Inaugural board meeting for South Wairarapa practice partnership amalgamation signals huge step forward for primary care in the region

The Inaugural Board and Management meeting for the newly formed South Wairarapa Practice Partnership resonated with excitement and anticipation to support patients when they met for the first time on Tuesday 28 May.

The partnership will bring together three current practices, Martinborough Medical Centre, Greytown Medical Centre and Featherston Medical Centre, under one management structure, through Tū Ora’s subsidiary Latitude Health. Latitude currently owns Greytown Medical, purchased Martinborough Medical in April, and aims to complete purchasing Featherston Medical by the end of June. The new partnership sees the previous owners continue in clinical lead capacities, supporting their teams as they transition to the new way of working under the new structure.

South Wairarapa Practice Partnership Business Manager Neill Amundberg said the inaugural meeting was a positive step forward for the practices, the enrolled population and the communities.

“We acknowledge the challenges being faced by general practice across the region, and the motu. Bringing these three practices together through this partnership will allow us to better utilise the resources, skills, and talent in each practice across the district to ensure everyone has access to a range of primary care services when they need it” he said.

The Governing Board is chaired by South Wairarapa local Elwyn Eastlake, with community representation by Liz Mellish and Pip Maynard. There are also representatives from Latitude Health and the individual entities including GPs and Nurse Practitioners, including Justine Thorpe, Tū Ora Compass Health Chief Executive.

Board Chair Elwyn Eastlake said it was a proud moment to bring the South Wairarapa Practice Partnership across the line and continue the hard work of the practices.

“This particular idea has been floating around the practices for around 15 years. To see it come to fruition, and to be part of the journey as we shape what the partnership looks like is an honour. I look forward to working with the practices and teams involved as we improve our processes and way of working to ensure our communities can access the care they need promptly” Mr Eastlake said.

The amalgamation into the South Wairarapa Practice Partnership looks to streamline processes and increase access to services for patients enrolled with any of the three practices, including shared resources. Latitude expects to complete the purchase of Featherston Medical at the end of June, and will work with the teams to begin exploring opportunities for improved ways of working.

“This is a very exciting project to be part of, and I’m proud to be able to chair it, alongside our other representatives to ensure our communities are heard as we improve primary care in our beautiful region” Mr Eastlake concluded.