By DANE LILLINGSTONE
AFTER being rebranded last year and introducing a medical health centre earlier this year, Clifton Community Health Services is a true example of a whole community effort.
It is a community focussed co-operative that encompasses the Clifton Private Hospital, a 23-bed nursing home, 15-bed hostel, eight independent living villas and a brand new medical centre.
General manager Brad Jones said it was largely run by and for the community.
“We actually have members that are drawn from the community,” he said.
“At the moment there are 30 community members who pay an annual fee of $20. From that they elect a volunteer board and eight directors.
“They’re ultimately the governance of the organisation, carry out strategic direction, and it’s up to us to carry it out.”
The service itself originated in 1949 and has been servicing the town of Clifton and its surrounds since.
Mr Jones said that their services attracted people from a wide range of areas.
“If you took a 100km radius around Clifton, you’d find we’re drawing people to both the medical centre and aged care, locally but also from the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Brisbane,” he said.
The medical centre in particular has proven popular and unlike other areas in the Southern Downs, they completely bulk bill.
“Once we opened the medical centre, we got people from Warwick and the other side of Toowoomba, which is good,” he said.
“For the medical centre anyone can use our services and it’s bulk billed for everyone. You can ring and make an appointment.”
The hospital is private and their aged care facilities are available to those who’ve had an Aged Care Assessment Team assessment.
With 75 employed and six doctors, they are a major employer in Clifton and its surrounds but Mr Jones wanted to stress that although they receive grants and funding, they’re not Queensland Health.
“We’re not Queensland Health, we don’t have bucket loads of money,” he said.
They also invest in the future of rural health.
“We’re training the next generation of doctors here, we get student doctors that come and cycle through and it’s the same with nurses,” Mr Jones said.
“By doing that we’re really ensuring there’s some people with exposure to rural medicine.
“Even if one in 10 people come and say the country’s a nice place to set up and work, then we’ve ensured the future.”
