Another year, another Rural GP workforce update, and there’s plenty to celebrate.
More GPs than ever before are calling rural Western Australia their workplace.
According to the Rural General Practice in Western Australia: Annual Workforce Update, as of 30 November 2025, 1067 GPs now work across rural WA.
Between November 2024 and November 2025, 58 doctors joined the workforce, which is the largest annual increase in rural GP numbers in more than a decade.
Rural Health West Chief Executive Officer Professor Catherine Elliott praised the positive numbers.
“This is fantastic news for rural and remote communities,” Catherine said.
“GPs are the cornerstone of community health and to see the number of rural doctors grow from just 756 ten years ago is incredible.”
The state welcomed 30 additional resident GPs living and working in rural communities, which reverses the previous trend of rapid growth in fly-in, fly-out and drive-in, drive-out models.
The report, which has been produced by Rural Health West for 25 years, also pointed to improving workforce stability across much of rural WA.
Turnover has remained steady across the state at 13.2 per cent which was welcome news and suggests that more doctors are choosing to remain in regional communities.
“We have seen turnover rates fall in both the Goldfields and the Pilbara,” Catherine said.
“In the Goldfields, GP turnover fell to 9.8 per cent, the first time it’s dipped below 10 per cent in a decade.
“This is really exciting data, and it tells us that the workforce in the Goldfields is becoming more stable.”
The Pilbara also recorded a significant turnaround after several years of high turnover.
“GP turnover in the Pilbara fell to 15.5 per cent, which is down sharply from 23.4 per cent the previous period,” Catherine said.
“Both regions have struggled in the past to retain doctors, so this is welcome news.”
The length of time GPs spent in regions is an important metric of continuity of care, with the longest average tenures at one practice recorded in the Great Southern at 9.4 years.
More than half of GPs in the region (53.5 per cent) had worked in their current principal practice for more than five years.
This was similar in the South West where almost half (46.6 per cent) of the GP workforce had worked in their current practice for more than five years.
Catherine said the numbers pointed to the importance of investing in retention efforts.
One such effort is the statewide network of Health Professionals Networks (HPNs).
More than 5500 health professionals across WA are members of the HPNs, taking part in education, social networking events and professional development workshops.
The not-so-good news
While there was much to celebrate in the report, concerns remain.
The issue of housing affordability and availability threatens future workforce growth and retention in many regions.
Housing is increasingly being raised as a workforce issue by both employers and health professionals.
“More health professionals are asking about housing before they are prepared to accept a position,” Catherine said.
“In some cases, securing accommodation has become just as important as discussing salary, professional opportunities or working conditions.”
Rural Health West continues to hear concerns about the financial viability of general practice services across many smaller communities.
The closure of the Kalbarri Doctors Surgery in June and the temporary closure of the Northampton Medical Centre in 2025, demonstrate just how quickly access to primary care can be disrupted in smaller communities due to workforce or financial pressures.
Local governments are increasingly stepping in to provide financial and in-kind support to help maintain access to healthcare services.
Healthcare is not traditionally a local government responsibility.
“There is growing recognition that more sustainable long-term solutions are needed,” Catherine said.
Advocating for you
Recently Rural Health West contributed to the Senate Inquiry into Rural, Regional and Remote Medicare Access and Funding, highlighting challenges and the need to explore alternative funding and service delivery approaches.
Catherine said we must ensure practices servicing smaller communities have sustainable operating models which will allow them to continue providing care.
“Our challenge is ensuring that every community – regardless of size – has access to sustainable primary healthcare,” she said.
Rural Health West is also working with the Western Australian Local Government Association (WALGA), local governments and other stakeholders to identify alternative funding and potential service delivery models.
“Workforce planning can no longer be separated from issues such as housing, community infrastructure and financial viability,” she said.
“Our focus now is ensuring that workforce growth is matched by the support systems, infrastructure and policy settings needed to retain those health professionals and build a sustainable workforce for the future.”