Larry Williams Drive

A medical expert says paying GPs to take on hospital patients is just a band-aid for a deeper staffing issue.Auckland's Middlemore Hospital is paying GPs to take patients off its hands as pressure grows in Emergency Departments.It's funding local GPs up to $1400 an hour to take on patients for free over the weekend.College of GPs medical director Bryan Betty told Heather du Plessis Allan it's not sustainable long-term.“We need a long-term strategic workforce plan. That’s what has to come into play and if Health New Zealand’s gonna do anything, it needs to start to sort out this issue.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.