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- By Chris Harrowell, Eastern Times
Counties Manukau residents needing urgent medical care after-hours now have another option they can access other than Middlemore Hospital, and it’s just a short drive away.
Health Minister Simeon Brown has announced that a new urgent care service for Counties Manukau is now operating 24 hours a day and seven days a week for people in East and South Auckland.
“This is a significant milestone for people living in the Counties Manukau area, which has been the only part of Auckland without a 24/7 after-hours service for several years.
“Families can now get help for urgent health issues at any time of the day or night, without needing to go to hospital unless it is a genuine emergency.
“Families deserve care that’s close to home, easy to access, and good value.
“Extending this proven service to 24/7 means people can get timely, quality medical attention when they need it, while also easing pressure on Middlemore Hospital’s emergency department.”
Brown says the service previously extended its urgent and after-hours care hours from 7.30am to midnight on December 17 last year and has now moved to full 24/7 coverage.
Overnight care will be delivered through a flexible workforce model, including doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses, paramedics, and telehealth support to ensure safe, continuous care.
He says restoring 24/7 urgent care access to South and East Auckland is a priority for the Government.
“Counties Manukau previously had a 24/7 urgent care service, but it was closed in December 2020 under the previous Government.
“We’re bringing that service back for the community. This is part of the Government’s national Urgent Care and After-Hours Framework, which aims for 98 per cent of New Zealanders to live within a one-hour drive of in-person urgent care.
“This is about giving more communities timely access to urgent care and helping reduce pressure on busy hospital emergency departments.”
The new 24/7 urgent care and after-hours service in Counties Manukau will operate from Local Doctors, Ōtara GP and Urgent Care, at 3 Watford Street, Ōtara.
In addition, Brown says from March 1, East Care Urgent Care in Botany is extending its closing time from 11pm to 1am, while continuing to open at 7am each day.
In South Auckland, urgent care clinics remain open with their usual hours of 8am to 8pm in Pukekohe, Papakura, and Takanini (Waiata Shores).
The Eastern Times has extensively reported on the closure of the overnight medical service offered by East Care in late 2020.
Counties Manukau District Health Board (CMDHB) funded it from 2014-2018 with East Care meeting the cost from then until it was closed.
The ending of that funding, along with increasing patient volume, led to its closure. The move caused a large public outcry within the community since then.
Both Brown and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon (who are MPs for Pakuranga and Botany, respectively) have spoken out about the importance of ensuring locals have access to after-hours medical care.
When the after-hours service at East Care closed, Luxon and Brown launched a petition, eventually signed by 10,454 people, that called for Counties Manukau DHB to “urgently step in to reinstate funding for East Care to be able to continue operating 24/7 primary healthcare to the east Auckland community”.
Brown has said strengthening urgent and after-hours care is an important part of the Government’s plan to ensure all New Zealanders have access to timely, quality healthcare, while Luxon has publicly stated: “When we came to Government, we made a very clear commitment to deliver a health system that truly works.
“One that is much more accessible, responsive, and more focused on the needs of patients.
“We promised to prioritise frontline services and deliver the care that Kiwi families rely on, ensuring New Zealanders get timely and high-quality treatment when and where they need it.”
