Pak'nSave Hastings staff getting health boost

Pak'nSave Hastings owner-operator Brendon Smith (seated) with HR manager Kim Smith and Doctor2Go medical director Terence De Silva. Photo / Andrew Ashton.

Pak'nSave workers in Hastings will be among the first in the region able to bypass GP waiting lists and consultation fees - all without leaving the supermarket.

About 200 staff at Pak'nSave Hastings will next month be eligible to consult a doctor through the Doctor2Go tele medicine programme.

Pak'nSave Hastings owner-operator Brendon Smith said the tele medicine approach would have "massive" benefits for staff wellbeing.

"In Hawke's Bay there is a very limited amount of doctors. I moved from Napier to Havelock North and I can't get in to a doctor, so I think there will be a lot of staff in a similar position.

"I can see the benefit also for our staff in down time, it's just a huge advantage. It's very exciting."

The service would also allow staff to monitor their blood pressure on regular basis and then get feedback from a doctor.

The agreement would see each staff member pick up between four and 12 doctor's consultations through the tele-conference style programme.

Pak'nSave Hastings HR manager Kim Smith even if people were registered with a GP, some people still had to wait two weeks to get an appointment.

"In which case, you are usually over your sickness by then.

"The costs to go to the doctor these days are very expensive as well and so part of this is to assist our staff. Working in a supermarket you do pick up a lot of common colds and bugs and cost is a big thing for going to the doctor for some people.

"We have so many staff that are time-poor. Getting to the doctor is tough, so we wanted to make life easier for our staff and we also recognise that we have some staff that might not go to the doctor just for aches and pains or just don't go to the doctor. We wanted to make that facility available so they can be well."

A dedicated wellbeing room had also been set up for staff to use the teleconferencing facilities in private.

Doctor2Go co-founder Michael Haskell confirmed all equipment had been installed and was ready to go live in November.

"We use a specific type of hardware. We use big iMac monitors that are wall mounted which are locked down just for Doctor2Go.

"We are very excited, it's a new way of doing things. There's about 200 people here, so that's a large chuck of people that might struggle to get access to a GP.

"Even if a team member can get an appointment, they could be gone for two or three hours just to get a repeat prescription. What we are trying to do is make that a heck of a lot more efficient so the employer gets the benefit of the productivity in the workplace, rather than the team members spending that time sat in traffic."

Doctor2Go medical director and Hawke's Bay-based doctor Terence De Silva said because consultations were done remotely, children would not be included.

"We've also got agreements with pharmacists, who will courier prescriptions to patients where ever they want it."