Update On The Invercargill After Hours Clinic

April 5, 2024

The Invercargill After Hours
Clinic, organised by WellSouth Primary Health Network from
29 March is set to continue until a future solution is
worked out.

Located at Te Hau o Te Ora practice on
Clyde Street in Invercargill, the service sees patients from
6-9pm Monday to Friday and from 12-4pm on weekends –
Saturday and Sunday – and public holidays on an
appointment basis only.

People should contact Te Hau o
Te Ora on 0800 456 138 to make a booking. For those still
ringing Invercargill Urgent Doctor Society (IUDS), an
automated answer service provides the 0800
number.

WellSouth, the primary health organisation
(PHO) for Otago and Southland, organised the service through
Te Hau o Te Ora, a partnership set up in 2021 with Hokonui
Rūnanga and Awarua Rūnaka.

WellSouth CEO Andrew
Swanson-Dobbs says the service was stood up very quickly to
make sure there was face-to-face primary care available,
after the IUDS service ended on Thursday, March
28.

“The operation, fees and service of this clinic
seem to be well received, and we’re pleased to have helped
those members of our community that have accessed it so
far.”

“This is a new service, and people are still
getting to know where we are and what is on offer,” he
says.

Mr Swanson Dobbs says the message to the
community is to still always try your GP first, many of
which have an after-hours telehealth
service.

“If it is late in the day or on
the weekend, you may be referred to the service from your
GP’s after-hours service, or if you know you need to see
someone and it can’t wait, the clinic can see you during
those opening hours.”

The PHO is still
due to meet with local general practices and Health New
Zealand Te Whatu Ora in coming days to work towards a more
permanent after-hours solution.

“Again, we really
want to thank those clinicians and administrative support
who committed to this speedily set-up service, and to the
staff at Te Hau for accommodating the clinic,” says Mr
Swanson-Dobbs.

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