Better Sooner More Convenient Primary Care - New Zealand Doctor
Better Sooner More Convenient Primary Care - New Zealand Doctor
Better Sooner More Convenient Primary Care - New Zealand Doctor
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Appendix Twelve: Workforce<br />
1. Aspirational statement<br />
The Integrated Family Health Centres (IFHCs) will be centres of rural excellence that have the<br />
capacity and capability to meet the health care needs of the people of the West Coast, and are<br />
attractive and rewarding work environments both the current and future workforce.<br />
2 Project overview<br />
Because of the current difficulties recruiting and retaining core general practice staff, with<br />
consequent major access difficulties for patients to primary care, the first year of this plan<br />
focuses on detailed workforce planning for the core general practice team workforce.<br />
During 2010/11 detailed planning will take place to extend the project to include other members<br />
of the multi disciplinary team (MDT) within the Integrated Family Health Services.<br />
The plan covers activities to enhance retention, recruitment, professional development and<br />
quality improvement, including the need to develop a centre of excellence for health provider<br />
training, in part to support recruitment and retention.<br />
3 Problem definition<br />
Current issues that need to be addressed are:<br />
The number of permanent GPs is low: currently there is one GP per 2000 people,<br />
including locums.<br />
There is currently one nurse per 1180 people, a low ratio considering the extent of<br />
remote rural areas covered by rural nurses.<br />
There are continuing difficulty getting GP and nurse locum cover and making new<br />
appointments.<br />
There is a high dependence on GP locums with subsequent lack of continuity and<br />
consistency of care.<br />
Long waiting times often exist for appointments.<br />
This adds to the workload of other primary care providers, eg. pharmacists.<br />
In many areas there is a dependence on nurses for first line care, without always<br />
providing adequate training and support.<br />
Business case appendices V12 AC 25Feb2010 Page 110