Improved community health outcomes, collaboration and connected patient care is the focus of a new regional commitment across Manawatū, Whanganui and Hawke’s Bay primary health providers.

THINK Hauora, Whanganui Regional Health Network and Health Hawke’s Bay have this month signed a Heads of Agreement (HoA), establishing a joint approach to the development and delivery of health and wellbeing services for their communities.

THINK Hauora Chief Executive Amarjit Maxwell said the agreement reflected the commitment their organisation has made to sharing innovative ideas and connections that will help improve hauora outcomes for all patients across the wider rohe.

 
“By working together and combining our strengths, we can enhance the quality of care, achieve our shared goals for improving community health, and better serve our communities and whānau.

 
“We want GPs and health providers to benefit from having more shared resources and knowledge available to them, reducing the time they have to spend developing these independently. We’re also working together on new solutions, such as an app that will help patients with long term conditions, like diabetes or chronic pain, manage their health.”

“The commonality for all three PHOs, is that we serve rural and provincial New Zealand,” says Jude MacDonald, Whanganui Regional Health Network Chief Executive and Pou Kahurangi. “This is a strength, and we wish to learn from each other and the authentic relationships we have formed with our Iwi partners, to share innovative solutions from our localities that put our people at the centre of our decision making and support the aspiration of Māori to achieve Hauora.
 
“This approach has the potential to create scale and influence, which the system is seeking in codesign of primary and community care for and with our communities.”

Health Hawke’s Bay Pou Whakarae | Chief Executive Irihāpeti Mahuika said the HoA would help guide the PHO towards its strategic outcome of health equity.

“Whakamana, kotahitanga and auaha [empowerment, collaboration, and innovation] are core values for Health Hawke’s Bay as we aim to achieve equitable health outcomes with Māori, our priority population. We are fortunate to have a wide range of skills across our staffing and are keen to share our knowledge with THINK Hauora and Whanganui Regional Health Network while also upskilling our staff by learning from our partners. This will help Health Hawke’s Bay deliver the best practices and programmes for our providers and whānau.”

The purpose of the HoA is to increase the collaboration between the parties and provide a framework in which the engagement and collaborative activities would take place, Mahuika said.

The collaboration is guided by the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022, and aims to transform the health system and improve the health and wellbeing of New Zealanders through a more equitable, accessible, cohesive, and people-centred system, Maxwell added. “Access to high quality primary healthcare will be critical for the achievement of Pae Ora.”
 
ENDS