Rural primary providers call for Goverment action

Monday, 26 August 2024

Rural primary care providers are calling on government to take action on five key recommendations to improve access to care.

The recommendations aimed at medium to long term improvements include steps like allowing primary care teams to send patients for diagnostics, and perform minor specialist services patients would otherwise have to travel to a base hospital for.

They were put forward as part of a review by 16 clinical and non-clinical volunteers representing primary care providers, rural hospital specialists, community and iwi.

While the report, commissioned by WellSouth, focuses on Southland and Otago, the recommendations extend to rural communities throughout New Zealand.

The Rural Service Review was led by independent chair and former Gore District mayor Tracy Hicks as a response to the ongoing challenges around rural healthcare in the Southern region.

“The southern region is vast, our population is spread out with much of that rural. Those who live rurally experience more barriers to access care – both secondary and primary – yet funding doesn’t recognise the distinct challenges our communities face,” he said.

Those challenges range from the need for efficient transport options for patients who have to travel and patchy access to after hours care, to needing shared access to patient data, a lack of pay parity for staff and collaborative approaches so staff can take time off.

The review group also asked government for a Southland Rural Health Strategy, given the unique challenges the region faces.

The Southern district is the largest geographic catchment with many small, isolated communities — 36 of the 78 practices in Southland and Otago are considered rural.

WellSouth chief executive Andrew Swanson-Dobbs welcomed the report and said the primary health network was already adopting some of its actions.

“This report provides us with a clear outline of the changes that are required, and we are working hard to ensure these recommendations are heard and addressed.”

Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey said work was under way to improve access to healthcare.

This included the roll out of the Ka Ora rural afterhours telehealth service, changes to the national travel assistance scheme earlier this year and “making it more attractive for GP trainees to train in rural areas”, Doocey said.

The priorities in the report aligned well with those set out in the Ministry of Health’s Rural Health Strategy – 2023, he said.

Health New Zealand Te Waipounamu regional commissioner Chiquita Hansen called the report a key input for decision-making and planning across all levels of health provision in the region.

Hansen said Health NZ would take the report feedback into account when making funding decisions for publicly-funded health services.

“We know there is considerable pressure in the rural health system and their recommendations are aligned with our own rural health work programme which we have under way,” she said.

“It will require time to address the report’s recommendations comprehensively, as the report also acknowledges.”

Health NZ’s priority areas for rural communities over the next 10 years are: considering rural communities as a priority group, preventative healthcare, making services available closer to home, supporting access to services at a distance and creating a valued and flexible workforce.

Since publishing the rural health strategy last year, Health NZ had signed 100 practices up to the Ka Ora telehealth service, increased funding for the National Travel Assistance scheme, increased long-term rural placements for medical students, and expanded bonding schemes.

“Locally, initiatives such as the new birthing unit and after-hours service for Wanaka and Te Waka Hauora o Waitaki Health Futures Project for the Waitaki District show our commitment to place-based planning and listening to local voices on the healthcare needs of their communities, within our available resources,” Hansen said.

“We will continue to work with WellSouth and others on our planning for the Otago/Southland region.”