Virtual consultations fill critical workforce gaps in rural Taranaki

NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth

South Taranaki Rural Health has implemented virtual consults using locum doctors to address staff shortages and maintain patient access to care.

The hybrid model, launched in December 2025, involves patients getting in-person nursing assessments before connecting with remote doctors who have full access to the practice's patient management system.

Practice manager Lisa Zame says this means the practice can continue to provide appointments for routine and acute care without having to cancel appointments or extend wait times.

The system reduces pressure on GPs as virtual locum doctors also support administrative tasks like managing patient inboxes and reviewing laboratory results.

"This means the clinicians on the ground can focus on patients that need to have physical exams or procedures done," Zame explains.

Patients generally attend the practice rather than connecting from home. They arrive 15 minutes before their scheduled appointment to see a nurse who does vital sign assessments, including blood pressure, height, and weight measurements and any other tests that are needed.

Nursing staff also photograph skin conditions or other visible symptoms to share with the remote doctor.

"That nurse is trying to be the ears and the eyes for the doctor at the other end, and trying to capture as much information as possible," she says.

Initially some patients were hesitant and nervous, particularly elderly patients who worried about managing the technology, but they have grown in confidence after becoming familiar with the system.

Zame says that without virtual consultations, the practice would face significant challenges managing patient demand and wait times would create additional pressure on staff and potentially drive patients to emergency departments.

The hybrid model also creates opportunities for preventive care screening with nurses identifying patients overdue for cervical screening and other testing during the same visit.

Both clinical and administrative staff needed time to understand which conditions could be managed virtually versus those needing in-person examination.

"We just learned as we went and we got good feedback from the locum doctor at the other end about what they could and what they could not manage virtually," Zame says.

Image: South Taranaki Rural Health Practice Manager, Lisa Zame

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