An ongoing shortage of GPs has forced Kaitaia's general practices to close their doors to new enrolments.
The only exceptions will be the future children of existing patients, while the practices will continue to manage accidents and medical emergencies, alongside Kaitaia Hospital, for visitors and those who are not registered with a local practice.
Cheryl Britton, practice manager of Te Hiku Hauora's GP clinic, the Kaitaia Health Centre and the Mamaru Clinic at Cooper's Beach, Broadway Health CEO Jessie Hoskins and Top Health owner/partner Dr Michael Lomb said in a joint statement that the decision had been a very difficult one to make, but the practices had to commit to the patients they were already caring for. And even that was becoming a real challenge as locums completed their terms and winter illnesses began setting in.
In anticipation of "inevitable" staffing challenges, the practices had already introduced a Ministry of Health- and Northland DHB-endorsed model of care that included a phone assessment/clinical triage process to manage demand by having a clinician, doctor or nurse phone patients to assess and prioritise who needed to be seen that day.
That was safer than a non-clinical receptionist making appointments on a first come first served basis, leaving no capacity for those who were seriously unwell and had to be seen.