Takitimu Health PHO

PHOs are organisations that plan, coordinate and fund primary health care. PHOs are responsible for their own communities and are therefore able to address local health needs. PHOs mainly involve General Practices (medical centres) and are increasingly involving other health care providers such as community nurses, podiatrists, pharmacists, dentists and other groups.

All General Practices in Southland have contracts with a PHO to provide primary health care services to their community. The PHO funds the General Practice for each person that has enrolled with the practice.

Being enrolled with a PHO General Practice means that funding is made available to your GP to care for you and your family. Depending on your age and where you live, you can access cheaper doctor visits and pharmacy prescriptions.

The PHOs receive funding from the Government through the District Health Boards to subsidise a range of health services. The funding is based on the numbers and characteristics of people enrolled with them (e.g. age, sex, ethnicity). The funding pays for:

• Providing better care and treatment when people are ill by improving the coordination and linkage of services
• Helping people to stay healthy by new and innovative health programmes
• Reaching out to groups in the community who have poor health or who are missing out on primary health care
• More affordable care for the community

Enrolment with a PHO takes place at your usual General Practice. The staff there will talk with you about enrolment, what it involves and what it means for you and your family. You can only enrol with one PHO General Practice at a time. If you visit another General Practice you will not be eligible to receive cheaper fees.