After Hours Doctors to close
The Invercargill After Hours Doctors will close at the end of this month.
The Invercargill Urgent Doctor Society said the “sombre” decision to wind down the service reflected the “evolving landscape of healthcare”.
The service had become unsustainable because general practitioners were increasingly working into the evenings and over weekends to keep up with daytime caseloads, and government funding had not kept pace with inflation.
“While this decision is undoubtedly difficult, it is also a pragmatic acknowledgement of the realities we face,” the society said.
Since its inception in 1990, advancements in treatments and therapies along with an ageing population had “ushered in a new era of complexity in general practice”, which meant doctors had to spend more time with each patient, which many argued the funding model did not accommodate.
The GP workforce had also aged, with many considering retirement in the next five to 10 years. And without an increase in funding, they could not offer competitive wages to attract new doctors.
A report from the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners predicted that by 2030 the number of GPs per 100,000 people would fall from 74 in 2021 to 70 in 2031.
General Practitioners Aotearoa interim chairperson Dr Buzz Burrell had warned that the primary care sector is perilously close to collapse.
GPs were close to industrial action over funding agreements, he said, but feared the impact this would have on patients.
According to a paper published in the New Zealand Medical Journal last week, only 28% of practices in New Zealand had enough staff to remain open for enrolments in 2022 – from 57% in 2019.
The Invercargill Urgent Doctors Society extended its “deepest gratitude to our patients, staff, and the community for their unwavering support throughout the years”.
WellSouth chief executive Andrew Swanson-Dobbs said the news was disappointing but unsurprising, given the pressures on current staff.
The Primary Health Organisation was working with the general practices in Invercargill to support the necessity for face-to-face care after hours, he said.
“We need to look at technology and collaborative approaches, something we in the south are becoming good at as we find solutions to ongoing workforce pressures and lack of funding.”
For now, the community could use the 24/7 Healthline service, while many Invercargill practices had signed up for an after hours telehealth service, Swanson-Dobbs said.
One of those after-hours telehealth services is Practice Plus, and general manager Jess White said the provider had five Invercargill practices signed up, with others in the process of onboarding.
Practice Plus offers virtual telehealth between 9am and 10pm on weekdays, and 8am to 8pm at weekends and public holidays.
Clinicians have access to a summary of most patients’ medical records so they can see their high-level information like their medications and allergies. “Most practices will utilise the Practice Plus service after hours and will encourage their patients to go online and book an appointment via the website,” White said.