Urgent doctor service hours slightly reduced

Dunedin Urgent Doctors and Accident Centre will have shorter hours from next week. It will close 90 minutes earlier from Monday, with new opening hours of 8am-10pm.

Southern District Health Board patient services director Lexie O'Shea said the change was not expected to put pressure on the Dunedin Hospital emergency department, because there were few patients late at night. The move was an interim arrangement until a wider after-hours strategy was agreed.

Southern Primary Health Organisation chief executive Ian Macara said in a statement the PHO ''facilitated the change'' in opening hours, but it was agreed by all parties. He did not respond to follow-up questions.

Centre manager Martin Chamberlain said the centre was told by the PHO to change its hours. There would be cuts to clinician and receptionist hours, but no job losses.