Auckland GPs Report Surge in Patients Referred from Overwhelmed Hospitals

Auckland general practitioners are facing an increasing influx of patients who have been referred away from public hospitals that are struggling with a surge in winter illnesses. The situation has placed additional pressure on local acute clinics, which are now seeing a significant rise in demand for urgent care.

According to Dr. Carlos Lam, a GP at a private urgent care clinic in East Tāmaki, the clinic has been inundated with patients who were unable to be seen in a timely manner at hospitals. He said many of these patients have been referred by Healthline or have been waiting for extended periods in hospital emergency departments before being directed to his clinic.

"They've been a bit frustrated waiting in the hospital, or they've called Healthline, and Healthline has advised they see a doctor straight away," Dr. Lam explained. He noted that the clinic has been overwhelmed by patients with colds and flu-like symptoms, with some waiting up to three to four hours for care. He also highlighted the challenge of staff shortages, as some of his team members have been absent due to illness.

Meanwhile, North Shore district nurse Lesley Pook shared similar concerns, noting that the full capacity of hospitals has led to early discharges of patients who would typically remain in the hospital for care. This has created additional pressure on community healthcare services, which are already struggling with staffing shortages.

"That puts a lot of pressure on our service to be able to deliver care for these people, we don't have the staffing to be able to do that adequately," she said. Pook mentioned that on one recent day, her team was short by 23 hours of care, highlighting the strain on the system.

Dr. Gary Payinda, an emergency doctor in Northland, also reported an increase in patients being referred to private urgent care clinics. He emphasized that the situation is not just due to seasonal flu but is exacerbated by long-standing issues such as nursing shortages and overwhelmed hospital systems.

"This is not just a seasonable flu thing, that might be the straw that broke the camel's back, but the camel was already sick and starved and emaciated to begin with," Dr. Payinda said. He added that treating patients in hospital corridors has become more common, a practice that was once considered unacceptable.

Health NZ has stated that no patients are being turned away in Auckland or Northland, but hospitals are experiencing high demand. Vanessa Thornton, acting deputy chief executive for Health NZ in the north, said that patients with non-urgent illnesses may be offered alternative options to expedite their care. She also highlighted the collaboration between hospitals, emergency services, and urgent care providers to manage the surge in demand.

"We work closely with key partners such as Hato Hone St John, urgent care providers, and telehealth to manage high demand and provide points of escalation," she said. She urged anyone needing urgent or emergency care to go to the emergency department without delay or to call 111.

The situation underscores the growing strain on New Zealand's healthcare system, with GPs and community healthcare workers bearing the brunt of the increasing demand.