What is primary health care?

Primary health care is usually the first contact you have with health professionals, for example, when you visit your doctor, nurse or pharmacist or when a nurse visits you.

It is professional health care in the community where you and your family or whānau live and work. Your family doctor is also known as a general practitioner (GP) – GPs, nurses and pharmacists provide core primary health care.

Primary health care covers a broad range of out-of-hospital services, although not all of them are government-funded. Primary care aims to improve the health of the people in communities - working with them on health keeping and preventive services, including health education and counselling, disease prevention and screening, foot health, oral health, general wellness as well as diagnosis and treatment of health problems and disease. Primary care provides most health care when people and their families are unwell, and is the key service for helping most people who have chronic conditions.

Why the change to Primary Health Organisations?

Because too many New Zealanders weren't getting primary health care – that’s care outside hospitals. The countries around the world with the healthiest people are all countries with good primary health care. In those counties people live longer, are healthier and the cost of health care to the government is lower. This is especially important for some groups of our population who are dying earlier, getting more diseases such as diabetes and cancer, and ending up in hospital for problems that could have been helped earlier.

Primary care provides most health care for people and their families who are unwell. It’s the key service for helping most people who have chronic conditions.

Community and consumer networks  

North Shore Community Health Voice 
Co-ordinator: Deborah Dalliessi
Email: nscomhealthvoice@xtra.co.nz
Telephone: 484 0034 or 021 1110189
Mail: 1/7 The Strand Takapuna
PO Box 33160, Takapuna 0627

Rodney Health Link
Co-ordinator: Margaret Wiloughby
Chair: Bill Smith
Email: rodneyhealthlink@vodafone.net.nz
Telephone: 021 106 9290
Mail: PO Box 316 
Orewa

Waitakere Health Link
Co-ordinator: Tracey McIntyre
Email: office@waitakerehealthlink.org.nz
Telephone: 09 839 0512
Mail: P.O.Box 21 852 
Henderson 0650
Waitakere City, Auckland
FREEPOST 150913