THG operations manager David Ireland spoke at the committee meeting on the health provider's challenges. Photo / Dave Murdoch
THG operations manager David Ireland spoke at the committee meeting on the health provider's challenges. Photo / Dave Murdoch
Rural health services are facing a “perfect storm” with not enough resources, increased costs and increased demand, Tararua District councillors were told.
Not enough GPs, long wait times and abuse from patients were just some of the challenges Tararua Health Group (THG) is facing, according to operations manager David Ireland.
He says since Covid has lessened, there is a lot of unmet demand coming through and hitting services.
“People who ideally would turn up with one thing are now coming in and knocking on the door with three, four, five different issues that need to be dealt with.”
David gave a brief overview of the health provider at the council’s Community Development and Wellbeing committee meeting.
David told councillors the clinical staff comprised GPs, nurse practitioners, nurse prescribers and recently qualified community nurse prescribers as well as practice nurses, radiologists, ultrasound technicians, pharmacists and midwives.
“We cover quite a wide variety of services across the region.
“We also have clinics based out of Norsewood two mornings a week and we’ve just reintroduced a clinic one day a week in Woodville.”
Like other rural health providers, THG is facing a number of challenges.
“Those challenges aren’t changing, because the challenges that we face impact on our community in a number of different ways.”
David says the health provider has 50 per cent of the GPs it is supposed to have compared to the district’s population.
“That creates some massive difficulties right from the word go.”
Currently wait times to see a GP for a routine appointment average around eight to 10 weeks, which is causing concern.
GPs and even nurse practitioners were in short supply, not just in the Tararua District but even internationally.
David’s key concern is his staff’s wellbeing “because they have to put up with a lot of abuse and that is increasing”.
He says if there was one message the council could help within the community is that that behaviour is not tolerable.
“We’ve had to trespass people.”
Councillor Kerry Sutherland agreed, saying he had seen some of the behaviour for himself.
“In my experience the service we get in the health system if you really need it is fantastic and the quality of the nursing staff here and the doctors is 10 out of 10. I am really disappointed to see some of the behaviour, the impatience and the abuse.”
David says THG has changed the model of care to a nurse-led process, which means the majority of the community would see a nurse first, with a GP in the background providing advice, guidance and support.
“We have to utilise that workforce the best way we can and we’ve made sure that we upskill the nurses for those things.
“That process is going to continue in the future and we’re refining it as we’re going to meet that increased demand the best way we can.”
A locum GP will start in February, contracted for six months. Another GP has returned and a .6 nurse practitioner will also start in the new year, David says.
“We are trying our very best to fill those resources. But the pressures will continue. Even with those additional things we will still be considerably under the guidelines for supporting our populations.”
