On Monday I was in Rangiora for a public meeting organised by local MP Clayton Cosgrove, calling for the reinstatement of the after hours GP services that were cut last year. It was a great turnout, 250 to 300 people. They are understandably angry. This was a service they have had for more than 20 years. The population is growing, and it is also ageing. The 40 minute ride to the nearest after-hours in Christchurch is expensive if the one ambulance is not available and you can’t drive yourself. On Monday we heard the story of young mother who had to take her toddler who had burns to Christchurch. The total cost of taxi and being seen came to $300. By the end of the week she did not have enough money for food for the week and had to rely on the support of other agencies.
I have great admiration for the people who are behind this campaign. With Clayton’s support, a local woman named Paula Thackwell set about getting signatures for a petition to get the services back. She managed to get 8,246 signatures. That amounts to about 70% of the population of Rangiora, a truly phenomenal effort. The submission found its way to the Health Select Committee, which eventually reported on it in July.
I was on that committee, and I can tell you that the attitude of the government members was that there was no issue here. We got a report from the Canterbury District Health Board, and they said there was no issue. The majority of the select committee rejected the petition. Labour put in a minority report backing the petitioners. We asked questions in Parliament, Tony Ryall said it was not his problem either.
At that point Paula could have given up, the government was not listening. But she did not. Along with Clayton, she kept the pressure up. Eventually the government reacted, and the District Health Board have proposed a “solution”. It involves a six month trial of paramedic and nurse triage phone service. That is a step forward, and a complete change of heart from the DHB. But the community is not satisfied. The view at the meeting yesterday was that there needs to be a solution that still gives the people of the Rangiora area the confidence that there is a doctor available in their community when they need one. The meeting passed a motion to keep up the fight for the reinstatement of the services.
There is of course a bigger question here, which I have put to Tony Ryall which is what responsibility does he take for people across New Zealand having access to after hours services. Last week they were cut in Temuka and Geraldine. There are stories from elsewhere as well. The government needs to be up front with New Zealanders as to whether they will ensure that the services are there. But in the meantime, hats off to the prople of Rangiora for keeping up the fight. We are right there with them.
Thanks for setting out the facts in regard to Rangiora, as I grew up in Fairlie I am also concerned that Geraldine and Temuka are also being put in the same position.
I now live in Birkenhead on the North Shore in Auckland and had occasion to call St John’s ambulance service recently and then spend 4 days in North Shore hospital where I received excellent service and attention.
Whilst I live only about 10 minutes from hospital the people in towns such as Rangiora should be able to reach a medical service promptly in an emergency.
There is a 24 hour service called Healthline which is very helpful also:-
phone 0800 611 116
The refusal of the National Party dominated select committee to take notice of a petition which represented 70% of the Rangiora population is just another reason why they should be dumped in November.
Funny, but I heard the radio reports on this, and no mention of you or Clayton? It came as a real surprise that you guys were involved at all. I guess that would just be covering a Labour stunt, though, not actual news, like what tie JK is wearing?
If the pollies can ignore referenda (and come up with oceans of weasel words to justify it) then why do you think they should take any notice of petitions? Aren’t they a cheaper and less inclusive version of the same thing?
Never mind access after hours health care, word on the street is that Key’s office has been in touch with Wellington Zoo to jack up a photo op to farewell Happy Feet. Way more important, right?
The no assets sale can be a winner.,I urge all members and MPs to mention this at every opportunity. Like-wise our policy on GST and the mininum wage. Its important that these policies are repeated to all. Im concerned that its just not getting the publicity they deserve,However In have no idea how we do this. The news medis is certainly no help. Anyone who can tell us how?
the Nats have been swamping the country with flash pamphelt.
The MP for Taupo has been spending big on advertising ,Is she allowed to do this ? one local, paper seems to be totaly hers .
Like this: http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/5498666/St-John-trial-is-proving-worth
I feel very sorry for the people of Rangiora. It is scarey not having access to “out of hours” doctors etc.
We have the same issue where we live (Whitianga)We use Healhline and the triage service through our local practice. A doctor is called out if it’s necessary to be seen. this works well for us and is an improvement on what we had a few years ago. One of the problems was staffing-they couldn’t get enough locums to cover the shifts so our doctors didn’t have to work 24/7. Is staffing an issue for Rangiora as well?
word on the street is that Key’s office has been in touch with Wellington Zoo to jack up a photo op to farewell Happy Feet.
Oh how appropriate. I see HF spends all his time in front of a mirror these days. Perhaps they could arrange for JK to accompany HF on his long and lonely voyage back home. They could attach a TV camera to him and we could watch his progress. One very long photo op!
LOL
For crying out loud, it’s embarrassing that no-one had told the concerned citizens of Rangiora about after hours telephone triage services of the type that Ann-Maree mentioned.
As for reinstatement of GP after hours services, did anyone ask any GPs about this? And if the government decided to take action, could they order the GPs to start providing a service that meant they were working at a loss? What if the GPs withdrew their labour – or don’t they have the right to do this, being rich pricks and all?
The cost of transport to medical help can often be covered by membership of St John’s or Red Cross (I’m not sure whether the people of Rangiora have access to such insurance; if not, they could probably arrange a network of transport facilities funded through charitable donation).
If Grant wanted to examine causes rather than symptoms, perhaps he should look at why virtually no doctors are entering general practice in provincial and rural areas of this country, causing serious shortages. Could it be the Muldoonist price controls imposed on general practices, which are still expected to run as businesses?
I have worked as a GP for twenty years, and at age 50 am still the youngest partner in any GP practice in the town where I live. The policies of Labour and National have succeeded in killing off obstetrics in general practice, now general practice itself is moribund.
Well done, guys!
BTW, why the pretence that views expressed on this blog by Labour MPs are not Labour Party policy, when there is a big red flag at the top of the page with ‘New Zealand Labour’ written on it? Mind you, Labour has always had difficulty putting its name to things, which is why Whaleoil is making sure you get your arses kicked via the Electoral Commission and Police, and not before time too.