A new 24-hour medical clinic is set to open in Pāpāmoa in January 2024.

Emergency Consult co-founder and CEO Jenni Falconer recently moved to Pāpāmoa, quickly becoming aware of the urgent health needs across Tauranga’s fastest growing suburb.

Although Emergency Consult’s expertise lies in telehealth and emergency medicine, while driving around, Jenni saw the available site at 3 Palm Springs Boulevard in Pāpāmoa East and decided to open a bricks and mortar clinic there.

“We understand doctors and healthcare providers in the Bay are burdened with a huge volume of demand. So, we’re trialling a new model of care in the hopes of relieving some of the acute pressure you’re facing and then build it into Pāpāmoa city,” says Jenni.

The walk-in accident and medical clinic will be open to the public 24-hours.

“Our vision is to provide reliable, rapid, readily available care that complements existing healthcare practitioners in the Bay. I looked around to see what else was happening and haven’t seen anything similar.”

Jenni has worked in NZ’s healthcare system for more than 30 years.

She has served on the frontlines as a nurse, in management roles, on projects, and senior nurse leadership. She called BOP MP Tom Rutherford on Monday to show him the clinic’s location.

“It was great to meet with Jenni. The Pāpāmoa walk-in clinic will be a bit different to your ordinary urgent care,” says Tom.

“The clinic will be available 24/7 to anyone without appointment. It’ll be equipped to deal with minor accidents and illness and it will be staffed with highly-qualified nurses. If required, you’ll be able to consult with a doctor on-screen. Using telehealth, they’re able to bring expert emergency doctors out of the large hospital EDs to see patients here in the Bay of Plenty.”

Tom agrees this new model of care is smart, providing the community with greater medical support while also relieving some of the acute pressure that’s burdening our local primary care practitioners.

Emergency Consult has been around for the last three to four years, providing Telehealth, and has 38 ED doctors and about 35 ED nurses.

Artist’s drawing of interior of the new Pāpāmoa 24-hour walk-in medical clinic. Image: Supplied.

“We do rural ED and also support clinics that don’t have access to doctors,” says Jenni.

“We can see and treat patients with a paramedic on site so they can stay at home. One of the challenges of putting Telehealth into another service is that we can’t manage how a patient comes to us. So we set up a hybrid model so patients can walk in and be seen and treated by a doctor on line. And then be discharged or referred on.”

“Pāpāmoa is Tauranga’s largest suburb and fastest growing suburb and throughout the election campaign I heard from a lot of people in Pāpāmoa about the need for healthcare facilities and services to service that community,” says Tom.

“Many are traveling to Second Ave if they can get there in open hours, and if not, through to Tauranga Hospital. So this clinic is going to really provide another layer of support to our local community in the Bay of Plenty. It’s not the silver bullet. It’s not the final solution. But it certainly shows that our community is heading in the right direction to ensure we’ve got healthcare facilities.

“I’m going to keep working hard to ensure we have the services and health facilities we need for our local community. It’s paramount for us.

“There are plenty of options moving forward and at the moment we are playing catch up. This is really a good step in the right direction.”