New Wānaka GP practice Cardrona Doctors to help meet growing need

The owner of a new doctor’s office in the centre of Wānaka says he hopes the practice will make a positive contribution to the town’s growing need for healthcare services.

Opened last month, Cardrona Doctors is the creation of Dr Andrew Wilson, a GP with over 30 years’ experience working in Oamaru.

Wilson said his family had spent a lot of time in Wānaka and witnessed firsthand how the town’s needs had changed.

“We watched it grow and we realised that there does need to be an expansion in the health services.

Ready to welcome patients in the waiting area of the recently opened Cardrona Doctors on Brownston St, Wanaka, are (from left) Dr Andrew Wilson, nurse Molly-Rose Mansfield and receptionist Delwyn Lowen. Photo / Regan Harris

“And we felt we were in a good position to provide that.”

The practice has eight staff, including four doctors and two nurses, allowing it to operate from Monday to Friday during normal business hours.

Wilson acknowledged recruiting doctors had been difficult in the current climate, but said his team’s success at running a similar practice in Oamaru had put them on a good footing.

“We think we provide an environment that the doctors feel supported and enjoy working in.

“I feel that we’ve been lucky to recruit young, enthusiastic and capable staff. That makes me feel positive.”

While the practice was not yet in a position to offer after-hours care, Wilson said he would be “keen to listen” to the needs of the community.

This included attending Wednesday’s healthcare meeting at the Lake Wānaka Centre, where members of the public were being invited to submit questions to a panel of experts on the state of local healthcare services.

“We’ll be represented there.”

Wilson said the team had been moved by the community’s response in their first month of operating, and looked forward to enrolling even more patients and expanding their services.

“We’re really pleased. The community’s been very welcoming.”