Previous Dannevirke clinics remain in Palmerston North

01/09/2009 | Dannevirke Clinics

A review of a MidCentral Health decision to move three outpatient clinics from Dannevirke, to Palmerston North Hospital to allow more people access to clinics has concluded the clinics should remain at Palmerston North Hospital, largely because 70 more patients a month can be seen.

In March MidCentral Health decided to move urology, general surgery and ophthalmology outpatient clinics from Dannevirke to Palmerston North. The change involved about 36 Tararua patients a month who would normally be seen in Dannevirke.

The change resulted in concerns from various groups and people in the Tararua about the way the community was told about the changes, and asking that the clinics be reinstated in Dannevirke.

As a result of those concerns in June MDHB Chief Executive Murray Georgel requested a formal review of outpatient services, particularly around the closure of the three Dannevirke clinics.

The review findings show that despite the closure of the three clinics in Dannevirke, more Dannevirke patients have been seen in the three specialties concerned in clinics based at MidCentral Health in Palmerston North. MidCentral Health continues to balance access with meeting increasing demand for services.

The Outpatient Review identified that the anticipated additional throughput was achieved.  When the three clinics were relocated to Palmerston North Hospital, it was intended that an extra 44 patients a month (over and above the 36 people traditionally seen in Dannevirke) would have access to Specialist Doctors across the three specialties.  On average, 70 more patients have been seen.
Of particular interest is that before April 2009, an average of 60 Tararua-domiciled people were being seen at both Dannevirke and Palmerston North-based clinics.  Over the past three months 80 Tararua-domiciled people are being seen.

However, the review said the centralisation of these three clinics should not be seen in isolation from other work  done with the DHB to improve access for rural patients, and to ensure as many services as possible are provided in a primary setting. For instance, the DHB has produced software for GPs to complete cardiovascular risk assessments; and work is being done to develop similar software for GPs to diagnose mini strokes.

The review found specialists could see more patients overall (including Tararua patients) if they didn’t have to travel; that MidCentral Health was now eligible to access additional money available for elective services by complying with Elective Services Patient Flow Indicators (ESPIs), as well reducing waiting lists.

The Urology Service now has Clinical Nurse Specialist capacity and it is intended that these specialist nurses will hold a nurse-led urology clinic in Dannevirke.  This is scheduled to commence by December 2009.

The did not attend (DNA) rates for Tararua domiciled patients scheduled to attend urology, general surgery and ophthalmology clinics at Palmerston North Hospital did rise over the three months April to June 2009, reaching just over 10%. However, DNA rates increased for other clinics, and it was not sure if that was a result of the norovirus outbreak at Palmerston North Hospital, seasonal increases or the clinic changes.

MidCentral Health continues to provide a number of specialist clinics based in Dannevirke.

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