Letters 2 September 2011
Rangihaeata Road
To the owner of the dog that roams Rangihaeata Road and has slaughtered more of my bantams, would it be OK if I followed the dog home and slaughtered it on your property?
Megan Wells
Integrated family health centre
I sincerely thank the Joan Whiting Trust for refusing to champion the design of the facility being proposed to house future elder care residents in Golden Bay.
It has always been my goal to maintain Joan Whiting in situ. I believe there is a need for a “home” for people too incapacitated or forgetful to be safe at home or in Abbeyfield, yet don’t need hospitalisation.
The integrated facility design is little more than an extended hospital ward with small private rooms.
Overall, the proposal is very disappointing. There are inconveniences and loss of privacy for general practice, maternity, rest home and hospital clients.
It worries me that every medical bed in the Bay will be under one roof, that we will no longer have a DHB run hospital and that we lose control of health provision to a single company, the PHO. The only part of this womb-to-tomb facility that the community will be responsible for is the building and its unimaginable mortgage payments, which relies entirely upon the PHO paying rent and covering increasing costs.
I believed that a large percentage of the community have concerns. The quantities of signatures collecting on the two petitions back this up.
If you are in favour of the proposal as is, you should sign the petition supporting the IMG to alleviate it from having to claim your silent support.
Liza Eastman
As a previous nursing staff member at Joan Whiting Resthome, I can see that the management and board of Joan Whiting have no choice but to withdraw from the IMG because, without a separate lounge and dining area, there is no rest home, there is only a hospital. Rest home residents are likely to seek rest home care over the hill, if the only option in Golden Bay is a hospital, where long-term elderly residents would be sharing a lounge and dining room with short term sick patients. A high quality rest home is needed, not a white elephant.
Celia Butler
Thank you to the many offering support for concerns about the IMG’s plans to restructure Golden Bay’s Health Systems. Those of us asking questions are being unfairly attacked for doing so, however there are very important unanswered questions that will ultimately affect us all. Are you happy with the new Auckland based answering service for after-hours medical emergencies? Are you happy paying for this new service? Did you think it was free? Are you happy with the PHO’s management so far? Are you happy that there will be reduced income coming into the Bay, with 4.3 people to lose their jobs in order to accommodate the IMG’s big plan? Are you happy with your new, drastically reduced X-ray service? Does Kate O’Bryne’s declaration that the doctor’s income has been reduced, look like a good way to attract doctors? Can anyone name one single health benefit we will gain with this massive, $6.9m expenditure?
Golden Bay people have been extremely generous in the past and I am sure there would be good support for an option that would allow for rest home rooms to have ensuites, that could be paid for by the people of Golden Bay.
Victoria Davis
One Green Dream for Golden Bay?
Thanks to Claire Webster I was recently invited to contribute to EcoFest here in the Bay. I helped give a talk about the “Green Economy” which involved reporting on what I’m seeing through my work as the editor of the green, good news website “Happyzine”.
I asked the group whether there was one specific green goal they’d like to see us working towards as a community, over one decade. We talked about a few different options including: local food self-reliance, going organic, a self-sufficient power supply and the more widespread use of composting toilets. The local food self-reliance goal seemed to be the most popular, and that view was apparently confirmed throughout subsequent Ecofest gatherings.
I’d like to say that each of the goals mentioned are being implemented successfully in other communities around the world. I think if we could agree upon one specific green goal, we could make it happen. What would you choose?
Charlotte Squire
Accolades for another Golden Bay builder
Hearty congratulations are due to Wayne Rothwell from Patons Rock as the Local Category Winner in the Nelson/Tasman region for “Renovations in the $250,000-$500,000” bracket; his workmanship earning him a Master Builders Gold Award (greater than 90 per cent)
Describing the renovations to my house the adjudicators said: “An interesting saw-tooth roofline is virtually all that remains of a 1970’s Golden Bay bach - now a unique modern home full of personality and style.”
Additions and extensive renovations to an older existing house can frequently pose far more challenges than building a new house. Wayne Rothwell does most of the work himself with assistance as necessary.
It did not come as a surprise to me that Wayne’s work was recognised in this way. I was particularly impressed by his careful attention to fine detail, always striving for perfection, and his desire to satisfy the customer. His capacity to think right through a task from the start, anticipate any potential difficulties, and thus prevent them from occurring, was quite outstanding. He was fastidious in his quest for accuracy and he demonstrated precision in everything he attempted.
The accolades received by Wayne Rothwell are richly deserved. This is a public “thank you”, to you Wayne.
Angela R C Pack (Dr)
After-hours medical care
An item in The Christchurch Press (20/8/11, p A19) about the situation rural GPs find themselves in South Canterbury DHB area is relevant to all of us in the rural area.
There are two GPs in private practice in Geraldine. The GPs in Temuka and Geraldine had arranged an after hours roster together. However, South Canterbury DHB has cut the rural funding to the GPs in Temuka, which means that the two GPs in Geraldine have to look after Temuka as well and cover for each other at weekends - each one taking alternate weekends. The woman doctor interviewed said that this meant she would be working 12 days straight (with night calls too). She said that she saw 37 patients on one day of the weekend and 40 the next. These patients had already been nurse triaged on the after-hours phone system and definitely needed a doctor. She is taking a stand to have the South Canterbury DHB decision reversed because she doesn’t believe she can do the job safely under these conditions.
This made me realise that we’re very lucky here in Golden Bay that our doctors initiated a change from GP private practice to PHO-employed GPs when they did. These funding cuts in health are not widely publicised by government.
