Small, practical system changes can make a meaningful difference in asthma care. Over the past two years, Pinnacle has shifted from pay-for-performance to a quality improvement programme (QIP), with a strong early focus and uptake on respiratory health – particularly asthma – in Taranaki.

Kahira Davis and Taryn Gillespie have been named Pinnacle’s Kia Puāwai education fund recipients, recognising two wāhine who are committed to their communities and are ready to take the next step in their own growth.

Justin Butcher discusses that fresh thinking has a place in primary care. New ideas matter. Challenge can be healthy. But primary care is too important to be reduced to branding, slogans, or simplistic claims about what should replace what.

This week (15 April), midwives in Hamilton celebrated an important milestone in a project aimed at making immunisation easier to access for hapū māmā, pēpi and whānau.

Justin Butcher explores the importance of robust funding models, accountability measures, and practical system design for primary care which are vital to ensuring general practice is supported both now and in the future.

Rising fuel prices are already creating extra pressure for rural general practice, affecting everything from travel and PRIME callouts to supply costs and patient access. Our clinical director, Dr Jo Scott-Jones recently spoke to RNZ about what rural GPs are seeing on the ground, including concerns about transport, stock and the added cost of getting care.

On behalf of Hauraki PHO, NHC and Pinnacle, we are seeking kaimahi, working in primary and community care who are interested in further education skills development or study support.

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.

Pinnacle 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.

General 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.