No start date yet for Wānaka after hours healthcare

It is still unknown when a much-anticipated overnight healthcare service will begin in Wānaka.

A spokesperson says Health New Zealand is still working through final details and has no public update on progress since it announced more than three weeks ago the service will be staffed by nurses and located at a retirement village on Cardrona Valley Road.

Indications then were doors would open in September.

Earlier today Crux asked Health New Zealand for an indication of when residents of Wānaka and Upper Clutha can expect the after hours clinic to open its doors, and how much they will be paying to access care there.

Crux also asked for details of staffing, specifically how many nurses will be required for the seven-day-a-week clinic and progress to date on their recruitment.

However, the health authority remains tight-lipped on these details.

At the start of August, a spokesperson for Health New Zealand had said recruitment was on track for the flagged September opening.

The nurse-led clinic will be supported by a doctor on call based in Clyde at Dunstan Hospital, which is run by Central Otago Health Service Ltd.

Many in the area have been advocating for an emergency healthcare service to kick in after local GPs have signed off for the night.

Main image (Eldernet): Nurses based out of the Aspiring Enliven Care Centre on Cardrona Valley Road will provide much-demanded after hours health care in Wānaka.