Our rural emergency departments need your help.

Dear [Title] [Surname]

I am writing to you as your constituent, as a concerned [doctor/nurse/paramedic] and as a participant of Emergency Medicine Education and Training (EMET), delivered by the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM). EMET’s funding future is currently uncertain – and I am asking you to help.

All Australians deserve access to good healthcare, whether they live in the city, country, desert, or on the coast. But there are not enough trained health professionals living and working in rural Australia, with people in communities like ours generally having shorter lives, higher levels of disease and injury, and poorer access to health services compared to those living in metropolitan areas. To help rectify this, we urge you to support initiatives to upskill our existing rural health workforce and continue to invest in their education and training to ensure people living in regional, rural and remote (RRR) areas receive the best possible care.

An excellent example of one such initiative is EMET. Federally funded since 2011, EMET provides emergency care training to healthcare professionals working in emergency departments (EDs) and urgent care services (UCCs) in RRR areas of the country. Approximately 75% of EDs and UCCs nationwide are not staffed by emergency medicine specialists but rather by general practitioners, medical officers, nurses and paramedics. EMET forms the backbone of their emergency medicine education, training and supervision.

Having been a participant of EMET, I have seen the program’s benefits first-hand. I have used the skills I have gained to provide better patient care, with the training delivered right here in [location] and responsive to our community needs. EMET has made me a better [doctor/nurse/paramedic], with our patients the biggest winners. However, I am concerned for EMET’s future as its funding is only guaranteed until the end of 2025. If EMET is not re-funded, we have no replacement for this successful grassroots program. We are already struggling when it comes to staff recruitment and retention in our rural hospitals – de-funding EMET sends the wrong message to those already doing it tough on the frontline.

EMET needs ongoing Federal Government support. ACEM is seeking $13 million per annum for EMET to continue beyond 2025. 

My colleagues, my community and I are asking you to be a supportive voice – in your party room and to the Federal Minister for Health – to safeguard the provision of emergency medicine in our area for years to come.

If you would like to hear more about EMET funding insecurity, visit fundEMET.acem.org.au or send an email to fundEMET@acem.org.au and a member from the team will be in touch with you. 

Yours sincerely,

[Title] [First Name] [Surname]
[Position]