Better Sooner More Convenient Primary Care - New Zealand Doctor

% pts discharged of transferred
from ED within 6 hours
% ringing HML who need local
GP/nurse assessment
100% >95% >95% >95%
TBC
6 Deliverables / activities
Implementation plan: to June 30
HML Triage:
Draw up contract with HML Triage to provide after hours nurse phone triage for every
practice.
HML visits every practice and Greymouth ED to gather information on local systems and
capability.
Ensure practices have good systems in place to care for patients who need follow-up
care the next day, eg. phone consultations, acute appointment slots, walk in clinics.
Ensure all practices receive regular reports from HML and all systems are working
appropriately.
Community education campaign – four to six weeks later:
Content: if you are unwell after hours ring your general practice and you will receive
advice from an experienced nurse regarding what you should do. Do not go straight to
the emergency department unless it is an emergency.
Involve St John in campaign.
Design campaign methodology: newspaper articles, pamphlets, radio messages, practice
newsletters.
Campaign also tailored towards Māori and Pacific Island communities.
Implement campaign.
Redesign Greymouth after hours arrangements:
Practices will see their own urgent patients during the day instead of these patients
being seen at the duty practice. There will be a duty practice but it will see only urgent
out of town or non-enrolled patients (often re-directed from ED).
The newly established academic practice will be on-call in the evenings (Mon, Tues, Wed)
with GP registrars seeing patients under the supervision of Dr Willet or Dr Wood.
Town practices will roster Thursday evening call.
Weekends will be covered by all practices allocated on the basis of capitation population.
This should result in a more equitable allocation of on-call and reduce the number of GP
patients presenting at ED because urgent appointments will be available at each
practice.
Business case appendices V12 AC 25Feb2010 Page 20