WellSouth Primary Health Network and Te Hau o Te Ora confirmed staff have been secured to provide after-hours, non-emergency service until further notice. Photo: 123rf
Invercargill After Hours Doctors has closed its doors, prompting a temporary service to be set up to ensure the city has access to primary care outside normal working hours.
The Invercargill Urgent Doctor Society announced the closure earlier this month, saying it had become unsustainable as general practitioners were working longer hours to keep up with their daytime caseloads and there was not enough funding.
On Friday, WellSouth Primary Health Network and Te Hau o Te Ora confirmed staff have been secured to provide after-hours, non-emergency service until further notice.
It will be an appointment-based, face-to-face service and work out of the Hau o Te Ora general practice on Clyde Street.
WellSouth chief executive Andrew Swanson-Dobbs said staff had been working hard to find a solution to keep continuity of care, but it was a temporary solution.
"We are pleased to step in and set up the temporary Invercargill after hours that complements general practice and supports those people who need to see a clinical practitioner in person," he said.
"We will be meeting with local general practices and Health New Zealand in coming weeks to take a longer view on this and what a more permanent solution is, but for now, we just want to keep a service going for the community."
The Invercargill After Hours Clinic will be open for patients from 6-9pm Monday to Friday and from 12-4pm on weekends and public holidays. WellSouth was funding the service.
Most Invercargill practices had an after-hours call line.
"In some cases, the patient needs to see a nurse, nurse practitioner or doctor and can wait to see their usual general practitioner the following day, but in other cases they need to see someone immediately, and this will support that need," Swanson-Dobbs said.
"However, for most, they will contact the service directly."
