Redwoodtown Doctors started in 1986 when Jim and Ruth Vause moved to Blenheim from Central Otago following the birth of their first son Andy. They began the practice initially in a small house next to the chemist shop, with Penny Wytenburg joining Jim as a registrar following her intern years at Wairau Hospital. Mark Pring from the UK was the next GP into the practice, shortly after the business moved to 73a Cleghorn St, now the Nelmar building. Then in 1997 the former PostBank Redwoodtown building came up for sale and this opportunity was taken leading to the practice current location in the middle of the Redwood Village.
Dr Katrina Trainee, a Scottish graduate was the next doctor to come onto the team and then in 2006, Dr Phil Dashfield who originally worked at Havelock, joined to help out.
From the start, the practice has been computerised with computerised clinical notes and then progressively moving to a "paperless" office. Heather Hampton became practice receptionist in 1988 and in the same year Penny Wytenburg joined the practice after completing her housesurgeon attachment at Wairau Hospital. Penny completed her intensive year in the Royal New Zealand College of General Practice training scheme with Jim as trainer and thereafter stayed to join the practice as a fulltime partner, obtaining her full membership of the RNZCGP in 1995.
In 1996 Donna Goulter joined as practice nurse, followed shortly thereafter by Mark Pring from England who became the third doctor in the practice. Kath Devine took the role of second nurse in 1998 and in 1999 Julie Nelson took the third nurse role of triage and patient liaison.In 1999 the practice moved to it's current premises in the former Postbank building which, with internal modification has proved eminently suitable for general practice services.
Heather Hampton, after 12 years excellent service followed the rest of her family to the dismal weather of Christchurch with the new millennium, and was replaced by Lynelle Jackson. Alas Lynelle, after some excellent work, chose motherhood as her next challenge and Carla Hepplethwaite who migrated to Marlborough from Rangiora, stepped into her role. Her services in reception are augmented by Felicity Roberts and Denise Manning.
The practice became one of the 20 New Zealand General Practice that participated in the development of the RNZCGP "Aiming for Excellence" Practice Standards project in 1999 and then became the first practice in the Top of the South to gain accreditation under the Cornerstone program.
In 2001 Dr Catrina Traini joined the practice as a part time general practitioner providing some much needed help for the other doctors, especially in the realm of women's health. The practice was then joined by Julie Nelson and Caryl Thorn in the nursing roles after Kath Devine went to work in Picton for a few months. Cathy hale, a diabetic educator nurse was thereafter enticed into the practice team, fulfilling an important role to cater for the ever growing number of diabetics.
The continual expansion of the practice resulted in renovations in 2004/5 which has added two extra consulting rooms and a patient toilet facility, while Phil Dashfield, former GP at Havelock, joined the practice in 2005 after a stint in the arctic of Canada. |