Taranaki DHB practice cuts pace of enrolments

The South Taranaki Rural General Practice at Hāwera Hospital is reducing the pace of new enrolments after a busy first year of operation.

After opening at the end of November 2020, Taranaki DHB chief operating officer Gillian Campbell says in a press release the DHB-run practice has enrolled over 2000 patients and has extended its hours to five days a week. But its popularity has led the DHB to put limits on new enrolments.

Mrs Campbell says to ensure the service continues to deliver high quality responsive primary care, the “difficult decision” has been taken to reduce the pace of new enrolments for a short time. The practice will only be enrolling patients who do not have a doctor at all, are not within safe travelling distance of their GP, or are identified as having complex, high needs, which are not being met by the practice team.

The practice has also been the source of ongoing tensions between South Taranaki primary care providers, and the DHB, with local providers concerned about the impact a DHB-run practice would have on existing practices.