“While the list of reasons for the closures of Hataitai
Medical Practice and North Taranaki’s Parklands Medical
Centre could differ, we know there are two common themes –
that many general practices are financially unsustainable
and struggle to recruit and retain staff,” said Dr Angus
Chambers, Chair of the General Practice Owners Association
(GenPro).
“These two symptoms are a direct
consequence of a 20-year-old funding model which has not
kept pace with the costs of running a general practice and
the changing health needs in our communities.”
More
than 2000 Wellington patients will have
to find a new doctor next year after the 40-year-old
Haitaitai practice closes, and not enough clinical staff can
be found to keep open the Parklands centre in Bell Block, so
it
is closing and merging with another practice seven
kilometres away.
“The closures were announced in the
same week we learned that a committee established by Health
New Zealand-Te Whatu Ora allegedly told a struggling GP
practice to set
up a café inside the clinic to bring in extra
cash.
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“Closures and desperate measures do nothing to
improve and treat the health needs of our patients and keep
the doors open on clinics providing medical, urgent and
mental health care,” Dr Chambers said.
A
recent survey by General Practice New Zealand, which
represents the bulk of primary health organisations, found
that more than 60 percent of PHOs had clinics in their
networks facing closure, 61 percent were reducing services,
and all were restricting patient access. Among reasons given
were financial pressures and burnout and retention of
GPs.
“GenPro’s own survey in August
also showed that financial pressures were weighing on
general practices, with 83 percent concerned about their
financial viability.
“Hardly a month goes by without
an announcement of a GP clinic shutting its doors, closures
of after-hours services, cessation
of new patient enrolments, or some other reduction in
scope of services. Regretfully, I predict more of these
closures and reductions are on the way unless something
changes.”
“The funding model is based on health
attendances from the last millennium, which was a vastly
different health environment. Our inability to negotiate
funding – because it’s imposed by the government – is the
key reason that funding is not keeping pace with rising
costs, and general practices are therefore
closing.
“GenPro has lodged a complaint with the
Commerce Commission about our inability to have effective
input into the decisions crucial to achieving the best
outcomes for our patients.
“The government must as a
matter of urgency increase its support of primary
healthcare, overhaul the current out-of-date funding model,
and help increase the supply of medical professionals into
primary healthcare,” Dr Chambers said.
“GenPro,
which represents half of all general practices in Aotearoa,
is ready to work with the Minister and Commissioner to
develop the solutions needed,” Dr Chambers
said.
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