Located at Te Hau o Te Ora on Clyde St, Invercargill, the service sees patients from 6pm to 9pm Monday to Friday and from noon to 4pm on weekends and public holidays on an appointment basis only.
WellSouth, the primary health organisation (PHO) for Otago and Southland, organised the service through Te Hau o Te Ora, a partnership set up in 2021 with Hokonui Rūnanga and Awarua Rūnaka.
WellSouth chief executive Andrew Swanson-Dobbs said the service had responded quickly to make sure there was face-to-face primary care available, after the Invercargill Urgent Doctor Service ended on March 28. The new service started the next day.
"The operation, fees and service of this clinic seem to be well received, and we’re pleased to have helped those members of our community that have accessed it so far.
This is a new service, and people are still getting to know where we are and what is on offer," he said.
Mr Swanson Dobbs said the message to the community was to always try your GP first, many of which have an after-hours telehealth service.
"If it is late in the day or on the weekend, you may be referred to the service from your GP’s after-hours service, or if you know you need to see someone and it can’t wait, the clinic can see you during those opening hours."
The PHO is still due to meet local general practices and Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora in coming days to work towards a more permanent after-hours solution.
"Again, we really want to thank those clinicians and administrative support who committed to this speedily set-up service, and to the staff at Te Hau for accommodating the clinic."
— Staff reporter
