Latest news with #WellSouth
Otago Daily Times
7 hours ago
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Funding error threatens viability of health centre
The Roxburgh Medical Centre is facing another crisis with revelations funding has been paid to the practice in error for nearly 10 years. Alexandra-based HealthCentral, which owns the Roxburgh Medical Centre, said in a statement yesterday afternoon the viability of the Roxburgh practice was at risk due to WellSouth PHO withdrawing $130,000 — or 85% — of the practice's rural funding allocation. WellSouth chief executive Andrew Swanson-Dobbs said they had been mistakenly paying more than $130,000 a year in rural funding to the medical centre since 2015. WellSouth chief financial officer Mistelle Jack said a review of the Roxburgh rural contract found the "historic arrangement" should no longer have been in place. The decrease in funding was a 54% decrease on the previous year, Ms Jack said. Funds removed from Roxburgh were returned to the pool for all rural practices. Rural funding models were outdated and Mr Swanson-Dobbs had been part of government negotiations to increase patient subsidies to general practices, she said. HealthCentral general manger Jenaya Smith said they were blindsided by the announcement and had no prior indication any of the funding was temporary or at risk. "It was not itemised in our contracts, remittances, or any communications." The funding cut was initially scheduled to take effect this month. Temporary support secured by WellSouth from Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora had deferred the impact until January but HealthCentral warned the delay offered only limited relief. "This unexpected funding withdrawal once again places the long-term viability of the practice at risk. Sudden changes in funding allocation or eligibility criteria by WellSouth creates instability for providers. Primary care practices rely on consistent, sustainable funding to operate, plan ahead and recruit." HealthCentral bought the Roxburgh practice in December 2022 and the Roxburgh Medical Trust retained ownership of the building. The trust had battled to attract and retain doctors at the practice for several years before HealthCentral stepped in. Ms Smith said the previous owners of the Roxburgh practice did not recall any part of the rural funding being temporary. While HealthCentral bought the Roxburgh practice to ensure the continuity of local health services, it might have negotiated different terms or adjusted the level of services it committed to delivering if it had been aware the funding was temporary, she said. The fee structure was under review at the moment and there was a risk of Roxburgh facing increases to cover the funding shortfall. "We remain hopeful that the PHO will reconsider its decision or work towards a more sustainable, long-term solution so any fee increases can be minimal." In contrast to Roxburgh, HealthCentral's Alexandra practice — which operates seven days a week, providing after-hours and public holiday care for the wider region — received no increase in rural funding for 2025-26 and that was no longer sustainable, Ms Smith said. "With no increase in funding, we cannot be expected to absorb the rising cost of staffing weekends and holidays." Central Otago district councillor for the Teviot Valley ward Sally Feinerman said she was deeply concerned about the threat to the viability of the community's only primary healthcare provider. "The potential consequences — reduced services, increased patient fees or even closure — are simply not acceptable." Mrs Feinerman said she stood with HealthCentral in calling for an urgent review of the rural funding model. "Let's be clear: rural health is not a luxury — it is a necessity."
Scoop
6 days ago
- Health
- Scoop
Thousands In The South Benefiting From CPCT
More than 6,600 people so far across Southland and Otago have benefited from a nationwide programme called Comprehensive Primary & Community Care Teams (or CPCT), which offers free care for those in need. This is according to a new evaluation report by WellSouth, the primary health organisation (PHO) for Southland and Otago, which facilitates the Health New Zealand-funded programme locally. Established to improve equity of access and health outcomes, particularly for Māori, Pacific, and rural peoples, the report shows CPCT is doing its job. In just 12 months, 6,672 people have had help from teams in Southland and Otago. Over a fifth were Māori, with a similar proportion of Pacific Peoples, two groups who are historically less likely to connect with primary care. WellSouth CEO, Andrew Swanson-Dobbs, says the evaluation report shows CPCT improves access to care and plugs gaps in current provision. 'Our team spoke to patients and staff involved with the programme, and the results show many benefits, from making a real difference to people's lives and their long-term engagement with health services generally, to freeing up GP capacity, to building better relationships between teams and providers.' The evaluation showed improved long-term condition management, reductions in hospital readmissions, decreased social isolation, and increased health literacy. Practices involved in CPCT also saw a statistically significant increase in preventive care such as immunisations and cardiovascular risk assessments. In terms of workforce, CPCT provided for 17.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff across 37 locations, some at general practices, some at community providers and some across both. CPCT Teams include care coordinators, clinical pharmacists, physiotherapists and kaiāwhina, who often visit people at home. Mr Swanson-Dobbs says CPCT teams also strengthen partnerships between local community providers and general practices that are in a CPCT geographic cluster. 'Relationships and partnerships have been instrumental to the success of this initiative, and we are incredibly grateful to all the staff and providers who are part of making this work. 'These multidisciplinary teams are providing support well beyond traditional clinical care, including health education, social support and system navigation.' The report shows that WellSouth's role has been central to the success of CPCT in the South, with the evaluation highlighting the PHO's support in enabling collaboration, offering workforce development funding, and providing strategic and practical guidance for new initiatives. 'As a PHO, we're proud to have facilitated the connections, trust and flexibility needed for this to thrive,' says Mr Swanson-Dobbs. Funded by Health New Zealand, CPCT was designed to strengthen primary and community care by embedding new roles into general practice teams. WellSouth was contracted to roll out CPCT across the Southern region, and brought together general practices, Māori and Pacific providers into local clusters to deliver care.
Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Telehealth launch criticised
A local primary health organisation has criticised recent announcements about the launch of telehealth services. Minister of Health Simeon Brown recently announced a new 24/7 digital health service offering virtual consultations with New Zealand-registered doctors and nurses "anytime, anywhere". The service connects patients to clinicians through trusted providers using secure digital technology. Doctors and nurse practitioners will be able to assess symptoms, diagnose conditions, prescribe medications and provide referrals — all from wherever the patient is. "This is about making sure Kiwis can get the medical help they need when they need it, especially when they can't get a timely appointment with their regular general practitioner, or outside normal clinic hours," Mr Brown said. "It also helps ease pressure on emergency departments by treating non-urgent issues earlier and in the right setting." It would ensure care was available when and where it was needed, helping to bridge the gap when traditional access to a general practitioner was not possible, he said. The digital service gave people greater access to the care they needed, but did not replace the critical role of general practitioners, who were responsible for their patients' continuity of care. "That is why providers will be required to send clinical notes back to a patient's GP after an appointment. "At the same time, we are backing GPs with a record up-to-14% funding boost this year to support the critical work they do in our communities," Mr Brown said. WellSouth chief executive Andrew Swanson-Dobbs said primary care was in crisis in many parts of the Southern region and across the country. "We continue to hear about clinicians working unpaid, about doctors unable to retire as there is no replacement." "This is compounded in our rural parts," Mr Swanson-Dobbs said. About half of the general practices in Otago and Southland are rural or at least a 50-minute drive from a hospital. Existing services had been undermined, both clinically and financially, by telehealth providers, he said. "Investment is shifted to a service that effectively takes patients away from their own GPs. "To make matters worse, telemedicine is pulling GPs and nurses from practices for these telehealth roles." Telehealth was contributing to the issue and should not be seen as an alternative to a superior face-to-face service, he said. "If you want to reverse the trend of too few GPs, hire more GPs, fund the existing GPs adequately." As the primary health organisation for Otago and Southland, WellSouth had always maintained that investment in primary care should first and foremost support the workforce on the ground in existing general practices. "Our rural communities especially need clinicians to keep their practices sustainable." While telemedicine was an important part of primary care, more investment in people was needed, he said. "That is why at WellSouth, we are investing in building and sustaining our local general practice workforce, through new investment in training and supporting our GP registrars and new nurse practitioners, in addition to our existing nursing workforce and healthcare assistants." Mr Brown said that, as minister of health, his priority was to ensure all New Zealanders had access to timely, quality healthcare. "That is why the government has invested a record $16.68 billion in health over three budgets to bring down wait lists, employ more frontline health workers and ensure we have the health infrastructure Kiwis need. "This government has been clear that we want to see more healthcare delivered in the community and ensure that hospitals have capacity to provide planned treatments and emergency procedures. "To do this, we need greater funding of primary and community healthcare." The recent announcement of an agreement between the government and the University of Waikato to establish a new medical school may provide some welcome news. WellSouth clinical director Dr Carol Atmore said training doctors with a focus on primary care and rural health was important for the country. "The evidence shows that if you train people from rural backgrounds in rural settings both at undergraduate level and once qualified as doctors, those doctors are much more likely to settle and work in rural communities in the longer term. "Nearly half of our communities in Otago and Southland are rural and this is where the biggest workforce issues sit across the country." While there was no guarantee the graduates would end up working in the South, it was hopeful that having about 120 graduates going through the new primary care and rurally focused training programme at the University of Waikato might help alleviate some of those workforce pressures for Otago and Southland in the long term, Dr Atmore said.
