A cash-strapped youth health service forced to close last week would be eligible for nearly $1M in funding if its NP-led service could access capitation funding, according to Waves Trust chair Garth Clarricoats.
Clarricoats said it was hugely frustrating that Waves Trust couldn’t access capitation funding for the 3500 regular clients of the free health service which, given the high needs demographic of its clients, could be worth around $900,000 a year.
“That would solve a number of problems in a very big way. It would mean we could continue to provide a free holistic health service, which we have done for the last five years.
“Unfortunately, because we’re not a PHO (primary health organisation) and don’t have access to that capitation funding, we struggle.”
The health service was initiated five years ago by youth health nurse practitioner Lou Roebuck, and 97 per cent of clients are seen by a nurse practitioner (NP) or registered nurse, though GP Dr Don McKee has also gifted a half day a week to the clinic since it opened.
Clarricoats said up to this time last year, Waves had had a funding arrangement for its health services with Midland PHO, but both parties “mutually agreed” to exit the contract in November.
He said since then it had focused on gaining the Te Wana quality accreditation for Waves as the first step to gaining sustainable funding for its health service. The Trust approached the Taranaki District Health Board for transitional funding to keep the service open in the meantime but had been unsuccessful, leading to the health service closing its doors on October 19.
Clarricoats said the Waves health service was currently “down but not out” and the trust was continuing to pursue relationships with PHOs to enable the service to reopen with sustainable funding so as to meet its vision of happy, healthy young people engaged in the community.
“Those negotiations are still in very early stages.”
He hoped that common sense would prevail, leading to positive change for services like Waves.
“I firmly believe what will come out of the Waves crisis could be a very successful model not just for New Plymouth but every youth one stop shop in the country.”
