The Kaipara Medical Centre is reassuring patients it will do its best to meet patient demand, especially heading into the busiest weeks of the year, when the usual winter illnesses hit.
The centre will be boosted by the arrival in early July of a locum GP from the UK. Dr Anna-Louise Dennis will be at the Helensville clinic until the end of January 2018. She is effectively providing cover for one of the centre’s two permanent GPs who are currently on maternity leave.
Kaipara Medical Centre Board Chairman Dianne Kidd says, “we are actively searching for another permanent GP but given the nationwide shortage of doctors, particularly for rural practices like ours, that search is proving challenging.”
Dianne Kidd says the centre is asking for the community’s help to ease the pressure.
She urges the community to understand is that the Kaipara Medical Centre is a GP clinic and not an accident and emergency service.
“We are the only medical centre in our area, so of course our doctors and nurses will do whatever they can to help those who need it, however, we are not resourced like a hospital’s emergency department.”
She says on average the centre calls in the ambulance 2-3 times a day to take patients to hospital and everyone who walks-in without an appointment potentially impacts those who are waiting for a booked appointment.
Patients are also encouraged to sign up to the secure online service, Manage My Health which lets users book doctors appointments, order repeat prescriptions and check test results whenever it suits them.
Dianne Kidd says all aspects of the medical centre’s services are being reviewed and if the staffing situation isn’t resolved reasonably soon then it may pilot other changes.
She says the Kaipara Medical Centre Board is committed to its vision of creating the ‘healthiest rural community in New Zealand,’ and wants to express its thanks to the centre’s staff for the excellent service they’re providing in this challenging environment.
The Kaipara Medical Centre has also recently welcomed Ngaire Lyall from Nga Maunga Whaakahi and five local marae to its board, replacing kaumatua Glenn Wilcox who was on a 12-month term from the rununga. Dianne Kidd thanks Mr Wilcox for his valued contribution.
