Gore Health and Gore Medical Centre patients needing to see a doctor after-hours can ring and be connected to the Ka Ora rural after-hours service.
The Ka Ora clinical members of the service are nurses, doctor and kaiawhina and have access to the health records of patients who are enrolled in practices.
The service is available from 5pm to 8am every week night and 24 hours on weekends and public holidays.
Gore Health practice manager Chris Miller said the aim of the service was to provide rural communities with effective and sustainable after- hours access.
"At 5pm each night our phone system will automatically switch over to Ka Ora.
"The service is not a replacement for general practice but is an extension of care for patients when needed."
The service was not free and patients still needed to pay.
It meant patients, including visitors to the area enrolled in practices outside the town, who could not see a doctor during the day, could either book in online or telephone for an appointment after 5pm.
Some issues might not be solved over the phone, Mrs Miller said.
"For the matters that cannot be resolved, the patient may be sent to local emergency services or provided with interim treatment and advice."
Ka Ora may also contact the patient’s GP to arrange an appointment.
Gore Medical Centre practice manager Susan Jones said the service was available to rural practices and had been running in other parts of the country.
"The practices that have joined so far are reporting really good resolution rates for the people that are ringing through so it is decreasing the demand on our own after-hours GP service.
"It’s going to offer an enhanced service to what patients have with the current after-hours service."
It was hoped the service would eventually mean the practices did not have to roster on an after-hours doctor during week nights, Mrs Jones said.
At present the two practices took turns to roster on an after-hours doctor from 5pm to 9pm.
Two clinics were also held on Saturdays and Sundays.
"If it’s as promising as what we hope it’s going to be, that may reduce to one per day."
- By Sandy Eggleston
