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Looking after the doctors who look after rural South Australia
We know distance, workload and privacy concerns can make it harder for rural doctors to access independent medical care.
Doctors’ Health SA works to improve that access through outreach visits to regional and remote communities across South Australia. When a visit is available in your area, it offers a practical, confidential way to access care closer to where you live and work.
Rural Doctors Outreach Visit
What is a rural check-up consultation?
A rural check-up consultation is a private medical appointment with a visiting doctor from our doctors’ health network.
It includes a history, examination and any investigations that may be needed. It is a thorough clinical and risk assessment of your current health and can last up to two hours if required.
Once an outreach visit is confirmed in your region, appointments can be booked in advance. Appointments are limited and cannot be made on the day.
Contact Program Manager, Megan Galpin, on email megan.galpin@doctorshealthsa.com.au if you are interested in bringing this wonderful service to your region.
Healthy Doctor Dinners
Rural medicine asks a lot of you. These dinners are a chance to step out of the day-to-day, share a meal with local colleagues, and have a real conversation about what helps doctors stay well, grounded and sustainable in rural practice.
This is not a lecture-heavy night - it's a warm, thoughtful and engaging evening that blends practical ideas and the relief of being in a room with people who understand the unique pressures of rural medical life.
You can expect:
- good food and a welcoming atmosphere,
- practical ideas for protecting your own health and energy,
- open conversation about the realities of rural practice,
- strategies for managing pressure, boundaries and time,
- reflection on how to build a healthier, more sustainable working life, and
- connection with colleagues who genuinely get it.
These dinners are designed to leave people feeling less alone, more understood and better equipped.
Topics might include:
- looking after your physical and mental health,
- recognising strain before it becomes crisis,
- building healthier workplaces,
- supporting colleagues with care and confidence,
- making room for life outside medicine,
- sharing the habits and perspectives of rural doctors who are sustaining their work well.
Rural Doctor Retreats
These retreats have been rigorously evaluated and the results show that over 90% of rural doctors who have attended have made significant and lasting changes in their life.
Rural Doctors attending a Retreat will:
- discover that they have choices which ultimately influence their quality of life
- make decisions about what they would like to change to improve their lives as rural GPs
- develop strategies (including time management, communication, self-talk, self-awareness, saying no, dealing with -perfectionism etc) to assist with change
- deal with obstacles or barriers to change, including internal (self-talk, high expectations, perfectionism) and external (workload, others’ demands, lack of resources, financial and family pressures) barriers
- network with other rural doctors and share strategies for dealing with the challenges of rural practice
There is no registration fee thanks to the Rural Doctors Workforce Agency. All accommodation at the Stamford Grand, meals (excluding dinners) and parking is covered for the attending Doctor. Doctors’ Health SA encourages doctors to bring their families for the weekend, however, this will be at your own expense.
Visit the events page to check dates for any up and coming Rural Retreats.
What previous participants said about the Retreats:
“For the first time in 12 months I’ve actually been relaxed”
“Highlighted some of the simple ways I can decrease time commitments at work and increase the time with family"
