What is Primary Health Care?
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Primary health care is usually the first contact you have with health professionals – for example, when you visit your doctor or nurse, or when a nurse visits you.
It is not hospital care, but professional health care in the community. Your family doctor (GP) and nurses provide most of your primary health care.
Primary health care covers a broad range of services outside hospitals to improve your health through measures such as health education and counselling, disease prevention and screening.
What is a Primary Health Organisation (PHO)?
^Primary Health Organisations are the local structures for delivering and co-ordinating primary health care services. PHOs bring together doctors, nurses and other health professionals (such as Maori/Pacific health workers, Health Promotion workers, diabetes nurses, pharmacists, mental health coordinators and immunisation specialists) in the community to serve the needs of their enrolled populations.
PHOs get a set amount of funding from the government to subsidise a range of health services. The funding is based on the numbers and characteristics (e.g., age, sex, ethnicity) of people enrolled with them. That funding pays for:
• Providing care and treatment when people are ill.
• Helping people stay healthy.
• Reaching out to those groups in their community who have poor health or who are missing out on primary health care.
To enrol, you must complete a form for yourself and your family members at the
medical practice of your choice. Enrolling is free. To find out if you are already enrolled, ask your doctor or practice nurse.
What are the benefits of belonging to a PHO?
^If you enrol with Capital PHO, you will enjoy cheaper doctor's visits and prescription fees ($3 as long as the medicine is fully subsidised and the prescription is from your usual PHO doctor), and free interpreting services if you require an interpreter. You will get access to many free health services in your community.
You may change your doctor of choice at any time, or you can visit any other doctor as a casual patient, but you will pay a higher fee for that visit.
Important notes:
• You can only enrol with one medical centre.
• Enrolment intakes are done on a quarterly basis. This means that if you enrol part way through a quarter, funding for you will not be available to the medical centre until the beginning of the next quarter. All the more reason to enrol immediately!
• If you enrol during a quarter, medical centres reserve the right to charge you at their casual patient rate until the first day of the following quarter. That is when they will receive the government funding relating to your enrolment with the medical centre.
Can I belong to more than one PHO?
^No. You can only enrol in one PHO at a time, but you can change PHOs if you wish. You can visit other doctors or health care providers as a casual patient, and be charged casual rates, but you should enrol with the family doctor you use most often. By building a relationship with your PHO health professional like your family doctor or nurse, they'll get to know you better and you'll get continuity of care.
If you're away from home and get sick, you can still see a doctor in the area you're visiting as a casual patient.
What can I do if I have difficulty getting to my doctor/nurse?
^Contact our
Outreach Team for more information on ways we can assist you to visit your GP or nurse. We may be able to help with travel, interpreting, medicines or medical centre visit costs.
I see my doctor regularly because I have a long-term condition, what help is available?
^Care Plus is a programme that provides free and reduced cost visits to your GP and Practice Nurse. It is designed for people who need to visit their medical practice often because of significant chronic illnesses such as diabetes or heart disease, have acute medical or mental health needs, or a terminal illness.
Ask your doctor or nurse if your practice is offering Care Plus. They will assess you to see if you are eligible for Care Plus. If you are not eligible it may be that they can help you in other ways or review your existing care.
Can children go on Care Plus?
^Yes they can, talk to your GP or nurse to see if your child qualifies.
Can I still use my Community Services Card?
^You don’t need it for reduced cost visits if you are a member of the PHO and going to your regular medical practice. If you are eligible for a Community Services Card it is important that you apply for one so you can access services that are limited to card holders such as:
• If you are out of town and need to visit a doctor who is not part of your PHO
• If you visit a non-PHO practice
• Cheaper visits to an after-hours practice
• Referred radiology services
• Primary Solutions
• And any other new services which may be limited to Community Services Card holders.
To find out more about whether you are eligible for a Community Services Card contact Work and Income on 0800 559 009.
What if I hold a High Use Health Card or a Pharmaceutical Subsidy Card?
^If you visit a provider frequently you may qualify for a High Use Health Card and/or a Pharmaceutical/Prescription Subsidy Card, which will entitle you to lower-cost health care visits and/or medicines.
How can I find out more about immunisation?
^Talk to your practice nurse or visit the Immunisation Advisory Centre
(www.immune.org.nz) or call them on
0800 IMMUNE (0800 466 863).
Where can I find out more information about diabetes?
^Contact your practice nurse or GP for information about getting tested, starting treatment or troubles with managing your diabetes. You can also make contact with
Diabetes Wellington for support and information on
499 5085.
What can I do if I’m dealing with stress/depression/anxiety/etc?
^Talk to your GP or Nurse to see if you qualify for
Primary Solutions, which can help you with access to health and social services to support your mental wellbeing. Also check out the
links page for helpful websites to support your mental wellbeing.
What services do you have for Maori?
^Ngawari Hauora are a kaupapa Maori Health Service located at 16 Donald McLean Street in Newtown. They have a medical centre as well as Outreach and Health Promotion programmes.
We also have our Maori Outreach Nurse,
Tui Maxwell, and our Maori Community Health Coordinator,
Paul Marshall, to address the needs of Maori who live in Wellington. For more information on our services for Maori, visit our
Maori Health page.
What services do you have for Pacific people?
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I want to get active/my church or community group would like to find ways of getting active or starting up an exercise group!
^Contact
Rachel,
Paul or
Ben about options for getting active in your area, and ways we can support you to start exercise groups in your area.
What do I do if I need medical attention after my medical practice has closed?
^You can call
Healthline on 0800 611 116. This is staffed by registered nurses who can give you advice about what you could do.
The Wellington Accident and Urgent Medical Centre is located at 17 Adelaide Road in Newtown. They are open from 8am to 11pm every day of the year. No appointment is necessary but there is a charge for services.
The Wellington Emergency Department is located at Wellington Hospital, Riddiford Street, Newtown. To help keeping waiting times down they ask that you keep the emergency department for emergencies, especially in the busier winter months.
For the
ambulance call: 111.
Deaf emergency textphone: 0800 161616
Who can I contact if I have a sexual health question?
^You can talk to your GP or nurse, and if you’re under 25 many GPs will perform sexual health consults, contraception services and cervical smears from 20-25 years free of charge. Contact Wellington Sexual Health Service at 17 Adelaide Road, Wellington, or freephone
0800 188 881, for a list of GPs who offer this service. Wellington Sexual Health Service also provides treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STI’s).
Family Planning has a clinic in Wellington, 6th Floor, 35-37 Victoria Street. You can call them on
(04) 499 1992 or see
www.fpanz.org.nz for information on sexual health topics.
Do you have a doctor or nurse who speaks Cantonese/Mandarin/ Samoan/my language?
^It is very difficult to provide GPs who speak a wide range of languages, but ask your medical practice about providing an interpreter at your visit. If you are enrolled with Capital PHO you can have a phone or face-to-face interpreter present at your appointment free of charge.
What should I do if I have a complaint about a health service?
^If you believe your rights have been breached, it is best to talk directly to the person or organisation giving you the service. You can also have the support of an independent Health and Disability Advocate who is trained to help you in your situation. This is a free service. Contact your local advocacy service and the Health and Disability Commissioner on (04) 494 7900.
