Sixteen Auckland GP clinics will see urgent care cases for free in order to help ease the pressure on Middlemore Hospital.
(File image) Photo: 123rf
The clinical director of the hospital's emergency department (ED), Vanessa Thornton, said overnight it had 187 patients compared with between its usual 95 to 120, and she did not expect the situation to improve.
"With Easter at the end of the week, we will see some discharges from the hospital but next week, when people are back from holiday, they will present in large numbers at the ED again."
As a response, clinics in east and South Auckland will be made available for free urgent care consultations.
"The consultation fee waiver applies to CM [Counties Manukau] Health residents - registered, casual or visitors, at any time of the day, for both in-clinic and offline patients for the next seven days - who are appropriate to be seen for urgent care," Thornton said.
"The fee waiver includes presentations for medical consultations, ACC co-payments, and repeat prescriptions however, fees outside the consultation can still be charged by the clinic."
She said the community should continue to keep in mind that the hospital ED should be kept free for accidents and emergencies.
"The impacts of having patients come to ED whose conditions could be treated at urgent or afterhours care clinics are having an effect on the patients who really need our help.
"This new initiative will enable our community to better find the most appropriate place to get the right care for their condition."
Tāmaki Health chief executive Steffan Crausaz said the clinics operated a similar service during the August lockdown so it was easy to set up again.
"The DHB were proactive about it, they approached us and because we had the prior experience it was able to be worked through quite smoothly," Crausaz said.
The DHB would "help us out" in terms of the funding to cover the co-payment difference that patients would normally pay, he said.
The 16 clinics would normally see about 2000 patients a day and Crausaz said he was confident they could handle the increased demand.
"There's actually quite a lot of flex in terms of the networks so we'll be able to cope with the demand."
The clinics are open from today until Easter Monday.
Clinics and opening hours:
- Local Doctors East Tāmaki 275 East Tāmaki Road, East Tāmaki Monday - Friday 8.30am-5.30pm 9-1pm Saturday
- Local Doctors Browns Road 235 Browns Road, Manurewa Monday - Sunday 8am-8pm
- Local Doctors Ōtāhuhu 15-23 Station Road, Ōtāhuhu Monday - Friday 8.30am-5.30pm
- Local Doctors Chapel Road 160 Chapel Road, Chapel Park Monday - Thursday 8:30-5:30 Friday 9am-1pm
- Local Doctors Dawson Road 124 Dawson Road, Chapel Downs Monday - Sunday 8am-8pm
- Local Doctors Ōtara 3 Watford Street, Ōtara Monday - Sunday 8am-11pm
- Local Doctors Ōtara Mall 120 East Tāmaki Road, East Tāmaki Monday - Friday 8.30am-5.30pm
- Local Doctors Kolmar Road 133 Kolmar Road, Papatoetoe Monday - Friday 8.30am-5.30pm Saturday 9am-1pm
- Local Doctors Dannemora 1 Redcastle Drive, Dannemora Monday - Friday 8am-6pm Saturday 8am-2pm
- Local Doctors Botany South 455 East Tamaki Road, East Tamaki Monday - Thursday 8:30-5:30 Friday 9am-2pm
- Local Doctors Airport Oaks 149A Kirkbride Road, Airport Oaks Tuesday- Friday 8.30am-5.30pm
- Local Doctors Māngere 12A Waddon Place, Māngere Town Centre Monday - Sunday 8am-8pm
- Local Doctors Māngere Bridge 41 Coronation Road, Māngere Bridge Monday - Friday 8.30am-5.30pm
- Local Doctors Māngere East 7b/359 Massey Road, Māngere East Monday - Friday 8.30am-5.30pm Saturday 9am-1pm
- Local Doctors Clendon 459 Roscommon Road, Clendon Shopping Mall Monday - Friday 8.30am-5.30pm
- White Cross Ōtāhuhu 15 Station Road, Ōtāhuhu Monday - Sunday 8am-8pm