Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora (Health NZ) has introduced public reporting of key primary healthcare measures and Primary Health Organisation (PHO) performance.
PHOs are not-for-profit organisations that contract primary healthcare services for their local communities. They offer a range of services like general practice, mental health, podiatry, immunisations, screening, and stop smoking services, and are subsidised by Health NZ.
Director Living Well, Martin Hefford says the move to public reporting will help drive improvement and provide a transparent view on primary care delivery across the country.
“Primary healthcare helps keep people well through accessible, comprehensive, and coordinated care throughout their lives. It is a critical building block in New Zealand’s health system, playing a vital role in preventing, diagnosing and treating illness; managing chronic conditions, and improving health outcomes.
“PHOs and the general practice providers they fund do a great job of caring for our communities every day. But the work they do is not always visible. Making the work primary care providers do transparent enables us to recognise and celebrate excellent performance, and to support continuous improvement where it’s needed.”
Key primary care measures that tell us something important about access to care and care outcomes will now be published quarterly on Health NZ’s website with the data presented at a PHO and lead district level.
Mr Hefford says the first indicators that will be published are for immunisation for 8- and 24-month-old children, and smoking cessation support rates.
“Reporting on childhood immunisation is critical because babies and children need immunisation to provide ongoing protection from many life-threatening diseases.
“Over a million people around the world die every year from diseases that can be prevented by immunisation. Most of these diseases have become rare in New Zealand thanks to immunisation programmes.
“Smoking cessation is also important to report on because evidence shows quitting smoking is the best thing that people who smoke can do for their health, and for the health of their whānau,” says Mr Hefford.
You can view the latest Primary Care Indicators on our website here: Primary Care indicators – Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
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