Rural doctor trainee numbers increase on West Coast
By local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
A jump in rural doctor trainee numbers on the West Coast is expected to create one of the "largest cohorts of training doctors" in the region this year.
At the same time, the number of rural generalist positions appointed in the region have doubled over the past three years, says Health NZ Te Whatu Ora.
The rural generalist model was launched in 2019 to solve chronic shortages of doctors on the Coast.
Health NZ associate director of operations for the West Coast Philip Wheble said the rural generalist model "is paying dividends" across the region.
"We are investing in the future with the training of our junior medical workforce in rural hospitals and (in 2024) we will have one of the largest cohorts of training doctors we have ever had on the Coast."
There were 14.43 (full-time equivalent) rural generalists, filled by 19 individuals, in November 2023. This was up from 7.15 FTE positions, filled by nine individuals, in June 2020.
In addition, Health NZ had engaged an additional three full-time equivalent GPs (four individuals) and 7.3 full-time equivalent rural generalists (10 individuals) over the past three years, Wheble said.
The total number of full time equivalent Health NZ GPs in the region in June 2020 was 5.71 FTE, filled by seven individuals.
"This increased to a total of 8.63 FTE filled by 11 individuals in November 2023," he said.
"We have also seen an increase in nurse practitioners where we had three FTE filled by three individuals and this has now increased to 4.25 FTE filled by 6 individuals."
There continued to be a few West Coast positions to fill by Health NZ including a couple of GP, rural generalist and psychiatrist roles.
The rural generalist team covers primary care, urgent care, emergency medicine, general medicine, paediatrics, orthopaedics, and obstetrics/gynaecology.
He said bringing in more staff has helped Health NZ West Coast to support primary care as well as creating "more robust" emergency, obstetrics and medicine teams.
The Coast also had in-house specialists - psychiatry, anaesthetics, general surgery plus obstetrics and gynaecology.
Those services were bolstered via Health NZ Canterbury to support local care and tertiary transfers to Christchurch Hospital where needed. In addition, nurse practitioners in primary care had been increased.
"This significant improvement in the permanent staffing within primary care is something that has not occurred for some time on Coast. It also means that our spend on locums has decreased considerably in the last three years," Wheble said.
At the same time, primary care staff numbers in the region should continue to increase, given a greater focus on rural in the national health workforce plan and a commitment on the West Coast to develop its rural generalist workforce, he said.
"In the short term, we will continue managing our staffing challenges, which includes the use of locum doctors and telehealth."
* LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Poll: Should we be giving the green light to new mining projects? 💰🌲
The Environmental Protection Authority announced this week that a proposed mine in Central Otago (near Cromwell) is about to enter its fast-track assessment process. A final decision could come within six months, and if it’s approved, construction might start as early as mid-2026.
We want to know: Should mining projects like this move ahead?
Keen to dig deeper? Mike White has the scoop.
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53.1% Yes
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46.9% No
‘Tis the season to not get scammed ...
As Christmas gift shopping moves increasingly online, scammers are ramping up their activity across the country.
Dunedin’s Investigation Support Unit is seeing more and more people fall victim to scams and other fraudulent activity, particularly on Facebook Marketplace.
There are a few ways to avoid the scams and keep yourself safe doing online trades this holiday season, says Southern District Service Delivery Manager Senior Sergeant Dalton.
🔒 “A good first step when looking to purchase something on Marketplace is to check when the seller’s Facebook profile was created. If it’s very recent, there is a higher risk that they have just created this account for a one-off fake item.”
🔒 Another important step is to make sure the seller’s profile name and bank account name match up. “We’re seeing a lot of scammers claiming their bank account name is different because it belongs to their partner or family member - that’s a huge red flag."
🔒 “When you’re selling, never trust a screenshot anyone sends you showing that payment has been made. Check your own bank account to make sure a payment has gone through."
🔒 “Quite frankly, it’s best for all parties to agree to pay, or be paid, for items in cash and in-person. Ideally in a public place with CCTV coverage."
🔒 "If you’re buying a car, check Carjam.co.nz to see if it’s stolen or if there’s money owed on it.”
A reminder: Suspicious activity can be reported on 105
🚧 Big upgrades are on the way for Haast!
Motorists travelling on SH6 near Haast should be ready for some delays, with $5 million worth of work kicking off on important improvements to the highway.
The Gates of Haast Gorge bridge, which connects the 140km journey between Haast and Wānaka, is a crucial link — especially for locals and visitors heading to the West Coast glaciers.
A bit of patience now for safer, stronger roads ahead! 💛
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