Kerre Woodham: Family doctors have gone the way of the moa

I did want to have a look at the state of our primary healthcare – this is something we've looked at before, and I have absolutely no doubt that we will look at again. I do tend to agree with the GP advocacy group, General Practitioners Aotearoa, that the concept of the family doctor is dead. You're not going to get a Dr Finlay's Casebook again any time soon on the telly. You're not going to see a doctor who has not only looked after your primary health for much of your life, but also that of your family’s. These are the kinds of doctors that have gone the way of the moa.  

Where I would disagree with the GPA is that they said you wouldn't see the sort of queues for GPs that we saw in South Auckland, in Remuera. I would argue it's just as difficult for people in the blue chip suburbs to get in to see a GP as it is in the poorer areas. It's just the people with disposable incomes can have other options.  

A briefing given to Dr Shane Reti when he took over as Health Minister warned that New Zealand is at least 485 GPs short across the country. Remember trying to find the GP in Tokoroa? A GP was looking for somebody to take over the practice - all sorts of offers were put out there, nobody was interested. This number’s expected to grow to a shortage of between 750 and 1050 doctors in the next ten years. At least a quarter of a million Kiwis aren't enrolled with a practice. Many of them won't take on any new patients. 1,034,000 people said they struggled to access GP services because of cost in 2022/23, double the number of the previous year. And the impact of this of course is pressure on hospitals, emergency departments, specialist consultations and immunisation rates. Waiheke Island’s only afterhours medical clinic closed its doors yesterday; 24 practices and clinics in Canterbury, the Southern Region, Hawke’s Bay, and mid Central that provide after hours or urgent care experienced closures or reductions in hours in 2023 because there aren't enough GPs.  

There is a tiny bit of good news... in March, the Health Minister pointed to work beginning on setting up a third medical school and record numbers of GP registrars as green shoot, but added, “I understand there are other parts of retention and remuneration we need to collaborate on.”  

There is so much need everywhere, across every field, but GPs are in crisis. If a crisis can be something that continues for many, many years, because they have been saying for at least the past five years that they are struggling. Pre-Covid they were struggling. GPs were getting older, new doctors weren't training in the field, they were getting stressed and burnt out because they were seeing so many patients with so much need, and yet without them, they are such an important component of the country's overall health plan that you cannot have a healthy country without healthy GPs. Difficulty in accessing GPs results in pressure on EDs and poorer health outcomes once people do finally get treatment.  

I've been with the same GP practice for about 25 years. I don't see the same GP; I've had a succession of really lovely, fabulous GPs come and go. The last one I was absolutely fabulous, but she now only works mornings because she's trying to manage herself, and her family, and her practice, and it's all just overwhelming. It was three weeks before I could get in to see a GP. You expect to have to wait. If it's urgent, they do their best. If it's urgent, you try and get into an afterhours clinic, but you have to have the money to pay and there has to be an afterhours clinic open near you.  

So like I say, difficulty in accessing GPs no matter where you are in the country, but if you have money, if you have disposable income, you can get a result a lot more easily. Do we try and attract them from overseas? Do we try and attract young people, pay their student loans if th

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Carrywood of Mornings podcast from News
Talk sed B.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
I did want to have a look at the state
of our primary healthcare. This is something we've looked at
before and I have absolutely no doubt that we will
look at again. I do tend to agree with the
GP Advocacy Group General Practitioners alta AT or that the
concept of the family doctor is dead. You're not going
to get a doctor Finley's casebook again anytime soon. On

(00:33):
the tally, You're not going to see a doctor who
has not only looked after your primary health for much
of your life, but also that of your families. These
are the kinds of doctors that have gone the way
of the Moor. Where I would disagree with the GPA
is that they said you wouldn't see the sort of
cues for GPS that we saw in South Auckland. In Ramawerda,

(00:56):
I would argue it's just as difficult for people and
the blue chips suburbs to get in to see a
GP as it is in the poorer areas. It's just
the people with disposable incomes can have other options. A
briefing given to doctor chan Nohette when he took over
as Health Minister, warned that New Zealand is at least
four hundred and eighty five GPS short across the country.

(01:18):
Remember trying to find the GP in Tookador a GP
was looking for somebody to take over the practice. All
sorts of offers were put out there and nobody was interested.
This number is expected to grow to a shortage of
between seven hundred and fifty and one thousand and fifty
doctors in the next ten years. At least a quarter

(01:40):
of a million Kiwis aren't enrolled with a practice. Many
of them won't take on any new patients. One million
and thirty four thousand people said they struggled to access
GP services because of cost in twenty two twenty three,
double the number of the previous year, and the impact
of this, of course, is pressure on hospitals, emergency departments,

(02:01):
specialist consultations and immunization rates. Wahiki Islands only after Ours
Medical Clinic closed its doors yesterday, twenty four practices in
clinics in Canterbury, a Southern Region, Hawks Bay and Mid
Central that provide after Ours or urgent care experience closures

(02:22):
or reductions in hours in twenty two twenty three because
there aren't enough GPS. There is a tiny bit of
good news. In March, the Health Minister pointed to work
beginning on setting up a third medical school and record
numbers of GP registrars as green shoot, but added I
understand there are other parts of retention and renewminate remuneration

(02:45):
we need to collaborate on. There is so much need
everywhere across every field. But GPS are in crisis. If
a crisis can be something that continues for many, many years,
because they have been saying for at least the past
five years that they are struggling pre COVID. They were struggling.

(03:07):
Gps were getting older, new doctors, weren't training in the field,
they were getting stressed and burned out because they were
seeing so many patients with so much need. And yet
without them, they are such an important component of the
country's overall health plan that you cannot have a healthy
country without healthy GPS. Difficulty in accessing GPS results and

(03:32):
pressure on EDS poorer health comes. Once people do finally
get treatment. I was told it would be I've been
with the same GP practice for about twenty five years.
I don't see the same GP. I've had a succession
of really lovely, fabulous gps come and go. The last

(03:54):
one I saw absolutely fabulous, but she now only works
mornings because she's trying to manage herself and her family
and her practice, and it's all just overwhelming. It was
three weeks before I could get in to see a GP,
and this was with winter. And you expect to have

(04:15):
to wait. If it's urgent, they do their best. If
it's urgent, you try and get into an after ours clinic,
but you have to have the money to pay, and
there has to be an after ours clinic open near you. So,
like I say, difficulty in accessing GPS no matter where
you are in the country. But if you have money,
if you have disposable income, you can get a result

(04:38):
a lot more easily. Do we try and attract them
from overseas? Do we try and attract young people to
pay their student loans if they become a GP. I mean,
we've seen what happens when you, I mean you try
and attract somebody with money and all the add ons
and the bells and whistles to get to talk at all.
If they don't want it, they don't want to have

(05:01):
the days of the family doctor gone the way of
the more just have to adapt to a new way
and new style of doing things.

Speaker 1 (05:10):
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