Mayor joins healthcare service talks

CENTRAL Otago Mayor Tim Cadogan has assured Central Otago residents he will be ‘‘a voice’’ for the district as stakeholders consider the future of afterhours healthcare in the region.

Mr Cadogan said in a statement on Facebook he had asked to be involved in the discussions between Central Otago GPs, WellSouth, the Southern District Health Board and Dunstan Hospital management about the afterhours service, ‘‘so the community has a voice’’.

He had previously said he was ‘‘as surprised as anyone’’ by the October 26 Central Otago After Hours Inc (COAH) announcement that its service provided by Central Otago GPs at Dunstan Hospital was being cut back from a 6pm to 8am service to a 6pm10pm service.

The change, made because of the ‘‘financial and staffing’’ strain of delivering the service, took effect on November 1. The new system would operate until February 1, after which time it was hoped ‘‘a longerterm plan’’ would be available.

The COAH statement said its board members would not comment further about the issue, but would ‘‘continue to be proactive’’ and work with stakeholders towards a longerterm Central Otago afterhours service.

Mr Cadogan said the change had caused ‘‘considerable concern in the community, and that is understandable’’.

Under the previous system, patients phoned their usual practice after hours, and were then triaged on the phone and advised whether they could wait until the morning to visit their GP, or whether they should call 111 or visit the COAH doctor at Dunstan Hospital.

Now, Central Otago residents requiring urgent afterhours healthcare between 10pm and 8am are being advised to either call 111 in an emergency, or phone their normal practice and receive telephone triaging. They would then be advised to either visit their GP in the morning; travel to the nearest emergency department themselves; or to phone 111, in which case St John staff would decide if the patient needed to be taken to the nearest appropriate hospital.

Mr Cadogan said it was important to remember this was an interim measure and stakeholders were still discussing what would happen after February 1.

SDHB executive director strategy, primary and community, Lisa Gestro, said it was important Central Otago residents realised they would still be seen by a Dunstan Hospital doctor after hours if that was what St John staff responding to any 111 call decided was needed.