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Kenepuru A&M returning to 24/7 opening from August 4 2008

We are pleased to report that we will have sufficient staffing arrangements in place to re-open the Kenepuru Accident & Medical Clinic on an around-the-clock basis – beginning on the night of Monday 4 August.

  • On Monday 4 August the A&M will open at 8am, and will then stay open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year.

On 4 February this year the A&M based at Kenepuru Community Hospital began closing at 11pm each evening and re-opening at 8am each morning - in response to ongoing difficulties in maintaining a full roster of doctors and nurses. At that time we could not reliably guarantee having a doctor available for every overnight shift, and we determined it would have been unsafe - and confusing - to have the Clinic open some nights and closed on others.

In February we publicly stated that this reduction in the hours of service was a temporary measure, and that we would work to restore a 24/7 service – but noted that there was no quick fix, and that reinstating the overnight service ‘must be done on a truly sustainable basis’.

We have reached the point where we now believe the arrangements we have put in place with doctors in this District are sustainable, hence the decision to return to around-the-clock services from the night of Monday August 4.

We would appreciate any assistance you can provide in passing this news on to the public. The key messages are:

  • The Accident & Medical Clinic at Kenepuru Community Hospital will be returning to an around-the-clock service on the night of Monday 4 August.
  • On Monday 4 August the A&M will open at 8am, and will then stay open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year.
  • If it is an emergency then always call an ambulance – dial 111.

Thank you in advance for your assistance in helping to relay this information to patients.