Mr Powell, was contacted by the Otago Daily Times yesterday to comment on a damning open letter by Oamaru doctor Peter Rodwell, which called the plan a ``meaningless wordy document'' that lacked input from medical experts.
Addressing Waitaki District Health Services' (WDHS) ``new model of care'' - a plan agreed to after an extended funding dispute with the Southern District Health Board (SDHB) - Dr Rodwell said its insistence on reducing the number of people attending Oamaru Hospital's emergency department lacked an evidential basis and could prove ``very risky''.
The main focus of the plan appeared to be reducing ED attendance and ``shifting the service to nurse-led and back to primary care''.
It would diminish the quality of the service ``as well as cost-shifting to primary care and to the patient'', which could increase the overall cost of health care.
After conversations with Oamaru doctors, Mr Powell said he supported Dr Rodwell's concerns. ``Consultation with doctors has been virtually non-existent ... and it was very clear that what they would call consultation is essentially advising people what they were intending to do''.
``This is not really a model of care,'' Mr Powell said. ``It is more an attempt to develop a strategic direction for the region. It's very weak on problem definition: it doesn't actually say what they're trying to solve and what the issues are ... the purpose of the direction is not really clear at all.
``It is disappointing that those driving this process do not comprehend consultation with healthcare professionals.''
SDHB acting executive director planning and funding Liz Disney, who was also contacted by the ODT yesterday, rebuffed Dr Rodwell's arguments.
``Whilst everybody is entitled to a view, and Peter Rodwell's views seem to be different to my views, I would say they are somewhat different to the majority of feedback that I've been witness to. Obviously he's entitled to his view but there are some things in his commentary that are (a) factually incorrect and (b) I fundamentally don't agree with.''
The plan had expert input and ``reflects the diligent, conscientious work of lots of people - health professionals, clinical leaders, health workers in the community, managers from both Waitaki District Health Services, and from Southern DHB,'' she said.
Oamaru had high numbers of people coming to the ED on average, compared with elsewhere in the South.
Gore, Dunstan, Balclutha and Dunedin each had different models for theiremergency departments and the plan provided ``opportunities for conversation''.
WDHS chief executive Robert Gonzales provided a statement yesterday calling the plan a ``living document'' that allowed the hospital's strategies to ``adapt over time if new health processes emerge or the demand for services changes''.
He also disputed the claim experts were not involved in its creation.
