PHOs - your first point of contact
East Health Trust PHO
What are primary health organisations (PHOs), what types of services do they provide and how can you benefit from their services? We interviewed staff from the primary health organisation East Health Trust to answer these questions.
East Health Trust provides services to people who live in the areas of Howick, Pakuranga, Beachlands, Maraetai and Clevedon in Auckland. There are currently about 80,000 people registered with the Trust.
Primary health care is usually the first point of contact you will have with the medical profession, such as family doctors (GPs) or nurses.
Primary health organisations (PHOs) are local administrative groups that organise the delivery of care to meet the needs of people enrolled with them. PHOs, through their medical professionals and other staff, provide care and treatment when people are ill, help people to stay healthy and reach out to groups in their community that are missing out on this care.
PHO offers a range of services
East Health Trust PHO provides services such as Kiwi Life, a bilingual service where English and Chinese workers teach people about New Zealand's health system. The PHO also organises very practical workshops on such things as road safety and how to buy a house.
East Health Trust provides a range of other services, eg, adolescent sexual health, mental health and wellbeing, and options for acute care, such as eldercare, palliative (end of life) care and long term condition care, which includes management for disorders like depression.
These services offer an alternative to hospital care by allowing doctors to treat their patients while they are still in the community. It also allows support for older people to live independently.
People who are eligible to receive the long term condition care also receive 12 free GP visits in 18 months. People from 18 years to 64 years and who experience chronic depression can receive up to six free cognitive behavioral therapy sessions. The PHO also provides interpreter services, for those who need it, and support to organisations wanting to learn about wellbeing in the workplace.
Asians make up 20% of Manukau's population - many are Chinese and registered with East Health Trust, that has GPs who speak Mandarin or Cantonese. If you would like to find a GP that speaks your language, contact your local PHO and ask if they provide this service.
People who need to go to hospital can ask GPs there for a referral.
East Health Trust also provides GP-training to ensure their skills are up to date. Normally a GP needs 20 points of professional development each year to achieve this.
East Health Trust organises community events, such as 2009's "Family Have a Go" day to promote health, physical activity and safety for those who live in the local community.
Access to healthcare is easy
It's quite easy to access affordable primary health care in New Zealand. First, you should enroll with a PHO through your GP clinic. Once you're enrolled, the PHO receives a fixed amount of money from the Government for your healthcare.
The amount of Government funding for each PHO is based on the numbers and characteristics, eg, age, sex, and ethnicity, of the people enrolled with it.
In most areas, when you see a GP, you will still have to pay a ‘top-up', depending on the clinic you attend. Fees may vary from place to place. You can find out about fees from your local PHO or GP, or visit the PHO's website.
Sometimes there will be other charges when you see the GP, depending on what you are there for. There is also a discount on prescriptions when you belong to a PHO.
It is important to know that enrollment to a PHO is voluntary; you can still receive some of the benefit provided by the local clinic even if you are not registered with the PHO.
Find a PHO near you
If you would like to find out more about the PHO service in Auckland near to where you live you can visit the Ministry of Health website for a list of PHO website addresses.
Here is a sample of what you will find:
Auckland PHO
