Why is this useful for rural and remote people?

This is a useful historical document for rural and remote communities to read. While the severity of doctor shortages today mean that this model may not be suitable for many communities, the general framework for establishing and operating rural health services remains relevant. The RARMS Model as practiced by the Healthy Communities Foundation Australia Ltd supported 17 towns to sustain health and medical care in rural and remote towns for 20 years. Since 2001 when the model was first developed, it has been extensively revised by the Healthy Communities Foundation Australia through its practical experience of delivering and sustaining health and hospital services in rural and remote towns. Two key lessons emerge from the implementation of the RARMS Model in rural and remote communities: (1) rural and remote communities need to advocate to State and Federal governments to restore pooled funding arrangements for the delivery of integrated local GP and VMO services to support local primary care and hospital sustainability; (2) the highest priority for rural and remote communities is to focus on the sustainability of primary care - having a local GP who can act as VMO in the local hospital is the most effective way to ensure local hospital emergency and acute care services are retained. As the only successful and proven model of primary and hospital care delivery in rural and remote towns, it remains an invaluable example for rural and remote communities. Rural and remote communities can use the success of this model to advocate to government to re-instate pooled funding, and to focus on strategies to grow GP/VMO capacity for small rural and remote towns.