Reducing hospital pressure

Queensland company House Call Doctor recently launched onthe Tweed, offering personal house calls from their doctors after hours. We talk to the company’s marketing and communications manager Lisa Bourke about their plans for the Tweed.

1. What inspired you to open/expand the business in Tweed?

House Call Doctor has assisted more than 200,000 patients in Queensland since launching in April 2015. Early on, we knew patients in New South Wales would benefit from after-hours medical care too. It made sense for Tweed to be one of the first service areas we expanded into, given that at least one after-hours doctor has closed doors here in recent years. The Tweed community has been incredibly friendly and receptive towards us and we will continue to grow our services to reach more families in NSW over the next year.

2. What do you most enjoy about operating this business?

House Call Doctor arose from a need to provide quality after-hours care, when regular GPs are closed. In decades gone by, most GPs conducted house calls as part of their daily rounds. Today though, less and less family GPs are able to offer house calls, and this is why we enjoy operating our much-needed services. Our GPs enjoy that each night is different with House Call Doctor. Operating a mobile service means we see a range of patients throughout different parts of the Tweed. Our teams assist with a whole variety of medical needs, including more common complaints such as colds, flu and rashes; or complicated diagnoses such as gastro, home accidents and even chronic conditions.

3. What’s the biggest challenge in operating a business in Tweed?

The Tweed Shire is a vast region that encompasses many unique destinations and eclectic communities. Our biggest challenge will be rapidly expanding the service, so we can reach as many patients as possible. There are young families and elderly residents living in Tweed who are in need of our after-hours care. However, considering the sunny weather and beautiful beaches, our doctors couldn’t ask for a better office!

4. What’s the biggest advantage in operating a business in Tweed?

The Tweed region is advantageous because it borders both NSW and Queensland. Its unique location, climate and welcoming community made Tweed a natural choice when the team at House Call Doctor decided to expand interstate. Our GPs have been able to help an incredible number of Queenslanders since April 2015, and we know that New South Wales residents need our care too. We’re excited to discover even more about Tweed, and to help a growing number of local patients after-hours!

5. What are your future plans for the business?

Ultimately, House Call Doctor would like to provide a national after-hours service to patients across Australia. House Call Doctor wants to ensure that all Aussies have access to medical care, even when their normal GP clinics are shut. We started in the Wide Bay area in 2015 with just four cars, and four doctors. Today, we have 50 cars and close to 400 doctors.house-call-doctor-media-sunshine-coast-daily-January-2017

Original Source: Sunshine Coast Daily | Janine Hill | 28 March 2017