We are your local PHO

The six medical practices of Hurunui and Kaikoura have a long history of working cooperatively together and so the Hurunui Kaikoura PHO has been formed around them. This rural PHO is entirely focussed on resolving the unique issues and problems associated with delivering essential health care services to the communities of Hurunui and Kaikoura.

The Hurunui Kaikoura PHO was established in January 2004 as a Registered Charitable Trust and now manages primary health care services in the Hurunui and Kaikoura districts for almost 13,000 people.

What is a PHO?

The Government’s Health Strategy calls for health care providers and other social service organisations to work closely together to reduce health inequalities and progressively raise the health status of their communities. Increasingly, services will be organised around the needs of defined groups of people, with Primary Health Organisations (PHOs) being the local structures to achieve reorganisation of health services.

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Our objectives

As well as ensuring that existing primary care services are maintained and enhanced, the PHO will increasingly focus on population health, by encouraging and supporting all local organisations to work cooperatively in supporting programmes targeted at:

  • Child and youth health
  • Primary health
  • Maori health
  • Mental health
  • Disease prevention
  • Cardiovascular (heart) disease
  • Diabetes
  • Cancer

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Patient enrolment

It is important that you and your family are enrolled with a PHO to ensure that you receive all of the benefits that are available to you. These include:

  • Reduced fees and prescription charges*
  • Routine recalls for immunisations
  • Disease screening
  • Holistic care for individuals and families
  • Health Promotion

If you are uncertain whether or not you are enrolled with a PHO, contact your local community health centre.

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Freedom to choose your PHO

You are free to enrol with any PHO. However, it is sensible to enrol with the PHO and community health centre that provides you and your family with the majority of its general practice services.

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PHO funding

The PHO receives funding for each of its enrolled patients. It then funds each community health centre based upon the number of patients registered with that centre.

Part of the funding the PHO receives is used for specific purposes including:

  • Health promotion
  • Improving access to health services
  • Subsidising care to the chronically ill
  • Retaining rural health care workers
  • Allowing GPs reasonable after-hours rosters

 

If you are not enrolled with the Hurunui Kaikoura PHO, then your portion of this Government funding is lost to the area.

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*The Government has a policy of progressively reducing doctor’s fees and prescription charges to all patients enrolled with PHOs .