Moira Tilling
It is very difficult to address individual patient issues in the media, as, unlike the patient, we cannot discuss details of a case. This is why I asked that people address their concerns regarding the HML after-hours service to the medical centre. However, if you keep publishing them, they must be responded to.
I understand Kylee Reynish’s concerns and frustration (GBW Letters 26/8), but also feel that her letter simply highlights the issues I described last week.
Even had she got straight through to a doctor, she would have been asked basic questions to help understand the issue, and what measures she had taken so far to help her son, as she might well have not needed a doctor’s visit.
And even the doctor might have a “foreign accent”!
Kylee tells us what didn’t happen, but not what did. I can only assume that her son got better without any input from the doctor. That’s great, and not surprising, as toddlers who are crying and resisting vigorously are rarely severely ill, just upset and miserable. A doctor or nurse would likely have recommended paracetamol or ibuprofen, even arnica or rescue remedy, and possibly a drive in the car.
If he became more unwell, then he would be seen.
It is not reasonable, possible or sustainable for a doctor to immediately available, always, in Golden Bay. There will always be times when the doctor is busy with another patient, in another part of the Bay, or out of cell phone cover. This has always been the reality.
Equally, doctors cannot be expected to perform onerous and demanding out-of-hours work, taking them away from rest and family after a full working day, which does not actually need a doctor. For too long, the only person available for healthcare assistance, short of a 111 emergency (ambulance plus GP), outside business hours has been the GP. This is no longer acceptable or safe – like all areas in modern medicine; there must be a team approach. This is nothing to do with IMG or integration – this is just modern life.
Thus we have the HML telephone service, so the GP no longer has to give telephone medical advice from the bed or bathroom, and, coming next, nurse assessment at Golden Bay Community Hospital (GBCH).
What I would have liked to see happen in Kylee’s situation, would have been her being asked to take her son to the community hospital to be assessed by a nurse. This would have allowed a professional to assess him, a doctor to be involved if needed and, I think, an outcome satisfactory to everyone. Unfortunately, whilst some GBCH nurses are more than capable of such assessment, we have not been able to give them all the necessary training, yet. This will be part of the (near) future model.
Finally, I am aware that many people have had a good experience with this service, but they are not writing to The GB Weekly about it.
Dr Struan Clark for Golden Bay Medical Centre
Council by-election
I have noticed that there are a few election billboards springing up around the Bay. I am not intending to add to the clutter, as I don’t believe my picture would enhance the landscape. However I am very happy to talk with anyone about their expectations of a potential Tasman District Councillor, and what I am currently doing as part of the Community Board team representing Golden Bay issues in Richmond.
Mik Symmons
BeWell menopause workshop
Recently BeWell held a Menopause Workshop which was very successful. However due to the time of day many women were unable to attend. For those who were disappointed we will be repeating it after business hours on Thursday 13 October, 6.30-8.30pm. If you want further information or wish to register early phone 525-6151 or call in to Wendy at Heartlands. We look forward to another successful workshop.
Wendy Earle, BeWell Coordinator.
Combined Orchestra – Choir Concert
We are pleased to announce that once again the Golden Bay Orchestra and the World Music Choir ZING are presenting a combined concert, under the baton of Jochen Maurer, to raise money for the Takaka Drama Society’s re-roof and building fund. There will be some well known pieces by Mozart and Tchaikovsky and various songs from all over the world including English and African. The concert will be held at The Playhouse in Park Avenue on Saturday 10 September at 7.00pm. Adult entry by donation, children free.
Gillian Cunningham
Youth Open Mic
Join Tasman Youth Council at the Brigand Café this Sunday at 5pm for the Youth Open Mic - inviting all high school-aged musicians to this very casual performance night. Free to enter and maximum of five minutes each. Please bring along your family and friends and, yes, it is Father’s Day! More info? Call Paddy 525 8745.
Paddy Brennan
Annual Clean Up of Golden Bay
It is once again September when Keep Golden Bay Beautiful coordinates the Annual Clean Up of Golden Bay. We do this by getting people/groups/schools to adopt stretches of road or coastline to clean. We supply the rubbish bags. If you are interested please phone me on 525 8332 and we will give you the details. We would also like to ask motorists to be extra careful at this time as there could be people working on the roadsides.
Kathy Hindmarsh, Keep Golden Bay Beautiful
Proposed council union
The proposed amalgamation of Nelson/Tasman District Councils is unlikely to have any benefits for Tasman, though this may not be the case for Nelson. What reason is there for Aldo Miccio’s enthusiasm for amalgamation other than it being advantageous for Nelson? He needs a cash cow. I doubt that much altruism extends to the Tasman ratepayer.
The community board’s desire for increased power has clouded their judgement. There is nothing in the Local Government Commission’s “generous document” that cannot be achieved under the umbrella of TDC, though I fear that if they get the power that they want all the ratepayer will be left with in the long run is the financial burden of another layer of bureaucracy with Golden Bay’s effective representation reduced from two councillors to one.
If Joe Bell’s wish (GB Weekly 5/8) for a change to Local Election Act 2001 took effect, both council and mayor would become unelected appointees. More democracy, more accountability? Pull the other leg, Joe!
TDC have not always made good decisions in the past, and their current unpopularity is not undeserved. Now is the time for them to listen to the concerns of the ratepayer and come forward with comprehensive guarantees of more responsive and less autocratic governance for Tasman. This does include delegating more authority to the community boards.
They have until February to do this.
Jeff Allen
