We have a wide range of skilled staff including receptionists, administrators, nurses, nurse practitioners, nurse prescribers, doctors, pharmacists, a paramedic and a range of support staff, all of whom have a deep commitment to providing rural healthcare at its best in what are very challenging times.
Here at THG, based on the population we support, we are currently four GPs short. This is the major factor contributing to the longer waiting times for an appointment with a doctor.
Because of this, the way we deliver services is changing, starting with our receptionist and administrators, who deal with more than 7000 phone calls a month.
Callers are either provided with the information they need or booked into the most appropriate clinic or service.
The majority of the time this means a patient is seen by a nurse first, with most consultations being sorted at this point.
Even though someone will see a nurse, people should know that the doctor is always available to provide additional support if required. Nurses regularly consult the doctor even though the patient will not necessarily see this happening.
One of the concerns for staff across the organisation is the high level of abuse that they get from patients, family/whānau and other relatives.
We currently get on average more than two abusive phone calls every day and even incidents where people have thrown chairs and threatened violence. This is simply not acceptable and we cannot continue to tolerate it.
Staff are trying to meet the increased demand and complexity of patients with reduced resources and funding.
We acknowledge that at times patients do have to wait longer than they should but we assure you that the Tararua Health Group is committed to providing the best rural healthcare possible.
David Ireland is the operations manager for the Tararua Health Group.
