Changes not 'fait accompli'

Brian Rousseau
Brian Rousseau
The Southern District Health Board has not made up its mind on the proposals for health-service changes in the Queenstown area, board member Neville Cook says.

At yesterday's board meeting in Invercargill, he said it was unfortunate some parties involved in the discussions over the proposals had drawn the conclusion the matter was already a "fait accompli".

That was not the case, as the board was going through a process to work out what would be the best way to deliver health services to the Wakatipu.

His comments came after advertisements were published in newspapers featuring board chief executive Brian Rousseau assuring people hospital services would continue.

The advertisements, the cost of which Mr Rousseau did not know yesterday, were designed to correct "media reports" stating there would no longer be a hospital in Queenstown.

"This is not correct and has naturally resulted in alarm among residents," the advertisement stated.

The board was keen to work with all stakeholders to ensure the right solution was found for future health services in the area.

The controversy arose last week when board managers announced the board was consulting staff and unions about having hospital and community health services combined in an integrated family health centre (IFHC).

Any such centre would cover a wide range of health services and include hospital-level and emergency care.

This could be done by revamping the Lakes District Hospital at Frankton or moving to a public-private development within Queenstown Medical Centre's proposed development at Remarkables Park.

In the advertisement, Mr Rousseau says there could well be other options.

Managers also proposed restricting non-urgent access to Lakes District Hospital emergency department between 8am and 10pm from July to save up to $500,000 a year.

Non-urgent patients who could not afford to see GPs would be subsidised.

Mr Rousseau said it was quite clear in consultation last year the community supported the IFHC concept, and he considered the managers' proposal had dealt with concerns about the possible GP costs and the fact the community did not want GPs controlling access to the service.

"I'm not sure what the problem is, to be quite frank."

Mr Rousseau said he saw the IFHC as an improvement on what people had now.

At the board meeting yesterday, the proposals and the process being followed were outlined in the public session, but also listed on the closed-session agenda.

Chairman Joe Butterfield said the board would not be able finally to say "yay or nay" until after it had received union feedback on any professional or clinical concerns.

The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists and the New Zealand Nurses Union have both said they will be raising issues with the board, including clinical leadership and staffing levels.

elspeth.mclean@odt.co.nz

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