Tēnā koutou
Tēnā koutou – this is our last communique for 2023. Auckland PHO will be closed from Thursday 21st December 2023 until Monday 8th January 2024. If you have any urgent queries over this period, feel free to contact Barbara on 021 669 533 or barbara@aucklandpho.co.nz
As we bid farewell to 2023, the team at Auckland PHO look forward to the opportunities that 2024 holds (it may be a rough ride, but we have weathered storms before!)
Your continued support is the driving force behind our success and we are eager to build upon our collective achievements next year.
From the team at Auckland PHO to your practice team, we wish you a joyous holiday season and a happy New Year. May 2024 be filled with prosperity, good health, continued collaboration, and a positive capitation review.
Thank you for being an integral part of the Auckland PHO whānau.
Warm regards
Barb and the team.
Auckland PHO Annual Awards
It was great to see so many of you at our Annual Awards on Thursday evening. Congratulations to all those who received an award and in particular the three practices who received the Auckland PHO Practice Excellence Award
Mount Albert Medical Centre - Small Practice
Three Kings Family Medical Centre – Medium Practice
Dominion Medical Centre – Large Practice
The photo booth was a great hit and the gallery of photos is now available for you to download.
The gallery will be online for up to 2 months. We do ask that you download and save a copy for safe keeping as soon as possible.
Photobooth Photo Gallery + Download:
Password: aucklandpho14
Lissa Photography Photo Gallery + Download:
We also have the professional photography available for you to download as well:
Password: pho23
A full list of recipients of the 2023 Awards is available by clicking this link: Auckland PHO Annual Awards 2023 Winners
Nurse Pay Equity Claim
Message from GPNZ
We are aware of the pay equity claim that has been lodged under the Equal Pay Act 1972 by the NZNO on behalf of its members working in general practice and urgent care.
We wholeheartedly support the earlier pay equity settlement for Te Whatu Ora nurses and healthcare workers, which resulted in significant pay increases (including backpay). However, this settlement has created a stark pay gap between Te Whatu Ora employed staff and those working in primary, community and telehealth services. This gap is now estimated at between 15 and 35 per cent.
It had been hoped that progress would have been made towards addressing that gap, and achieving the parity of remuneration, terms and conditions that nurses working in primary and community care deserve. Te Whatu Ora officials and Government Ministers have pledged their support for parity, but without any indication of when it will be achieved, a separate equity claim is a logical next step.
A claim can only be made against practices who employ NZNO members. All employers covered by the claim need to acknowledge receipt of the claim, and then enter into a multi-employer pay equity process agreement). Employer groups who are party to the (separate) primary care MECA (Primary Care Bargaining Collective, GenPro, Green Cross) are expected to offer representation, with details to be developed.
The first step will be for employers to work together to decide whether the claim is arguable and how the process will work. The NZNO and the Public Services Commission are the responsible entities for supporting the process and providing technical guidance (see here for information provided by NZNO about the equity claim process).
We know that pay parity between primary and community employed and Te Whatu Ora employed nurses is vital in order to recruit and retain staff to provide essential services to our population. It is also essential that a successful claim is fully costed and fully and separately funded by Government, as was the case with the Te Whatu Ora claim. Failure to do so would further jeopardise core general practice and other primary and community services.
While the claim is underway , we are also expecting progress on the review of capitation. A sector reference group has been established to support further work by Sapere to develop a fit for purpose funding model for general practice. We will be advocating strongly for that new model to be developed with urgency and to reflect the true cost of delivering and sustaining first level services – that includes employing, training and developing a workforce that serves the needs of local communities, as well as infrastructure, IT and implementation of a model of care that accounts for need, equity and complexity.
Practice Plus
Practice Plus provides virtual telehealth support services and encourages practices to refer and direct patients and whānau to access the service which provides a practical solution to help general practices to manage patient demand for routine and episodic care. It has been purposefully designed to complement rather than compete with general practice services.
Appointments are available 9am - 10pm on weekdays and 8am – 8pm on weekends and public holidays.
Please note Practice Plus DOES NOT clawback funding from general practices – all telehealth services cannot contractually clawback funding for seeing patients with a CSC or under 14 years.
Practice Plus is Auckland PHO’s preferred after hours telehealth provider. This means they have suitable clinical governance and safety arrangements and have access to Your Health Summary, Test Safe and can refer to hospital or urgent care services close to where the patient is.
Patients with Community Cards are charged $13 or $19.50 (depending on age) under our arrangement with Practice Plus, unlike other services, both walk in and telehealth where there is a higher cost.
You will be aware that the Urgent Care wait times (due to staff shortages and patient load) can be frustratingly long, particularly in the holidays and Practice Plus is a patient friendly option.
If you would like further information regarding Practice Plus referral options, please contact Emma@aucklandpho.co.nz
Pharmac consultation: Proposal to enter into new supply agreements for HPV vaccine
Pharmac is proposing to enter into a new supply agreement with Seqirus (NZ) Ltd for human papillomavirus vaccine following the Request for Proposals for the supply of various vaccines and a diagnostic agent.
Please follow this link to the consultation on their website for full details of this proposal.
Pharmac welcome feedback on this proposal. To provide feedback, please submit it in writing by 9.00am, Tuesday 23 January 2024 to vaccines@pharmac.govt.nz
IMAC Newsletter
Please see the latest newsletter from The Immunisation Advisory Centre - 18 December 2023
In this issue:
Summer 2023-24 COVID-19 booster advice
Reminder - elderly people and tetanus vaccination
0800 IMMUNE - Christmas and New Year hours
Cold chain over the holiday period
Immunisation Conference plenary recordings now available
In case you missed it... Te Whatu Ora updates
Meri Kirihimete
Barbara Stevens |Tumu Whakarae/CEO