Four day GP wait time ‘pretty good’
From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Four-day waiting times for Reefton residents seeking a medical appointment is "pretty good," the final meeting of the West Coast District Health Board was told last week.
The town of 900 is currently without a GP, and the DHB has been "challenged" to ensure consistent locum cover for the next few months, general manager Philip Wheble said.
The board had been working on various options to provide cover on three out of five days at Reefton, either through in-person appointments or via telehealth consultations.
Wheble said in an update on Thursday it had seven out of nine sessions a day, staffed through a combination of nurse practitioners or by a locum.
"It's not ideal but something we want to ensure primary (care) access," he said.
Average waiting times in Reefton of four days was "pretty good" given the seasonal challenge of winter.
The pending arrival by August of a new permanent GP for South Westland would free up some locum cover to assist Reefton and for Westport "to provide consistency of care".
Board chairman Rick Barker said he understood the waiting time in Reefton to have a consultation was on average four days and asked what was the average waiting time for other West Coast centres.
Wheble replied it was longer.
Barker asked if that meant Reefton was "not out of synch" with long waiting times for a GP appointment elsewhere: "In actual fact, for people to get access in Reefton they are slightly better off than in Grey or Canterbury?"
Wheble confirmed that was the case.
Best way to use leftovers?
I'm sure you've got some excess ham at home or cold roast potatoes.
What are some of your favourite ways to use leftover food from Christmas day? Share below.
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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61.9% Summer
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36.6% Winter
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1.5% Other - I'll share below
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