Local practices celebrate new healthcare initiative

The Heath Care Home initiative is improving access to health services for around 25, 230 patients in the Kapiti area.  Capital & Coast District Health Board (CCDHB) heads were on hand last week at Paraparaumu Medical Centre and Waikanae Health to celebrate the practice teams early successes.   

Many patients are already using an online service (ManageMyHealth), to book appointments, request repeat prescriptions and message GPs and nurses directly from their home or workplace. 

People will also notice improved responses to phone calls to their practice and for urgent appointment requests. When phoning first thing in the morning, patients may get to speak to a GP over the phone who can prioritise those who need to be seen on the day. In many cases, patients’ needs can be met without the needing to visit to the practice. 

The Health Care Home practice provides a call free reception area. ‘With the phones moved off the front desk, the patients comment on how quiet it is when they arrive at reception,’ says Glenda Henshilwood, Practice Manager Waikanae Health.

Around half of people in the Greater Wellington region are now benefitting from Health Care Home’s new approach as a joint partnership with Compass Health PHO and CCDHB.

“I am very excited to see this initiative being rolled out to more practices, and the interest and enthusiasm is it generating in primary care,” said CCDHB interim chief executive Dr Ashley Bloomfield.

“The promising early results confirm that this is a great investment by the DHB and primary care, and I’m confident the benefits to patients will grow as it expands to other practices.”