Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora said this morning it does not anticipate any additional pressure on the emergency department as a result of the cutback although it has called a meeting in Dunedin to look at the issue.
Dunedin Urgent Doctors & Accident Centre has reduced its operating hours from 8am-10pm to 8am-9pm for the foreseeable future, citing a lack of resources.
General manager Adam O’Byrne said it was a sign of the times.
‘‘We’re facing the same staff pressures as the rest of the health system.
‘‘It’s a difficult environment to be in and we’re not immune to that down here in Dunedin.’’
Mr O’Byrne said in order to address some of the likely backlog, they would be increasing staffing arrangements during the day.
But Dunedin City GP owner Dr Adrian Hindes said he was worried about the overall impact on the system.
‘‘More people will need to go to the emergency department if they need an X-ray or if they need a fracture managed.
‘‘I’m predicting a wave of presentations unless the situation is handled well.’’
Dr Hindes said he sympathised with Urgent Doctors staff.
However, he was worried about how the changes would be managed.
‘‘What if it gets really full, and at 7 o’clock they say, sorry, but we’ve got too many patients now?
‘‘So it could be at 7 o’clock tonight, patients will have to start going to the emergency department if they need urgent medical care.’’
Asked about this possibility, Mr O’Byrne said it could happen.
‘‘While our presentations late at night beyond 9pm are generally lower, we understand that there may be some small impact on the community and therefore on ED.
‘‘This is something we are well aware of and wish to avoid at all costs.’’
Mr O’Byrne said the urgent doctors centre would monitor patient presentations daily and look to match any increase demand with an increase in staffing during the day.
‘‘We have also looked at the after-hours shifts our guild members [GP practices that contribute to the centre’s roster] fulfil and have slightly adjusted these to ensure there is more support during peak periods after-hours, while also supporting a sustainable workload and getting our GPs/NPs home earlier after many of them have been working all day.’’
He was unsure when it would be able to return to full opening hours, but hoped it would be temporary.
‘‘[The centre] is constantly reviewing patient presentations and the demand on the health system.
‘‘This a daily priority for us, and we are working collaboratively with WellSouth, Health New Zealand and the Guild on a way forward so we can restore patient access to after-hours care as to what it was before.’’
Dr Hindes said he wanted more assurances.
‘‘They’re saying they’re hoping it’s just going to be a temporary change, but they don’t seem to have any sort of plan in place where they’re going to roll things back to normal.’’
Health New Zealand Te Waipounamu community integration manager Aroha Metcalf said in a statement it had been notified yesterday of the change by Wellsouth.
"We want to reassure the community that we do not anticipate pressure on Dunedin Hospital’s ED to increase as a result."
On average between two and three patients presented to the Urgent Doctors between 9 and 10pm, which is the hour the urgent care service won't be provided.
"We have been in regular communication with DUDAC about the pressures on their service and the need to ensure the welfare of its clinicians."
A workshop with Dunedin primary, after-hours, and urgent care providers, as well as Dunedin emergency department leaders and ACC had been scheduled for May 21.
"The purpose of the workshop is to understand the after-hours and urgent care context and environment in Dunedin, and to identify the components of a sustainable 24/7 model of service delivery."
A second workshop would take place on June 11 if required.
