The increasing number of general practices closing their books to new patients is no surprise to the General Practice Owners Association (GenPro).
New research from Victoria University of Wellington, published in the Journal of Primary Health Care, found that more general practices than ever are closing their books, with 36 percent of the country's GPs turning away new patients last year.
GenPro Chair Dr Angus Chambers says GenPro has been warning for years that patients are facing restricted access due to full or partial closing of books to new enrolments, reduction in services such as cancelling after-hours services, or practices closing.
“One of the key reasons that general practices are turning away new patients is that government funding for general practice has not kept pace in real terms with the cost of running a general practice, the ageing population, and the changing health needs of New Zealanders,” Dr Chambers says.
“The funding shortfall creates these and other downstream problems which make a bad situation worse. We are seeing insufficient training of new doctors, GPs leaving New Zealand, and more demand on already squeezed emergency departments.”
Dr Chambers is encouraging people who can’t enrol, especially in worst hit areas such as Northland, the central and lower North Island, and Canterbury, to approach their local Member of Parliament.
“MPs must urge the new Health Minister to support a complete overhaul of the arcane funding and regulated pricing model imposed on general practice, a model which is driving general practices to the wall. The current model is more than two decades old and no longer fit for purpose.
“Changing the Minister won’t make much difference unless there is meaningful action such as theming this year’s Budget as a Health Budget to reverse the dangerous decline in primary healthcare availability,” Dr Chambers says.
