General practice in Aotearoa New Zealand is under sustained pressure, particularly in growing and rural communities. Workforce shortages, rising demand, and an ageing clinical workforce mean many practices are having to rethink how care is delivered.
Read morePinnacle MHN, as a member of the Midlands Collaborative, is proud to continue supporting the delivery of the Registered Nurse Prescriber in Community Health (RNPCH) programme across Te Manawa Taki.
Read moreGeneral Practice New Zealand (GPNZ) is calling for enforceable national standards to strengthen the security of digital systems that underpin primary care. The recommendations are outlined in a new position paper, Prevention is protection: Securing digital primary care for the decade ahead, released today.
Read moreA new Journal of Primary Health Care article from the RNZCGP’s Your Work Counts project has quantified what general practice teams have long known: a large share of GP work happens outside the consultation room.
Read moreTe Whatu Ora is asking all practices to complete a brief survey on nurses' IV cannulation, infusion, CVAD, and port access skills. They're requesting one response per practice, by 2 April. This national stocktake will help shape how oncology and infusion services are delivered closer to home for patients and whānau.
Read moreFree bowel screening is now available from age 58 across most of Aotearoa New Zealand, including the Te Manawa Taki region. Around 100,000 more people will become eligible in the first year. Find out what's changed and how general practice can support the rollout.
Read moreTe Whatu Ora is seeking EOIs from urgent care centres, after hours providers and rural hospitals and rural integrated health services to offer online GP consultations within their facility. This initiative aims to help people who find it difficult to reach or enrol with general practice by allowing them to consult a GP online from an urgent care centre or rural hospital and integrated health service. This EOI is open until 23 April 2026.
Read moreAIR coordinators in Waikato are reviewing unenrolled tamariki who are under-immunised, connecting whānau with community providers and supporting general practice enrolment. Your practice may receive a call from a community immunisation provider as part of this outreach. No action is required from your team unless you're able to assist with this information.
Read moreTHINK Hauora and Collaborative Aotearoa recently hosted a webinar exploring what high-performing, place-based integrated primary care looks like in practice. Speakers shared a clear thread that integration is a relational discipline, built on trust, grounded in local context, and is only meaningful when Māori and community voices help shape the way forward. The recording (1.5 hrs) is available for those who'd like to go deeper.
Read moreA reminder of correct swab technique for HPV dry tube collection. Breaking the swab at the pink line, not cutting, protects specimen integrity and prevents instrument contamination. Read the full guidance with photographs.
Read moreIMAC has been advised that a number of Comirnaty 30mcg vaccine batch lots have been recorded incorrectly in AIR and PMS.
Read moreSputum culture is a low-value test in most community settings, with only 6 per cent of samples identifying a respiratory pathogen resistant to first-line antibiotics. New guidance outlines when it is clinically indicated and when to hold off.
Read moreThis is an opportunity for Pinnacle network practice nurses to register their expression of interest to attend this six-session nursing leadership education series.
Read moreThe Ministry of Health has introduced standards for B4SC training, recommending 24 hours of initial training for new B4SC nurses. The assessments as well as supervised practice makes up for the hours uncounted. This training is for Waikato region only.
View eventPinnacle is running a series of LARCs education evenings across the region in March 2026. These sessions are open to all clinical general practice staff and will offer introductory training on the insertion of both Mirena and Jadelle contraception devices, alongside the use of ring pessaries.
View eventPinnacle is running a series of LARCs education evenings across the region in March 2026. These sessions are open to all clinical general practice staff and will offer introductory training on the insertion of both Mirena and Jadelle contraception devices, alongside the use of ring pessaries.
View eventPinnacle primary mental health services have not been commissioned to support adult ADHD screening, assessment, or medication initiation, referrals for these purposes are likely to be declined. Community HealthPathways is the best source for current adult ADHD referral options. Contact us if you're interested in our ADHD provider peer group.
Te Whatu Ora is progressing the National Primary Care Dataset and practices are being asked to review an interim Information Sharing Agreement to support the first phase of data collection.
To support general practices in strengthening their emergency preparedness and business continuity planning, we have compiled a range of practical resources, templates and learning opportunities. These resources include guidance, national emergency management frameworks, and tools that can help practices assess risks, develop continuity plans, and maintain operations during disruptive events.