Team culture stands out in Whangamata practice

A team-focused culture and forward-thinking approach at Whangamata Medical Centre (WMC) in the Coromandel makes the busy rural practice a stand-out for locals and locums alike.

WMC’s team of five doctors and eight nurses, eight reception/admin staff and five locums, serves an enrolled population of 4,500 people. During the summer months that number swells to around 100,000 people when holiday-makers flood the beachside town. With the nearest hospital facility a 60 minute drive away and 30 minutes to other medical facilities in Waihi or Tairua, the practice deals with everything.

“We run a general practice, urgent care clinic and a COVID-19 testing site every day, as well as holding one of the largest PRIME (Primary Response in Medical Emergencies) contracts in New Zealand,” says Rebecca Townsend, WMC practice manager. “This summer we’re expecting a 30 per cent increase in the usual seasonal population boom.”

The combination of 24/7 acute and chronic medical care, remote location, emergency medicine requirements and a huge population increase, along with the extra pressure of the COVID response, sounds like a recipe for burnout. Not at this practice, where team culture is a central focus.

“We work our butts off,” says Dr Michael Miller, practice owner. “But the most important thing is we work as a team and help and support each other all the time.”

Each day starts with a group meeting, involving everyone in the practice. The morning team huddle is a dedicated time to talk and discuss difficult cases, setting the team up for the day. Strong leadership is also backed by those same practice leaders getting in and doing the work, which ranges from chronic and acute care to emergency response, palliative care and school health clinic services.

It’s this variety and diversity of medicine unique to rural practices that is valued at WMC. No two days are the same and Michael says the ability to be ready for whatever comes through the door is an important part of the work. “It’s all-encompassing. I’ve been here 30 years and still look forward to going to work each day.”

Several locums who join WMC during the year also note the high level of support and interesting, varied work as a reason they repeatedly return.

Doctors Adrian and Maryanne Gane have joined the practice every year for the past seven years and are about to start again on 30 November. “We’ve got a really good team at Whangamata,” says Adrian. “They are people you can rely on, who have your back.

“The nurses are very experienced and they teach the new ones coming through. The admin staff are really good and organise the patients well.”

Adrian’s thoughts are echoed by American locum Dr Rick Budensiek, who worked at WMC for six months last summer. It was an experience he found so rewarding that he has recently returned for another six months. Speaking from managed isolation in Christchurch, Rick said the culture and camaraderie at WMC appealed.

“[Starting at WMC] was a steep learning curve, with new systems and requirements, but the practice has plenty of resources and people who work together including a fantastic nursing staff and relationships with other providers in the community.

“They have a number of physicians, plus locums who help take some of the acute burden. You get a good balance – being swallowed by the work is not a concern.”

Rick also highlighted the practice’s flexibility and fast decision-making as the COVID-19 pandemic developed. “The leadership was good, there was input from the team and they changed immediately how we saw patients, while continuing to take care of people.”

During the COVID-19 response WMC has stayed open, with the whole team continuing to work. Along with having to rapidly change processes the practice is one of only a few places in the Coromandel where people can access COVID-19 swabbing. There are two other locations in Whitianga and Thames.

“We’ve had to change the whole way we work,” says Dr Michael Miller. “The concierge screening at the front door, red and green zones for patients and every afternoon the nurses gown up in PPE and swab patients in the car park.”

Coming into summer, the practice will need all it’s resources to keep up with increased demand and maintain balance and support for the team. WMC will be open seven days a week from Boxing Day through to the start of February, including New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. While everyone is committed to working hard over that time to meet the needs of the community, the practice continues to ensure safe workloads and a good level of clinical support.

“To help the team we’ll be taking on some short-term contract staff to do concierge work, as well as bringing back locums who have been with us for many years,” says Rebecca. “In the last year we’ve also set ourselves up with indici and a new phone system. Everything is cloud-based so we can work anywhere.”

Embracing new technologies is a strategy the practice uses to further support it’s team, along with the benefits of upskilling and professional development. “We’re not a practice that sits still,” says Michael. “We constantly move forward working with the PHO, other agencies, new services and technologies. When something is rolled out, we use it.”

Varied and interesting medicine, a supportive team focused on balance and camaraderie, the use of new technologies to enhance care and the opportunity to live and work in a beautiful location. WMC has a lot to be proud of.