Quick answer: NHR supports GP clinics across Perth and regional Western Australia with recruitment and staffing for GPs, Registered Nurses, Enrolled Nurses and other clinic roles. Flexible options can help practices manage urgent roster gaps, permanent vacancies, extended-hours services and the additional challenges involved in regional recruitment.

General practice in Western Australia is carrying more demand than its workforce comfortably supports. That pressure is not evenly distributed. A clinic in Subiaco and a clinic in Kununurra face different versions of the same problem, and the solutions are not interchangeable.

For clinic owners and practice managers managing current and future rosters, GP clinic staffing in WA is worth looking at precisely: what the workforce picture actually shows, what has changed recently, and which levers are genuinely available.

1. What the WA workforce gap actually looks like

The RACGP’s General Practice: Health of the Nation 2025 puts numbers to what most WA practice managers already feel.

Two things stand out. First, WA sits meaningfully below the national average and has the third-lowest rate among Australian states and territories. Second, the national picture has improved slightly while the most remote communities have gone the other way, with GP supply in MM6 areas falling by roughly ten FTE GPs per 100,000 between 2019 and 2024.

The national average conceals a geographic distribution problem that is especially consequential across a state as large as Western Australia, given the distances involved in serving regional and remote communities.

The same report’s executive summary notes that one in three GPs intends to stop practising within five years, and that 63% are considering reducing their time spent practising. There are more encouraging signs too, with almost half of GPs now saying they would recommend general practice as a career, up from 38% in 2023. The workforce is being rebuilt, but not on a timeline that helps a clinic filling a roster gap next month.

2. Three pressures converging on WA clinics right now

Bulk billing changes may increase appointment demand

Since 1 November 2025, bulk billing incentives can apply when any Medicare-eligible patient is bulk billed, rather than being limited to children under 16 and concession card holders. Practices can also register for the Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program, which pays an additional quarterly loading on eligible bulk billed services for practices that bulk bill all eligible patients for all eligible services.

For clinics that take it up, the commercial logic is clear enough. The staffing consequence is less discussed: practices offering more bulk-billed appointments may experience greater patient demand, increasing the clinical and administrative capacity required. For some practices the binding constraint becomes the number of consulting rooms they can actually staff.

The urgent care network is expanding

Western Australia’s Medicare Urgent Care Clinic network has continued to expand, with metropolitan and regional clinics operating across locations including Ellenbrook, Geraldton, Gosnells, Midland, Morley, Nollamara and Rockingham. Additional clinics have also been announced as part of the national expansion. These services improve access to urgent care. Their expansion may also increase competition for GPs, nurses and administrative staff with experience in extended-hours and same-day clinical environments.

The current list is maintained on the Australian Government’s Medicare UCC locator.

Regional maldistribution has not resolved

Recruiting to Karratha, Broome, Kalgoorlie or Merredin can be considerably harder than recruiting within metropolitan Perth, and the MM6 decline suggests the gap has widened rather than narrowed. Regional clinics increasingly need a staffing model built around a mix of resident and short-term placements, rather than a single permanent hire that may take many months to land.

3. A stronger nursing team can increase clinic capacity

When a clinic cannot find a GP, the instinct is to keep looking for a GP. Often the more available improvement is on the nursing side.

To be clear about what this does and does not mean: nurses work within their own scope of practice and do not replace medical practitioners. Medical care that requires a GP still requires a GP. What a well-utilised nursing team can do is take on the substantial body of work that sits within nursing scope but currently occupies GP appointment slots.

General practice nurses in Australia deliver preventive health, early intervention, chronic disease management and care planning as part of the multidisciplinary team. Registered Nurses assess, plan and deliver care for acute and chronic presentations, develop and review care plans, and administer and monitor medication. Enrolled Nurses provide nursing care under the direct or indirect supervision of a Registered Nurse, contribute to care planning and remain accountable for their own practice.

Recent workforce research and the national Scope of Practice Review have both pointed in the same direction: with shortages and rising primary care demand, there is a strong case for enabling general practice nurses to work to their full scope. In practice, that means chronic disease reviews, health assessments, immunisation, wound care, triage and recall work handled by the nursing team where clinically appropriate and within the nurse’s scope of practice.

The same logic applies at the front desk. An experienced medical receptionist or practice manager who knows the clinical software, recall systems and billing workflows removes a meaningful amount of load from clinicians. Understaffing that layer is a false economy.

For clinics thinking about this as a whole-team question rather than a vacancy-by-vacancy one, our guide on how a healthcare recruitment agency in Perth can solve staffing shortages covers the approach in more detail.

4. Accreditation does not pause when you bring in agency staff

Practices working toward or maintaining accreditation carry an evidence burden as well as a clinical one. The RACGP Standards for general practices set what accredited practices are measured against, and there is a live change here worth noting: the College released a sixth edition on 26 August 2026, with transition and implementation arrangements under the National General Practice Accreditation Scheme still to be published.

Whichever edition applies to your next assessment, one thing does not change: the obligation does not lift because a role is being covered by an agency placement rather than a permanent employee.

In practice, that means the areas most clinics expect every team member to be current in apply to temporary staff too:

• Infection prevention and control, and hand hygiene
• Workplace health and safety
• Emergency procedures and response
• Privacy and confidentiality
• Cultural awareness and respectful care
• Incident reporting and risk management
• Basic life support, for roles where it applies

Clinical staff carry additional expectations around medication management, vaccine storage and administration, chronic disease management and triage. Reception and administrative staff carry their own around records and appointment management, complaints handling and patient privacy.

