Extra help sought for arthritis

Palmerston North arthritis patients are calling for more rheumatology services to reduce waiting times and keep up with patient demand.

Julie Hogan, from the city’s arthritis support group, has asked the Midcentral District Health Board to consider hiring a second rheumatologist or a specialist nurse to help people with arthritis access services faster.

She spoke about the bad waiting times during a public forum at a Midcentral board meeting this week.

‘‘For me, personally, I am almost two years down after a diagnosis and I can’t get near a rheumatologist.’’

Arthritis support member Anne Odogwu also said she had to wait years before she got to the rheumatology department.

Hogan asked the district health board whether it was recruiting for a second specialist, and if it could hire a specialist nurse in rheumatology now.

A rheumatologist deals with chronic, long-term conditions, autoimmune conditions and arthritis.

The Midcentral District was left without a specialist for about eight months, following the retirement of its long-serving specialist in August last year. Its second rheumatologist also resigned in December and moved overseas.

During the recruitment delay, the services of a Hawke’s Bay rheumatologist were used for urgent referrals and other followup patients, while others were seen by their GPS.

Midcentral hospital services operations director Lyn Horgan said in the meeting that a rheumatologist had since started at Palmerston North Hospital.

She said the doctor was settling in and working through her clinics. ‘‘She’s here and she’s getting a lot of support from our retired rheumatologist.’’

Although the doctor did have a nurse who supported her with clinics and outpatients, Horgan said Midcentral would look into specialist nursing options.

Recruitment in this area was not easy, she said.

‘‘We need to look at the capacity to develop our nursing work force internally. It is a skill set and it does take time to develop.

‘‘At the moment we haven’t begun any recruitment for a second rheumatologist.’’

She also said the expected time frame for a new patient to receive a first-time specialist assessment was four months.

Chief executive Kathryn Cook said there was an opportunity for Midcentral to design the rheumatology service and engage with community groups who used it.

‘‘It would be great to engage with the arthritis support group while we do that piece of work.’’

The World Health Organisation recommends a ratio of one rheumatologist for 100,000 people. The Midcentral DHB’S population is about 174,000 people.

There is also a shortage of rheumatologists in New Zealand and overseas.

Outside of the meeting, Hogan said it was a waiting game.

She could not remember exactly how long she had been waiting to see a rheumatologist.

‘‘You know that there is going to be a long wait and a return with the referral, so you just about give up in the end.’’

The support group had between 30 and 50 members, but there were many other people in the community with arthritis.

‘‘You can just about guarantee that anybody over 60 years of age is going to have some arthritis of sorts.’’