Scoop
15-07-2025
- Health
- Scoop
A Gold For Southern Fracture Service
Press Release – WellSouth The Southern Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) has achieved a gold award in the International Osteoporosis Foundations programme for fragility fracture care, based on five administrative and clinical quality domains against 13 performance standards. A local service that is supporting older people to overcome the social, mental and physical effects of fragility fractures resulting from falls, has been awarded an internationally recognised gold standard. The Southern Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) has achieved a gold award in the International Osteoporosis Foundation's programme for fragility fracture care, based on five administrative and clinical quality domains against 13 performance standards. WellSouth, the primary health organisation (PHO) for Otago and Southland, delivers the service, which is ACC funded and supported by Osteoporosis New Zealand. WellSouth employs a designated Clinical Lead, Dr Richard Macharg, based in Queenstown, as well as trained Fracture Liaison Co-ordinators. Dr Macharg says this is a significant milestone for the service that is in its fourth full year of delivery, its third year participating in the Australian and New Zealand Fragility Fracture Registry and a step up from previous years' bronze then silver awards. 'Having our service evaluated against international standards and achieving gold has been hard work, but very rewarding,' he says. Worldwide, one in three women and one in five men aged 50 years and over will suffer a fragility fracture as a result of osteoporosis. In New Zealand nearly 16,000 such fractures were found last year, around 840 in the Southern region. Dr Macharg says the team also has its sights set on better engagement with the secondary care sector and spreading the knowledge of the benefits of osteoporosis care and falls prevention. 'We recently, after three years of advocacy and hard work, have been granted access to public hospital radiology reporting data to improve our identification of opportunistically detected Vertebral Fragility Fractures (VFFs). This means more people with osteoporosis can be identified, receive early help and advice and be free from the pain and disability of falls and fractures.' 'This is in line with our wider plan for enhanced engagement with secondary sectors to improve fragility fracture and osteoporosis care across both primary and secondary care, critical as the New Dunedin Hospital is being built, and our population ages.' Dr Macharg says the service works with members in the community to prevent falls or recover from them well, potentially reducing hundreds of bed days per year, and supporting a community that is strong and living well. Modelling by Osteoporosis New Zealand predicts that in the next 3 years, the Southern FLS could reduce up to 1200 bed days in Dunedin and Southland hospitals combined. 'Our team work incredibly hard to ensure they deliver the best service and make a difference in the community. Since last year, we also evaluated 100 more people than the year before.' 'These types of fractures, even those that seem small, can be the warning signs of more serious consequences. When identified and managed appropriately, osteoporosis and falls risk can be addressed and help avert the pain, long-term disability and potentially life-threatening consequences of a major fracture such as that of the hip. Good management after hip fractures will improve recovery and avoid further injury too,' he says. 'We truly believe in the 'Live Stronger for Longer' approach to reduce falls and resulting loss of confidence, which affects everyday life and for some people leads to isolation and loneliness.'
Scoop
15-07-2025
- Health
- Scoop
A Gold For Southern Fracture Service
A local service that is supporting older people to overcome the social, mental and physical effects of fragility fractures resulting from falls, has been awarded an internationally recognised gold standard. The Southern Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) has achieved a gold award in the International Osteoporosis Foundation's programme for fragility fracture care, based on five administrative and clinical quality domains against 13 performance standards. WellSouth, the primary health organisation (PHO) for Otago and Southland, delivers the service, which is ACC funded and supported by Osteoporosis New Zealand. WellSouth employs a designated Clinical Lead, Dr Richard Macharg, based in Queenstown, as well as trained Fracture Liaison Co-ordinators. Dr Macharg says this is a significant milestone for the service that is in its fourth full year of delivery, its third year participating in the Australian and New Zealand Fragility Fracture Registry and a step up from previous years' bronze then silver awards. 'Having our service evaluated against international standards and achieving gold has been hard work, but very rewarding,' he says. Worldwide, one in three women and one in five men aged 50 years and over will suffer a fragility fracture as a result of osteoporosis. In New Zealand nearly 16,000 such fractures were found last year, around 840 in the Southern region. Dr Macharg says the team also has its sights set on better engagement with the secondary care sector and spreading the knowledge of the benefits of osteoporosis care and falls prevention. 'We recently, after three years of advocacy and hard work, have been granted access to public hospital radiology reporting data to improve our identification of opportunistically detected Vertebral Fragility Fractures (VFFs). This means more people with osteoporosis can be identified, receive early help and advice and be free from the pain and disability of falls and fractures.' 'This is in line with our wider plan for enhanced engagement with secondary sectors to improve fragility fracture and osteoporosis care across both primary and secondary care, critical as the New Dunedin Hospital is being built, and our population ages.' Dr Macharg says the service works with members in the community to prevent falls or recover from them well, potentially reducing hundreds of bed days per year, and supporting a community that is strong and living well. Modelling by Osteoporosis New Zealand predicts that in the next 3 years, the Southern FLS could reduce up to 1200 bed days in Dunedin and Southland hospitals combined. 'Our team work incredibly hard to ensure they deliver the best service and make a difference in the community. Since last year, we also evaluated 100 more people than the year before.' 'These types of fractures, even those that seem small, can be the warning signs of more serious consequences. When identified and managed appropriately, osteoporosis and falls risk can be addressed and help avert the pain, long-term disability and potentially life-threatening consequences of a major fracture such as that of the hip. Good management after hip fractures will improve recovery and avoid further injury too,' he says. 'We truly believe in the 'Live Stronger for Longer' approach to reduce falls and resulting loss of confidence, which affects everyday life and for some people leads to isolation and loneliness.'