The practical consequence for a clinic operator is simple. A placement who arrives already oriented to these areas costs you far less supervision time than one who does not, and it is a reasonable thing to ask any staffing agency about before you engage them.

5. How NHR Staffing Group supports GP clinics across WA

NHR supports clinics through this workforce transition across both metropolitan and regional WA.

Clinic-ready staff across the full team. We supply GPs, Registered Nurses, Enrolled Nurses, occupational therapists and physiotherapists, medical receptionists, practice managers and cleaning staff, screened and prepared for GP clinic workflows, urgent care protocols and patient-flow management. For clinicians weighing up an allied health move, our guide to allied health careers in WA covers the pathways in more detail.

Familiarity with the systems your clinic already runs. Our clinical staff work across the major clinical software platforms used in Australian general practice, including Best Practice (Bp Premier), MedicalDirector (Clinical and Pracsoft, and the cloud-based Helix), MediRecords, Halaxy and Zedmed. Less time lost to software orientation on day one.

Coverage across Perth and regional WA. From Joondalup to Rockingham in the metropolitan area, and across regional hubs including the Wheatbelt, Pilbara, Goldfields, Mid West and Kimberley. Our regional healthcare staffing guide sets out how we approach placements outside the metropolitan area, and our guide on hiring experienced staff in remote and regional WA covers harder-to-reach locations.

Responsive recruitment for shortage periods. Sudden absences, high-volume days, seasonal illness surges and extended-hours coverage need a different response speed to permanent recruitment. We work to fill these quickly, and we will be straightforward about what is realistically achievable for a given role and location rather than committing to a date we cannot control.

Support for urgent care settings. We supply appropriately qualified clinical and support staff for urgent care workflows involving minor injuries, infections, musculoskeletal presentations and same-day patient flow.

Face-to-face preparation at our Malaga office. Depending on the role and placement, candidates may receive practical preparation covering relevant clinical software, communication, infection control, triage, patient-flow processes and clinic-specific workflows, including current Medicare and bulk billing requirements. The intent is that staff arrive confident and ready from day one.

Flexible engagement models. Casual, part-time and full-time coverage, permanent recruitment, long-term and short-term placements, multi-clinic workforce planning, rural and remote placements, and dedicated urgent care staffing.

6. Where we place staff across Western Australia

We place across the Perth metropolitan area, from the northern corridor through to the southern suburbs and Peel, and across regional WA including the Pilbara, Kimberley, Goldfields, Wheatbelt, Mid West, South West and Great Southern.

If you are unsure whether we cover your location, it is worth asking. Regional coverage depends on the role and the timing more than on the postcode.

Looking to fill a role? Contact our team to discuss your clinic’s staffing requirements, or browse our current listings if you are a clinician considering GP clinic work.

Frequently Asked Questions

How short is the GP workforce in Western Australia?
In 2024, WA had approximately 97 full-time-equivalent GPs per 100,000 people against a national average of approximately 113, according to the RACGP’s Health of the Nation 2025 report. That was the third-lowest rate among Australian states and territories. The shortfall is most pronounced in remote areas.

Which roles does NHR cover for GP clinics?
GPs, Registered Nurses, Enrolled Nurses, occupational therapists and physiotherapists, medical receptionists, practice managers and cleaning staff. For many clinics, strengthening the nursing and administrative layer delivers faster relief than holding out for a GP vacancy to be filled. Nursing staff work within their own scope of practice and complement rather than replace medical practitioners.

Which clinical software are your staff familiar with?
Our clinical staff work across the major platforms used in Australian general practice, including Best Practice (Bp Premier), MedicalDirector including Clinical, Pracsoft and Helix, MediRecords, Halaxy and Zedmed. Tell us which system your clinic runs when you brief us and we will factor it into the match.

How quickly can a clinic be staffed?
It depends on the role, the location and what is available in the market at the time. Metropolitan casual and short-term coverage typically moves faster than permanent regional placements. We will give you an honest read on the likely timeframe up front rather than a number that sounds good and then slips.

Do you cover urgent care clinics?
Yes. With Medicare Urgent Care Clinics expanding across WA, we supply appropriately qualified clinical and support staff for urgent care workflows involving minor injuries, infections, musculoskeletal presentations and same-day patient flow.

What preparation do NHR staff receive before placement?
Depending on the role and the placement, candidates may attend face-to-face preparation at our Malaga office covering relevant clinical software, triage, infection control, communication, patient-flow processes and current Medicare and bulk billing requirements.

Do you place staff in remote WA?
Yes. We place across the Pilbara, Kimberley, Goldfields, Wheatbelt, Mid West, South West and Great Southern regions, using a mix of resident, long-term and short-term placements depending on what the clinic needs and what is sustainable for the location.

Talk to us about your clinic’s staffing

The WA GP workforce gap is not going to close quickly. What clinics can control is how they staff around it: recruiting to the full clinical team, using nursing scope properly, and having a staffing partner who understands both metropolitan and regional conditions.

Contact NHR Staffing Group to discuss GP, nursing, allied health, reception, practice management and cleaning staff for your clinic, whether you are in the Perth metropolitan area or regional WA.