Phoebe Bardsley had one of those lightbulb moments while studying health service data.

The bare statistics clearly showed that the Australian health industry has a growing problem – the maldistribution of skilled medical staff.

Phoebe decided that rather than just analyse the challenge, she would do something about it.

Go Locum was born.

The Darwin-based company, which has been granted $350,000 seed funding through Paspalis Capital and support through the Paspalis Co-Investment Fund, a joint initiative with the Territory Government, provides a digital platform that connects doctors to the best locum work – that is, temporary work – throughout the country.

The business was only launched in late 2021 but already has many major customers, including the Northern Territory Government, and the New South Wales and Tasmanian governments.

It has provided locum doctors for Royal Darwin and Palmerston hospitals and wants to extend its services to the other Territory hospitals – Alice Springs, Gove, Katherine and Tennant Creek – and the rest of regional Australia.

Go Locum recently placed its first doctor in a remote Indigenous community – Yurruwi (Milingimbi), the largest of the so-called Crocodile Islands off the Arnhem Land coast.

Most of the doctors come from interstate, but an increasing number are being recruited from overseas, particularly Britain and Ireland.

“Hopefully, many of them will fall in love with Australia and stay.”

Phoebe and Go Locum co-founder Dr Josh Case want to eventually expand their recruitment business to cover senior doctors and nurses.

The business is playing a key role in easing staff shortages in regional hospitals.

“I was carrying out health analytics and could see that there were staffing problems in hospitals, problems that could sometimes become quite critical,” says Phoebe.

“I wanted to help create a solution.

“We know that a lot of young doctors want a break about two years into their careers. They’ve studied hard for seven years to qualify and then worked hard as junior doctors for two years.

“Many just want to go travelling. Others want to try something different – like getting out of the big city and working in a hospital in regional Australia.”

Go Locum’s digital platform allows doctors looking for something different to see locum opportunities throughout country Australia.

The system also performs another important function – it speeds up “credentialling”, checking the applicant’s medical credentials.

Locum work lasting up to six months mainly involves resident medical officers working in emergency departments, general medicine or surgery.

“We have built up good relationships with hospitals and health authorities,” Phoebe says. “We’ve got a great relationship with Royal Darwin – they like the fact that we are local and, therefore, can provide local ground support.”

The seed funding from Paspalis Capital helped Go Locum get off the ground.

“The funding was great,” Phoebe says. “It accelerated our growth and enabled us to build strong relationships in the Territory.”

Paspalis chief executive Harley Paroulakis says: “Phoebe came through the Start NT program at the Darwin Innovation Hub and executed with clarity from day one.

“Through that platform—and with backing from the Business Innovation Program—she proved Go Locum’s potential and commercial traction. That’s exactly the kind of founder Paspalis backs: Territory-based, globally scalable, and solving a real problem with a smart, investable solution.”

How does Go Locum “sell” the Northern Territory to young interstate and international doctors?

The business portrays the NT as somewhere different – a friendly, vibrant community where doctors can not only work in a highly professional and, at times, career-enhancing environment, but also enjoy a great lifestyle.

Go Locum’s website and Instagram includes photos of Territorians having fun, such as swimming at Florence Falls, canoeing in Katherine Gorge or watching the world’s best sunset from the Ski Club.

Not surprisingly, the company’s motto is Work Flexibly, which means striking a healthy work-life balance.

Phoebe, whose parents are both English, had an unusual upbringing.

Her father works in the oil and gas industry, which led to her being born in Abu Dhabi and, at the age of seven, moving to France.

She later attended a school in the historic English city of Bath – famous for its Roman baths and being the home of author Jane Austen – for four years.

“I had a happy childhood. Living in Abu Dhabi, France and then England instilled in me a sense of adventure and a longing to see the world. And this is what we want to do for young doctors.”

At the age of 20, Phoebe made the momentous decision to move to Australia to study economics at Queensland University – and fell in love with a dashing Aussie doctor, Ed Stois.

“I never went home – my friends told me that would happen.”

Her brother Jay has also moved to Australia and is now Go Locum’s marketing manager.

Phoebe and Ed lived in Alice Springs for six months before moving to Darwin.

“I loved it – the camping is fantastic.”

In one way, Phoebe and Ed are doing what Go Locum does – they moved to Gove in April with their newborn Territory baby after Ed accepted a job with the district hospital.

“I’ve done a lot of travelling but the Territory is now home.” TQ