Procare Health Welcomes 34 New Practices

MEDIA RELEASE AUCKLAND – 01 July 2011

ProCare Health provides quality primary healthcare services to more Aucklanders

ProCare Health, New Zealand’s largest primary health care organisation (PHO), has today welcomed 34 new practices and approximately 165,000 new patients to its network. These practices come mainly from the HealthWest organisation in Waitakere, as well as from Mangere Community Health, Waiora Healthcare, and Te Puna PHO on Auckland’s North Shore.

“We are delighted to welcome so many new practices and patients to ProCare,” says Peter Didsbury Chairman, ProCare.

“Our job is to advocate for and work in the best interests of general practice. Our ability to do this is strengthened by both the expansion into West Auckland and the addition of quality general practice teams from other areas.”

Following the decision of Waitemata District Health Board to decrease the number of PHOs from six to two, the majority of general practices in the West have chosen to join the ProCare network.

A unique relationship has been forged between the two organisations, as HealthWest ceased to be a PHO on 30th June. HealthWest will become an NGO and continue to deliver community based services that support West Auckland practices. Over the next twelve months these services will be developed further as sustainable funding streams are found.

Jonathan Simon, HealthWest Chairman welcomes the collaboration saying:

“HealthWest is pleased with the relationship we and our practices have developed with Procare.
We now have the best of both worlds - excellent management support for our practices teams and the ability for HealthWest NGO to continue to be the hub of the quality community programmes we offer to the West Auckland population.”

ProCare will continue working with HealthWest to develop a clinical network that coordinates the efforts of general practices and other primary care services to provide improved care for their enrolled patients.

ProCare has also forged an alliance with Te Puna Hauora, which provides health and social services in the community of Te Raki Paewhenua in Auckland's North Shore City. ProCare and Te Puna Hauora will work together to develop and deliver Whanau Ora services to ProCare’s patients.

“Te Puna Hauora has an outstanding track record of success in the delivery of primary and community based services to Maori. We have a high number of Maori patients within our enrolled population, and we are privileged to be able to learn more about Te Puna Hauora’s Whanau Ora delivery methodologies so we can better serve these patients.” said Ron Hooton, ProCare Chief Executive.

ProCare now represents 560 GPs and 600 practice nurses in 204 medical practices, looking after the primary health care needs of 856,000 Aucklanders.

ENDS

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