F.A.Q
What is primary health care?
What is a PHO?
Why the change to PHOs?
How is a PHO different?
Why is it a good idea to enrol in a PHO?
How do I join a PHO?
Can I enrol in more than one PHO General Practice?
What happens if I visit another General Practice?
What happens if I choose not to enrol with a PHO?
How do I know if I am enrolled in a PHO?
Why do you want to know about my ethnicity?
What are my rights when receiving health services?
Which medical practices belong to Well Dunedin, the Dunedin PHO?
What opportunities are there for community participation in Well Dunedin?
What systems does Well Dunedin have in place for managing feedback and complaints?
What is primary health care?
Primary health care is usually the first contact you have with health professionals, for example, when you visit a General Practice (medical centre) and see a doctor or nurse. It is not hospital care but professional health care in the community where you and your family live and work. Your family doctor is also known as a General Practitioner (GP) - GPs and practice nurses provide most of your primary health care.
Primary health care covers a broad range of out-of-hospital services, although not all of them are government-funded. It aims to improve the health of the people in communities by working with them through health improvement and preventative services, such as health education, disease prevention and screening.
Examples of primary health care include the following:
• general practices
• pharmacy
• mobile nursing services
• maternity services
• family planning and sexual health services
• mental health services
• dentistry
Also included in primary health care are therapies such as physiotherapy, chiropractic and osteopathy services. Chronic diseases, such as diabetes, are best managed by primary health care services so that complications can be prevented or mitigated.
What is a PHO? PHO stands for Primary Health Organisation. Well Dunedin is the Dunedin PHO. PHOs are organisations that plan, coordinate, and fund primary health care. PHOs are responsible for their own communities and are therefore able to address local health needs. PHOs mainly involve General Practices (medical centres) and are increasingly involving other health care providers, such as community nurses, podiatrists, pharmacists, dentists, and other groups.
Almost all General Practices in Otago have contracts with a PHO to provide primary health care services to their community. The PHO funds the General Practice for each person that has enrolled with the General Practice.
Why the change to PHOs?
Because too many New Zealanders weren't accessing primary health care – that's care outside the hospital. Those countries around the world with the healthiest people are countries with good primary health care services. In those countries people live longer, are healthier, and the cost of health care to the government is lower.
PHOs are not just focused on people being ill; they look at ways to keep people healthy. If more money is spent on keeping people well, then less money will be required for secondary health care – treating people in hospital.
How is a PHO different?
A PHO does not want to see you only when you are sick and need to see a doctor. The PHO actively tries to keep you well and/or treat you early in your sickness.
Also there will be a range of people looking after those enrolled with a PHO. You might see a nurse, a Maori health worker, a Pacific health worker, a community health worker, a dietician, or you might see your family doctor - General Practitioner (GP). All PHOs include a GP, but are not limited to GPs.
The way PHOs are set up gives the community a chance to influence the PHO’s decisions. All PHOs have a Board of Directors, which include people from the community, as well as general practice and iwi representatives.
Why is it a good idea to enrol in a PHO?
When you are enrolled in a PHO you can access cheaper doctor visits and pharmacy prescriptions and other additional health services. Being enrolled with a PHO General Practice means that funding is made available to your General Practice to care for you and your family
How do I join a PHO?
It’s easy to enrol with a PHO and it is free. You need to sign an enrolment form at your General Practice (medical centre). The form will ask you for personal details such as name, age, date of birth, address and ethnicity. Ask General Practice staff if you need any assistance with completing the form.
The information collected at enrolment is covered under the Privacy Act 1993 and the Health Information Privacy Code 1994, so the privacy of your information is protected.
Can I enrol in more than one PHO General Practice?
No. You should enrol with the General Practice you use most often. You can still visit other General Practices but there are benefits when you get most of your health care from your usual doctor, nurse or health service. You can change your PHO General Practice if you wish.
What happens if I visit another General Practice?
You can visit another General Practice, for instance for a second opinion, or when you are away from home or after hours, but you will not be eligible for cheaper fees.
What happens if I choose not to enrol with a PHO?
You can choose not to enrol, but you will miss out on a lot of benefits available to enrolled patients. Benefits include:
- lower fees to see the doctor
- lower prescription fees
- and lots of additional services
How do I know if I am enrolled in a PHO?
You can ask your regular family doctor if you are already enrolled.
Why do you want to know about my ethnicity?
For a number of reasons. Some ethnic groups have poorer health than others and are missing out on health care. Primary Health Organisations need to know the ethnic group of people enrolled with them so that services can be arranged to meet their needs. More money is allocated from the government for Maori and Pacific Island health care. This money is given to the PHO to implement projects to address the health care needs of these groups.
What are my rights when receiving health services? You have rights when you receive health or disability services whether you pay for them or not. If you would like to find out more about your rights, or if you have any complaint about the care you receive, you can get help from your local advisory service and Health and Disability Commissioner: ph 0800 11 22 33 or visit the Health and Disability Commissioner’s website at www.hdc.org.nz or email hdc@hdc.org.nz
Primary Health Organisations are not allowed to refuse to enrol you because you have poor health or require more health care. If you feel you have been unfairly refused enrolment, contact the Well Dunedin Relationship Manager on 477 1163 or dunedin_enquiries@dunedinpho.org.nz. All Primary Health Organisation enrolments must comply with the Human Rights Act 1993.
Which medical practices belong to Well Dunedin, the Dunedin PHOThere are 28 medical practices that belong to Well Dunedin covering the Dunedin area extending as far north as Palmerston and as far south as Green Island. To view their location and fees visit our map.
What opportunities are there for community participation in Well Dunedin?
There are three community representatives, two Iwi representatives, one Practice Nurse representative, two General Practitioner representatives, and one Pharmacist representative on the Well Dunedin Board. Members of the community are invited to an annual public meeting. You can contact Well Dunedin on 03 477 1163 or dunedin_enquiries@dunedinpho.org.nz for more information on community participation in healthcare planning and service delivery.
What systems does Well Dunedin have in place for managing feedback and complaints?
If you have any feedback or complaints about the service you receive from your practice, you should refer this to your GP or the practice manager in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint, you can refer the matter to the Relationship Manager, Well Dunedin, PO Box 903, Dunedin or dunedin_enquiries@dunedinpho.org.nz.
Remember, your feedback helps us improve our services.
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