CENTRE

PROFILE
YARRAM MEDICAL CENTRE
YARRAM DISTRICT
Practice Name:
Location:
Yarram Medical Centre
Gippsland
Address: 91 Commercial Road Yarram, Victoria, 3971
Yarram Medical centre is adjacent to the
Yarram and District Health Service (YDHS)
Contact Phone Number: 03 5182 0333
Fax Number: 03 5182 6136
Practice Principals:
Practice Manager:
Email Address:
Dr Llewellyn Testro
Mrs Elaine Ripper
medical.centre@ydhs.com.au
Primary Contact: Ms Colleen Boag
Executive Director, Yarram & District Health Service
Phone: 03 5182 0222
Email:
yarram.health@ydhs.com.au
Philosophy
Our doctors and practice staff are committed to delivering high quality medical care to
individuals and families of the Yarram and district community.
Our aim is to assist our patients to attain and maintain the highest level of health by providing
the best possible medical care.
History
Dr Llewellyn Testro and partner established Yarram Medical Centre in its current location in
1989. In 1999 Dr Testro entered a joint venture with Yarram and District Health Service
(YDHS). The primary objectives of the joint venture were to recruit General Practitioners to
work within the practice, develop the physical features of the practice, meet Year 2k
requirements and seek AGPAL Accreditation. All of these goals have been met in the interim
years. More recently the Yarram Medical Centre has become a training practice for GP
Registrars that has hosted Registrars since January 2003. The next GP Registrar hosting
period commences August 2008.
All GPs have admitting rights to Yarram & District Health Service.
Yarram Medical Centre is eligible for Government assistance packages as it is within a District
of Workforce Shortage.

Facilities
Yarram Medical Centre was extensively remodelled, extended and refurbished in January
2001; it features seven consulting rooms, two modern procedure areas with purpose built
space for dentistry and optometry and a separate plaster room.
A dental surgery on the Medical Centre premises is sub-leased and occupied by Dr Adel
Abrahams who operates Yarram Family Dentist one day per week.
A fully computerised practice including recall systems pathology/radiology downloads, Yarram
Medical Centre strives to achieve a paperless system. Each office has computers, printers and
internet access. Access to the practice based software is available from the Yarram and
District Health Service Emergency Department. This facilitates electronic prescribing and
access to the medical records of clinic patients by clinic medical officers, as well as the
discharge prescribing for acute patients and residents of St Elmo’s Nursing Home.
In 2005 a digital radiology system was implemented at YDHS. Gippsland Diagnostic Services
are contracted to deliver radiology to patients in the Yarram community and this service is
delivered through Central Gippsland Health Service Radiology Department. X ray and
Ultrasound are available 5 half days per week. Pathology Services are also provided 5 days
per week from 8.00am to 2.30pm, with two courier services to the laboratory per day.
Yarram Medical Centre has access to ECG and point of care testing equipment, Spirometry,
CTG and Doppler to aid in diagnosis. A Practice Nurse is rostered daily to manage infection
control, patient education, ante-natal screenings, immunisations and the procedure rooms.
A central waiting area with controlled access to the consulting suites is observable from
reception. The clinic has excellent disabled access and a parent’s room. The practice has a
kitchen area for staff use and access to a separate meeting room onsite.
All consulting rooms have an office and separate examination room, with ample space to
facilitate good practice.
Yarram Medical Centre is accredited under the Australian General Practice Accreditation Ltd
and as a training practice for GP Registrars.
Consulting Hours
The practice is open from 9.00 am until 5.30 pm Monday to Friday. After hours care is
delivered from the YDHS Emergency Department. GPs participate in a 1:6 roster for after-hour
care of patients of YMC, the general public and inpatients of YDHS.
Personnel
Doctors
There are six (6) full-time and one part-time GP. Two full-time GP Registrars will commence in
August 2008.
Nurses
Three Practice Nurses job share at Yarram Medical Centre to provide 1.2 Effective Full Time
cover. The nurses have midwifery, intensive care, pap test and immunisation accreditation.
They co-ordinate patient care, procedures and the recall systems on instruction from the GPs
and procedures. They are responsible for overseeing the implementation of the infection
control procedures and work to maximise the efficiency of medical staff.

Administrative Staff
Yarram Medical Centre has a Practice Manager and three reception staff. On any given day,
there are three reception staff on duty in the morning and two in the afternoon. The Practice
Manager is located at the Medical Centre.
Range of Practice Services
Yarram Medical Centre provides for the care needs of the Yarram community and as such is a
responsive family medicine practice. Procedures include (but not exclusive to): small surgical
procedures (lumps and bumps), pap smears, patient education, health promotion, lung clinic,
plasters and ECG.
Hospital Affiliations
Yarram Medical Centre has shared location with the Yarram and District Health Service
(YDHS) www.yarramhealth.org.au an innovative rural Health Service providing three streams
of care. YDHS has undergone extensive expansion and refurbishment (most recent 2004)
which accommodates a 50 bed facility consisting of 20 Acute beds, 15 high and 15 low Aged
Care beds. A new accident and emergency area provides a well-appointed, safe and pleasant
work environment.
In addition to bed-based services, Yarram & District Health Service provides a comprehensive
range of primary care services, many of which are located alongside the medical practice.
Yarram and District Health Service was awarded a four year Accreditation during 2006 under
the Evaluation and Quality Improvement Program (EQuIP) of the Australian Council on
Healthcare Standards. St. Elmo’s Nursing Home, the 30 bed residential facility, was awarded
a four-year accreditation in 2006 by the Aged Care Standards Agency. The Health Service
also manages an adjacent 30 bed low care aged care facility – Crossley House Hostel.
Referral patterns within Gippsland are to the Latrobe Regional Hospital, Traralgon West
www.lrh.com.au as the regional referral hospital and Central Gippsland Health Service, Sale.
www.gha.net.au/cghs
VMO Rights
VMO rights are awarded following recommendations from the credentialing committee.
Visiting Services
At the Medical Centre there is a visiting: surgeon, physician, paediatrician, psychologist,
female GP (Royal Flying Doctors, Commonwealth program of female GPs for women). The
surgeon, physician, psychologist, visit fortnightly, the optometrists monthly and the remainder
on a three month roster.
Many other services are delivered on site at YDHS.
YDHS has an Allied Health department with physio and occupational therapy and speech
pathology services and visiting dietician. Welfare, counselling, district nursing and maternal
and child care services are on site.
YDHS participates in a regional consortium of five Health Services across Gippsland that
employs a Director of Medical Services (DMS). The DMS meets with GPs on scheduled visits
to Yarram and delivers a program on emergency medicine, or areas of interest as determined
by the medical staff.

Nursing Home Affiliations
60 beds are on site with:
St Elmo’s nursing home - 15 high care and 15 low care dementia specific unit and the Crossley
House Hostel, adjacent to the Health Service main campus is a 30 bed low care facility.
Home Visits
Yarram Medical Centre provides home visits to patients.
After Hours
After hours care is provided through a 1:6 on call roster.
On Call
Yarram Medical Centre GPs provide after hours care to patients, the general community and
for the inpatient needs of YDHS. This is a 1:6 roster. Essentially this means (given leave
requirements etc) that each GP works one night per week and one weekend every 5-6 weeks.
The GPs cooperate with each other to enable the best opportunity for lifestyle within the
requirements of the roster.