Telehealth could replace West Coast after hours

Leaked documents show West Coast Health is proposing to close its weekend and after hours GP clinics and replace them with a telehealth service. Chair of the advocate group Patient Voice Aotearoa, Malcolm Mulholland spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss. We have received a response from Philip Wheble at Health New Zealand. He said West Coast health is consulting on the changes as a way to increase capacity and alleviate pressure on primary care providers. He says no decisions have been made on this proposal, and Health New Zealand is currently discussing the impact the change would have on services - including any increased demand it would have on emergency services. Wheble says the telehealth service Ka Ora is already available on the West Coast, with people able to ring the service directly for phone or video consultations.