Implementing the Primary Health Care Strategy in Rural New Zealand

A report from the Rural Expert Advisory Group to the Ministry of Health

Date of publication: August 2002

The Primary Health Care Strategy identified that rural health problems, including retaining an appropriate workforce, need special attention. This plan highlights ways to help create an effective and vibrant rural primary health care sector which can successfully implement the Primary Health Care Strategy.

The ultimate goal of this plan is to achieve accessible and appropriate primary health care services for people living in rural New Zealand. This goal will be achieved through attention to the following three aims:

(1) to create a context for realising opportunities and supporting locally devised solutions to issues in primary health care

(2) to ensure equitable and effective access to an appropriate range of quality primary health care services, which are delivered within the rural community or within acceptable travel times

(3) to develop, maintain and recruit a skilled, multidisciplinary rural workforce that works in partnership (that is, in a co-operative, co-ordinated and collaborative manner).

The main vehicle for implementing the Primary Health Care Strategy and achieving the aims of this plan in rural areas will be Primary Health Organisations (PHOs), which are not-for-profit organisations of providers. Rural areas are likely to be early leaders in the development of PHOs, and District Health Boards (DHBs) will work with organisations such as rural trusts, Maori provider organisations, independent practitioners associations and their communities to find the best way locally to set up PHOs.

Many of the recommended actions of this plan are therefore directed at PHOs because, given the diversity of rural communities, they are best placed to come up with locally devised solutions.

We are aware, however, that PHOs need resources to assist with this process, and hence one of our key recommendations is the development of a rural primary health care premium directed to PHOs that encompass rural communities. This would be aimed at providing a flexible resource to support the rural primary health care team, retain the rural workforce and therefore ensure sustainable, accessible and appropriate primary health care services for rural communities.

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