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.
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
Poll: When should the tree go up? 🎄
From what we've heard, some Christmas trees are already being assembled and decorated.
What are your thoughts on the best time to get your Christmas tree up?
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4.6% Second half of November
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43.6% 1st December
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17.5% A week before Christmas
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33.2% Whenever you wish
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1.1% Other - I'll share below
What's your favourite tomato recipe?
Kia ora neighbours. We know your tomato plants are still growing, but we're looking ahead to the harvest already! If you've got a family recipe for tomatoes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine to share with our readers. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our February 2025 issue.
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