4 June 2009

Pact has been working with PHOs (primary health organisations) recently to help the health of clients.

A PHO is a group of doctors, nurses and people trained and skilled in health care who work together to provide a health service for people enrolled with them

The Well Dunedin PHO recently gave Pact Otago $100 vouchers to be used by service users under their doctors.

Pact clinician educator Matthew Peppercorn says these vouchers will be primarily used to get a Human Warrant of Fitness. The vouchers will be available from Matthew or healthy lifestyles coordinator Johanna Grotenhuis at the Pact office.  

“Hopefully the Pact Health Tool to compliment this will be available real soon,” says Matthew. “And if support workers attend appointments with the client it will maximise the potential of staying well. We are just waiting to get the final version approved.”

The process will then be to introduce the tool at team meetings and set up a health check with the appropriate GP. Support workers should make sure they ask specifically for a health check when they make their appointments as they take up to 30 minutes to complete.

Matthew is hopeful that South Link and Mornington PHO will also sign up soon. Watch this space for more information.

Work is being done with PHOs by Pact Southland too but regional manager Jackie Kruger emphasises if its very early days yet.

“I met with managers of the four PHOs in Southland to build a relationships and explore options for collaborating around health check.”

She says it was very positive.