Patients will be assessed before being allowed free access to Queenstown's emergency department under a proposed radical shake-up of Wakatipu healthcare services.
According to a consultation document released yesterday by the Southland District Health Board (SDHB), all patients will initially be assessed in a general practice.
If the patient does not need emergency care, they will be treated by the GP and charged a fee.
The changes are aimed at reducing the number of people attending the emergency department.
The consultation document proposes a new integrated model of care for the Wakatipu.
It proposes to upgrade Lakes District Hospital - which it says is an ageing facility that no longer meets the needs of the community and is not a suitable environment for staff to deliver modern healthcare - and establish an Integrated Family Healthcare Centre.
It says the current model of care is neither clinically nor financially sustainable in providing care for a growing and ageing population, and too many Queenstown residents use the emergency department for primary care services.
This results in prolonged patient waiting times and increased staff workloads.
Queenstown Medical Centre director Hans Raetz said the plans were "very promising".
"I am cautiously optimistic. I don't think there is space in Queenstown for separate providers.
"This model is a good way of bringing everything together.
"We are very interested in being involved as a provider within the new facility," he said.
Queenstown Lakes Mayor Clive Geddes welcomed the opportunity for the community to have its say.
Wakatipu Health Trust spokeswoman Maria Cole declined to comment.
The report said the hospital building and its facilities required upgrading and development.
The proposed Integrated Family Healthcare Centre would house a team of healthcare providers including the multidisciplinary health team, GPs, X-ray, midwives, specialist nurses and a laboratory.
The proposed new facility would be a "substantial investment".
The existing hospital would be partially refurbished with 2200sq m added in the form of two extra storeys. The board may own and lease or rent all of the facility to the tenant or service provider, or private sector tenants may fund their own clinical equipment, soft furnishings and IT systems.
"The DHB will own the building shell, and funding the development through private sector finance "may be a realistic option," the report says.
A new governance board of community, DHB and provider representatives would run the hospital.
Staff would be transferred to the new service provider(s).
The new model would involve additional services such as dementia care, district nursing and more outpatient clinics.
Regional chief executive Brian Rousseau said the health board and the community faced challenges in the provision of healthcare.
"In proposing these changes we want to hear the views of the Lakes district community, the Southland DHB staff and their representatives, Lakes district health service providers and other stakeholder groups," he said.
Submissions close at 5pm, April 23.
A summary of submissions will be presented to the board on May 13.
A copy of the consultation document is available at http://feedback.osdhbs.govt.nz/
Public meetings are scheduled in Queenstown on March 9 at 4pm and 7pm at the Queenstown Memorial Hall.
