The following is a message from the college that we feel Northland GPs may be interested in:

As you know the College is actively engaged in a campaign to raise awareness of the looming shortage of GPs and the inequities of the current funding system.

We’ve had a good run of media coverage recently and we want to continue this, but we need more story leads. We’re hoping that you and your Faculty and Chapter members may be able to help us source some stories – in particular we need examples of communities that are short of GPs, perhaps practices that have closed their books, maybe GPs facing burnout due to extra workload and no back up. We’ve got some leads to follow, but we want more from around the regions.

By way of an update, our campaign also includes plans to develop digital postcards for you to send directly to the Minister of Health outlining your concerns for other health sector. We are also going to set up a Facebook page where members of the public can learn about the GP shortage and can share their experiences. There is also a proposal to hold a health summit with political party’s spokespeople.

We have made some good progress, but we’re keen to keep the momentum going, so any suggestions would be gratefully received.

If you have any stories that may illustrate the issues of GP shortages or increased workload then please let us know by emailing Tanya Quin