A SHORTAGE of doctors and nurses has been cited as one of the main reasons for the merger of two local medical centres.
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Just over three years after its multi-million dollar expansion opened, Westpoint Shopping Centre at Windradyne is set to lose one of its major tenants when the medical practice that operates on the centre's first floor closes its doors.
Westpoint Medical Centre is merging with the Kelso Medical Centre at the Trinity Heights Shopping Centre, according to Sonic Healthcare Australia, which operates both practices.
A Sonic Healthcare spokesperson said that, despite best efforts, the difficulty in recruiting and retaining enough doctors and nurses for both practices made operating from both locations unsustainable.
The doctor shortage is not just a problem Bathurst is facing; general practices around the country are all facing the same challenge.
The Sonic Healthcare spokesperson said the Westpoint Medical team will be operating out of the Kelso practice as of November 3, 2023.
The spokesperson said that Westpoint patients might have to travel to a new location to see their GP, but they won't have to find a new doctor as all staff are transferring to Kelso.
The decision to merge was made in order to continue providing patients with high quality, comprehensive care, the spokesperson said.
They also said the continuity of care during the transition is the organisation's top priority, and more information for patients is available online.
Wespoint and Kelso Medical Centres have operated in Bathurst for decades, originally owned by Dr Anne Gilroy.
In November 2012, Dr Gilroy sold both practices to the Independent Practitioner Network (IPN), the umbrella both medical centres have operated under since.
The loss of Westpoint Medical Centre will be a disappointment for the Westpoint Shopping Centre, whose $10 million, two-and-a-half-year expansion opened in mid-2020.
The expansion increased the commercial area at the centre and doubled the car park's capacity.
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