Afterhours GP service to reduce hours from Thursday

CENTRAL Otago After Hours will reduce its afterhours GP service from next Thursday as it continues to face staffing and financial pressures.

The COAH board yesterday issued a statement indicating it would take the interim measure — offering afterhours care to primary care patients from 6pm to just 10pm daily — until February next year, when ‘‘we hope a longerterm plan will be available’’.

The statement, issued by Central Otago After Hours Inc practice manager Jenaya Smith and chairwoman Kate Dixon, said the board would not be commenting further.

With no local emergency department, general practitioners provide urgent care in the area. Through COAH, GPs or nurses provide afterhours care to patients in or around Cromwell, Bannockburn, Alex andra, Clyde, and Omakau.

Until now, it has offered afterhours care from 6pm to 8am.

The statement said for the past three years COAH had dealt with staffing and financial strain and ‘‘we are no longer able to provide the same level of service’’.

It said COAH suffered from a lack of local GPs able to take on a 14hour shift in addition to their own practice’s normal working hours.

In June, the board met WellSouth, Dunstan Hospital and Central Otago Mayor Tim Cadogan to address the concerns.

At that meeting, it was agreed COAH, WellSouth, the hospital and the Southern District Health Board would put together a longterm plan for the area, the statement said.

At the time, it was agreed COAH would deliver the same service until September 1 as work on a longterm plan was under way, the statement said.

The deadline was later extended until this Monday.

‘‘Patients requiring urgent afterhours GP services between 10pm and 8am daily should call 111 in an emergency or contact their normal daytime practice and be diverted . . . for telephone triaging [as happens now],’’ the COAH statement said.

From there, afterhours patients would be advised to

call 111; receive telephone advice and potentially visit their daytime practice in the morning; or travel to the nearest emergency department.

Waitaki MP Jacqui Dean issued a statement yesterday saying a lack of funding from the Government and the consequent reduction in hours of afterhours care for the area was the realisation of her ‘‘worst fears’’.

‘‘Local GPs are now unable to maintain the workloads and the service has been slashed to the bone, with the community left to pay the price,’’ she said.