GPNZ welcome Whānau Āwhina Plunket in the efforts to increase childhood immunisation rates

General Practice New Zealand (GPNZ) welcomes today’s announcement of the Whānau Āwhina Plunket pilot programme to support increased uptake of childhood immunisations.

“Trusted faces in trusted places” is key in bringing on new immunisation providers and offering choice to whānau. Access to vaccination has been identified as one of the biggest barriers, and Whānau Āwhina Plunket are an obvious door to open given the huge role they play in supporting the health and wellbeing of tamariki under five and their whānau.

The existing Plunket service model ensures wraparound support, ensuring all health needs of pepi, māmā and the wider whānau are being considered, alongside immunisation needs. Extending that role to offering childhood immunisation is a logical step.

With any new immunisation provider, continuity of care is an important consideration. It’s important regardless of the place people access their immunisations there are robust systems in place to enable broader screening of the clinical needs of the whole whānau, with effective referral pathways back to general practice.

GPNZ has had an initial discussion with Plunket to offer support and assistance of the PHO network in ensuring the success of the pilots, acknowledging the importance of all parts of the sector working together to achieve higher childhood immunisation rates.

GPNZ is also actively engaged in discussions with Te Whatu Ora and Manatū Hauora on other factors that impact immunisation rates, believing a push and pull approach is needed. Alongside removing barriers to access, more must be done to tackle misinformation and encourage people to seek immunisation.