Locals taking advantage of free GP visits for kids

OPTIMISTIC: Western Bay of Plenty Primary Health Organisation chief executive Roger Taylor. PHOTO/JOHN BORREN

Western Bay of Plenty families are taking advantage of free doctor services for under 13-year-olds thanks to a new scheme introduced earlier this year.

More than 25,000 Bay children were eligible for free GP visits as of July which was rolled out by the Ministry of Health.

Western Bay of Plenty Primary Health organisation chief executive Roger Taylor said the number of families taking up the scheme had been "strong" with the level still rising.

Families using the scheme during the work day had increased by about two per cent while those using the scheme after hours was slightly more, he said.

Mr Taylor said while the volumes had not gone through the roof, the spread of people using it had widened.

Carers of under 13-year-olds were choosing to use the free service in the early evening and out of hours more, he said.

He said 3423 under-6-year-olds had sought medical help in the Western Bay after hours between July 1 to September 30.

Twelve medical practices had also extended their operating hours to offer the service.

The scheme was being closely monitored by the WBOP PHO to see if it still fell within funding parameters agreed with the Ministry of Health, he said.

Greerton Family Practice manager Jane Hay said since the new scheme had rolled out they had seen an increase of about 25 to 30 per cent of patients under 13. The practice saw about 50 per cent high-need patients so the scheme was being fully utilised, she said.

David Gilbert, Accident and Healthcare general manager, said they too had seen an increase in the number of families attending their clinic.

Mr Gilbert said the uptake had not yet plateaued but this winter had been "heavy" in terms of volumes of sick children and adults.

Mr Gilbert said it was important patients should try to see their own general practitioner first as Accident and Healthcare was an urgent care clinic that provided medical attention for patients who were acutely unwell, he said.

Cameron Medical Clinic doctor Ross Ogle expressed his concerns about the scheme being abused when it was first introduced but had been surprised that was not the case.

Mr Ogle said it had not made a difference to the number of consultations to the under-13 age group at the practice at this stage.

Mr Ogle said children from six to 13 were generally a "pretty well group of the population".

"So providing them with free visits wasn't going to make a huge difference.

"They are a group we don't see a lot of really."