The harsh reality
Moore Street Medical Centre epitomised rural healthcare’s perfect storm. One 0.8 FTE general scope GP serving 4,500 enrolled patients. No doctor on Wednesdays. Thirteen patients per session whilst juggling prescriptions, correspondence and supervising staff. Dozens of daily repeat prescription requests, referrals and an overflowing inbox on top of fully booked clinics.
The single remaining doctor had explicitly voiced feeling unsafe multiple times, recognising the high risk of clinical errors. Diabetic patients received only opportunistic reviews. Administrative staff, desperate to assist patients, made clinical decisions without training. Nursing staff found themselves working unsupported and at the margins of their scope of practice. The local emergency department regularly saw chronic disease patients who couldn’t access their GP.
It was a disaster waiting to happen.
Strategic intervention
Following the full acquisition of the Better Health Network in March 2024, Tend recognised the practice needed immediate intervention and fast-tracked Ashburton’s integration from the standard 10-week timeline to just four weeks.
Our Central Clinical Team, a multi-disciplinary team of GPs, nurse practitioners, clinical pharmacists, and registered nurses took over inbox management and repeat prescribing on day one leading to a 56% reduction in the doctor’s administrative burden within the first month.
Expanding clinical capacity
We deployed two key technologies:
Virtual in-clinic care (VIC): Telepresence from our network clinicians within the existing clinic environment. Patients receive care from Tend doctors via video link, supported by local nursing staff. This delivered 250 additional consultations monthly - equivalent to an extra 0.5 FTE clinician.
Online Now care: Extended-hours access at enrolled appointment rates. Ashburton patients averaged 53 monthly appointments, adding four additional sessions.
In December 2024, we also introduced our bespoke AI scribing tool - now used in 82% of consultations. The system creates high quality open clinical notes that are made available to patients via the Tend app, creating the “breathing room that simply didn’t exist before.”
Sustainable outcomes
The transformation went beyond technology. We added an operations manager, nurse manager and a second GP after 18 months of solo practice. Our CMO offered immediate peer support and the original doctor received a month’s leave.
Most notably, a clinician who once felt daily anxiety is now set to begin RNZCGP training in 2026.
“The support from the wider Tend team, particularly around prescribing and peer support, has made a real difference. It’s a much more sustainable and hopeful environment now, and I’m genuinely looking forward to the next phase.”
– Dr Sunil, Tend Ashburton
The bigger picture
Rural practices don’t fail overnight - they deteriorate gradually until collapse becomes inevitable. Tend Ashburton demonstrates that systematic intervention can reverse this trajectory, but it requires integrated technology platforms, multi-disciplinary teams, and immediate support.
For skeptics questioning whether technology can truly support rural healthcare: the evidence is in reduced wait times, improved patient satisfaction, and a doctor who is no longer planning his exit.
Sometimes the best innovation isn’t disruption - it’s giving clinicians the support they need to do what they do best.