A new contract between Waikato District Health Board and Hamilton accident and medical centre Anglesea Clinic will result in cheaper consultation fees and the continuation of clinically led safe after hours’ medical and nursing services in the city. It means that the Raglan after hours medical service will continue to be provided by the Anglesea Clinic.
Waikato DHB’s Community and Public Health Advisory Committee today ratified a $625,000 annual contract, starting from 1 July for three years. Planning and Funding general manager Brett Paradine said the agreement would assist primary health organisations (PHOs) to meet their after hours obligations to the public.
Many primary care practices in Hamilton, Raglan, Te Awamutu, Cambridge, Morrinsville, Ngaruawahia and Huntly refer their patients to Anglesea after hours. The new contract provides a sound basis for this to continue.
Anglesea will run the 11pm to 8am service, using at least one registered medical practitioner and two registered nurses, for 365 days a year.
Under the contract between Anglesea Clinic and Waikato DHB, children under six with or without a community services card, who previously paid $15-$20, will pay a flat fee of $5.
Children aged six to 17 with a community services card will pay $39 (without a card $43), down from $55 and $60 and those over 18 with a card pay $53 (without $73), down from $70 and $85.
The fees are frozen from 1 July 2010 until 1 January 2012.
Waikato DHB called for proposals earlier this year to provide overnight primary health care general medical services in Hamilton following Anglesea Clinic’s decision in October last year to quit after providing more than 20 years’ service.
Local doctors, who own and operate Anglesea Clinic, run the clinic on a rostered basis. GP shortages meant that to staff the overnight shift they needed to use expensive locums. On average, the clinic sees a dozen patients nightly during the week and up to 25 on weekend nights.
The main criteria of the request for proposal was to reduce the barriers of cost of access for patients while delivering clinically led and safe services. “This keeps the cost of access more reasonable for our population,” said Mr Paradine. “This is all about bringing better, sooner and more convenient care to those Waikato DHB is responsible for.”
Media release from Waikato District Health Board, 23 June 2010