Community GPs stretched
By Mark Sawyer
Subs
Medical clinics across the Wellington region are feeling the pressure of this winter’s swine flu outbreak with some North Wellington clinics being forced to turn patients away; however Lower Hutt appears to be holding up well.
A spokesperson from the Petone Medical Centre says this winter season has “definitely been busier” than last year, but that the practice is coping. The centre has only been slightly affected by the relocation of Maungaraki medical centre’s GP.
“We are quite a small practice, and we have seen a high number of patients.
“We have only seen some patients [from Maungaraki], but we have not been greatly affected because most of them go to Ropata on High Street,” says the spokesperson.
Meanwhile, Mana Medical Centre Practice Manager, Kellie Priest, has seen an increase in patients with general ear and chest infections mixed in with those concerned they’ve contracted swine flu.
“We’re receiving more than 100 calls a day to the clinic from people worried they have swine flu. This time last year it was 30 calls a day.”
The clinic’s also set up an isolation room and increased the number of nurses and other staff to take the calls of concerned people.
“Fortunately we employed two new doctors before the swine flu pandemic hit this winter and we’ve had to increase the number of appointments in the daily schedule so we can see patients on the same day.”
She says the clinic is accepting able to new patients, but they’re almost at their limit.
Across at the Johnsonville Medical Centre, with a staff of 14 doctors and 12 nurses, they’re unable to accept new patients from outside their area.
Practise Manager, Lynne Alo, says they’ve had to put in place new ad-hoc management systems to cope with the demand from patients within their own region.
“We’re able to see people within a 24 hour period. But we’re pushed hard. We’ve had to create an area only for suspected swine flu patients at the clinic and we’re fortunate enough to take on three new doctors just before the beginning of winter.”
She also identifies population growth in the Johnsonville area as a primary reason for the greater demand on their services.
The Capital & Coast District Health Board, which works with Primary Healthcare Organisations in the Northern region of Wellington, Head of Primary Care, Vicky Noble, says she’s in daily contact with the medical clinics in the region.
"Current feedback is that, in general, practices are coping, although there are some which are under stress. The Community Based Assessment Centre option remains open to us, but we have no immediate plans to set one up at this point in time."
