| 25 T T Virginia Wright Active support for GP’s The recently completed Saddle View Health Centre in Dunedin was carefully designed to help meet the ever-increasing and more complex demands of primary healthcare. South Link Health Services REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT The South Link Education Trust was founded in 2010 by Emeritus Professor Murray Tilyard to provide education, development and support to the primary health sector, and he is still actively involved as both the chair of the trust and chief clinical advisor of South Link Health. South Link Health Services Limited sits under the trust group structure and owns 23 general practice medical centres and two urgent care facilities in New Zealand, from Invercargill to Auckland. Karl Andrews, CEO since late 2023, explains: “A third of our practices are owned in partnership with the general practitioners (GPs), which is a model we promote. “The main ethos of South Link Health is the support and sustainability of general practice. “There are obviously other corporates in this space, and we look for opportunities where communities need succession planning and some support to keep the practice operating. “Part of our recent strategy has been to look at consolidating what used to typically be a one- or two-person practice in an old villa into modern new facilities with efficient systems, the ability to share resources, and tap into all the knowledge, experience and support that we can provide.” The best way to describe the support offered is ‘active’. South Link Health provides a full range of shared services to the practices in the form of finance, IT, HR, payroll, recruitment and marketing. They also offer clinical support and governance, all with the intention of making sure the practice is sustainable and, as Karl says, ”so that our clinical teams can focus on the care of patients as their top priority”. South Link Health acknowledges that every community is different. They don’t offer a one-size-fits-all approach, but rather have an adaptable model that focuses on the key components that need to be in place for a general practice to be clinically and operationally successful. Having a centralised resource for clinical and other issues, including accreditation, is designed to save individual GPs’, nurse practitioners’ and nurses’ time, and allow them to focus their energies on patient care. “We have created a collaborative network and system, so that if you have a question about anything there is someone you can get in touch with. “We have a shared IT platform, which opens communication channels across all our practices. “A good example, recently, was a photo of a potential skin cancer that one of our doctors sent to another practice colleague for their second opinion,” explains Karl. Along with their purchasing power and negotiating strength, South Link Health’s involvement extends to providing modern facilities they see as key to the future of well-supported general practices. The recently completed Saddle View Health Centre in Dunedin was carefully designed to help meet the ever-increasing and more complex demands of primary healthcare. Having a purpose-built facility capable of managing up to 10,000 patients, that is warm, safe, spacious and well-equipped, is intended to provide the cornerstone for Saddle View Health to thrive, regardless of the challenges the future may bring. Providing a range of Site Setup Services for the Coastal Otago area: • Sca olding (Commercial & Residential) • Safety Nets • DIY scaffolding trailer packages Proudly Supporting Southlink P: 027 393 8488 E: liam@sitesetupservices.co.nz
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