It has been two years since the Mid North Coast Local Health District Movement Disorders Neurology Service was established and patients are praising the benefits of the highly specialised care they are receiving. 

The service was launched in April 2023 and provides patients with a blend of face-to-face appointments in Coffs Harbour and telemedicine appointments with a movement disorder specialist neurologist in either Port Macquarie or Coffs Harbour. 

It is a collaboration between Mid North Coast Local Health District, Westmead Hospital in Western Sydney Local Health District, the NSW Rural Doctors Network and Parkinson’s NSW. The service is led by Movement Disorder Specialist Neurologists Dr Victor Fung and Dr Hugo Morales Briceno, and Parkinson’s Specialist Nurse Vince Carroll. 

Paul Grant was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2007 and had Deep Brain Stimulation surgery at Westmead Hospital in 2020. The service in Coffs Harbour has removed the need for him to travel to Sydney for treatment. 

“To have the Movement Disorder Service come here to Coffs Harbour is fantastic, it saves energy and time,” he said. 

“When you have a movement disorder getting from A to B is sometimes very difficult. When I travel to Sydney for appointments I get very tired, it takes a lot out of me. So having the Movement Disorder Service here in Coffs Harbour is so much easier.” 

Dr Fung said the program had been embraced at both Westmead and on the Mid North Coast. 

“Our Movement Disorders Specialist Dr Morales Briceno works closely with expert movement disorders nurses who are an integral part of the service,” said Dr Fung. “We have also expanded the service to the NSW North Coast.” 

Parkinson’s Specialist Nurse Vince Carroll – a key advocate for the service – said that the care being provided to local patients is equal to that provided to metropolitan patients. 

“More than 90 percent of specialists reside in the metropolitan areas, leaving only seven percent in rural and regional Australia,” he said. “We are achieving what we set out to do in bridging the gap in bringing world class care to the Mid North Coast of NSW.”        

A recent survey has highlighted the ongoing positive impact of the service: 

• 95 percent of patients are satisfied with the level of care and coordination. 

• 90 percent report a reduction in travel burden, with fewer trips required to Sydney for specialist consultations. 

• GPs overwhelmingly support the clinic, with many now expressing interest in directly participating in virtual consultations with their referred patients.