At the AGM of the Northern Rivers General Practice Network on 19 December 2019 it was resolved to widen the membership of the organisation to include all doctors from Tweed Heads to Grafton. The meeting also resolved to change its formal name to the Northern Rivers Medical Network (NSW) Limited and to trade under the name “Nordocs”.
The Board members of the organisation are Nathan Kesteven, David Guest, Bronwyn Hudson, Louise Imlay-Gillespie, Joe Gormally and Trafford Fehlberg. While the Board is composed of three GPs and three specialists it is planned to widen its membership to include representation by doctors in training and other practitioners from outside the Richmond Valley.
The new direction for the organisation was outlined by Chairman, Dr Nathan Kesteven, in his Annual Report for 2019 with the focus in the coming year being on communication and education of medical practitioners on the North Coast.
As a result the organisation is reviewing its administrative structure with the intention of holding two face-to-face meetings this year. It will work closely with its partners the North Coast Primary Health Network, Northern NSW Local Health District, North Coast GP Training, the Gold Coast Medical Association and General Practice Gold Coast.
GPSpeak will continue in its current format for the rest of 2020. The Editorial Board, which is unchanged, comprises editor Robin Osborne, medical editor David Guest, contributing editor Andrew Binns and graphic and web designer Angela Bettess. Importantly for our “bottom line” the committee remains keen to work with our valued sponsors and advertisers in keeping members abreast of the important medical issues for our area.
GPSpeak will continue to be published quarterly and the organisation’s newsletter and articles are posted throughout the year.
Our chief communications channel is the Nordocs Facebook group, which is open to all medical practitioners living or working in the Network’s footprint. Correspondence should still be sent to the old addresses of Nordocs Board <
The GPSpeak Editorial Committee and the Nordocs Board welcome feedback from all members of both the medical and general community on how we can better serve and inform the people of our fabulous region.
