Ministry of Health

NZ Government

    
 ©Copyright
 Published: 05/04/2007

GP Visits
The Government provides subsidies to lower the cost of GP visits for eligible people enrolled in PHOs. GPs operate private businesses and so are able to set their own fees for consultations and other services such as writing repeat prescriptions without a consultation.

Primary Health Care Nursing
In some cases it is more appropriate for health services to be delivered by a nurse rather than a GP.   The Primary Health Care Strategy identified primary health care nurses as crucial to its successful implementation. The development of some services delivered through PHOs, such as Services to Improve Access initiatives and Care Plus, have enabled more effective use of nursing skills.

Additional Services

PHOs provide a range of services that are designed to provide additional support to meet the needs of the communities they serve. 

• Services to Improve Access For High Needs Groups (SIA) are available to reduce inequalities among those populations that are known to have the worst health status: Maori, Pacific people and those living in NZDep index 9-10 decile areas. The funding is for new services or improved access and is additional to the main PHO funding for general practice-type care.

• Health Promotion is the term given to planning, implementing and evaluating activities that promote health and wellbeing in communities. 

• CarePlus is a primary health care initiative targeting people with high health need due to chronic conditions, acute medical or mental health needs, or terminal illness. Care Plus aims to improve chronic care management, reduce inequalities, improve primary health care teamwork and reduce the cost of services for high-need primary health users.