More than a year after east Auckland’s only local overnight medical service closed, it’s yet to be replaced and it appears unlikely to be reopened any time soon.
There was an outcry from local residents when it was announced in late 2020 the highly-valued after-hours service at East Care Accident and Medical in Botany was to end.
Then-East Care chief executive Gordon Armstrong said at the time it was a decision “taken with enormous regret”.
The 11pm-7am service at the medical centre in Botany Road had operated for more than 20 years.
It was funded by Counties Manukau District Health Board (CMDHB) from 2014-2018.
East Care self-funded the service from then on but shut it down in December 2020.
Hundreds of people turned out in March 2021 to a public meeting on the issue hosted by east Auckland’s two local National Party MPs, Christopher Luxon and Simeon Brown, and attended by DHB chief executive Margie Apa and chairman Mark Gosche.
Luxon and Brown also started a petition, eventually signed by more than 10,000 people, calling for the overnight medical service to be reinstated.
As it’s still closed and has not been replaced, locals in need of overnight care must go to Middlemore Hospital in south Auckland.
That’s putting strain on the hospital with news media reporting several patients who went to its emergency department (ED) one night in June being sent to North Shore Hospital due to “capacity issues” at Middlemore.
Benedict Hefford is the new chief executive of Care Group, which includes the East Care medical centre.
He told the Times the company knows there’s a “significant” need for the overnight service as the number of patients was going “up and up” in 2020.
“We also know it was a service that was highly prized within the community.
“However, sustaining a 24/7 operation without any DHB funding was simply impossible.
“We have to be able to resource it so there aren’t very long wait times otherwise the levels of stress on patients and staff becomes unacceptable.
“Patient safety considerations meant the board of directors felt it had no option other than to close the service down in 2020.”
Hefford says its focus since then has been on maintaining the best urgent care service it can deliver from 7am-11pm, including weekends and public holidays.
“Counties Manukau DHB took the decision to defund the overnight service in 2018.
“A lot has changed since then, including population growth, ageing and, of course, the global pandemic.
“The current situation represents a perfect storm of long under-resourced health services trying to meet the demands of resurgent illnesses like flu, along with Covid and normal winter pressures.
“We remain committed to the east Auckland community and hope the current crisis facing Middlemore and other emergency departments will force a rethink of overnight provision by the new Health NZ as it comes into effect over the coming months.”
Health Minister Andrew Little recently said the country’s health system as a whole is “coping”.
Data shows the national percentage of patients seen in emergency departments (ED) within six hours is 74 per cent, and for CMDHB the figure is 76 per cent, he said.
