New Tend Health GP clinic to open after Pāpāmoa Pines closes

Pāpāmoa Pines Medical Centre on Domain Rd will close in mid-April. Photo / Alex Cairns

A new GP clinic will open in Pāpāmoa in June at the site of a long-standing clinic set to close in April.

The Bay of Plenty Times reported today Pāpāmoa Pines Medical Centre on Domain Rd is closing in mid-April after about 15 years in the fast-growing suburb.

Co-owner and partner Pamela Sheahan said its 6000 patients would be served at the business’ newer clinic in Pāpāmoa East, Pāpāmoa Pines Medical Centre on The Boulevard, which already serves about 4000 patients.

Sheahan said running both clinics was “absolutely not viable any more” because of the GP shortage and Government underfunding.

In a media release today, founder and co-chief executive of Tend Health Cecilia Robinson said closing Pāpāmoa Pines was a “major blow”, particularly to the 6000 patients.

Founder and co-chief executive of Tend Health Cecilia Robinson.

Tend Health is a Kiwi-owned primary healthcare provider offering digital and in-person services.

“In response to the closure, we have been working alongside the Pāpāmoa Pines team to reach a practical solution for quite some time,” she said in the statement.

“We plan to reopen the medical centre in June 2024, confirming our commitment to ensuring that Pāpāmoa residents continue to receive the essential health services they deserve, within their own community.”

Robinson said preparations were “well under way”.

She also referenced the integration of Tend with Chadwick Healthcare’s four Tauranga clinics.

“Tend Health is committed to using our technology to improve health equity and enhance healthcare accessibility, particularly in underserved communities and rural areas.”

“We hope that the planned reopening of Pāpāmoa, coupled with the integration of Chadwick Healthcare Group in the Bay of Plenty, offers hope to the local community.”

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The statement said its “online now” urgent care service offered virtual consultation appointments with an average wait time of 2.4 hours.

Tend chief medical officer Dr Graham Denyer said its technology aimed to ease the administrative burden on healthcare professionals, enabling them to devote more time to patient care.

It comes after Consult365 Pāpāmoa - the first hybrid accident and medical clinic in New Zealand - opened in January, where in-person and telehealth medical services are available.

Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.