Dr Gina Kaye is the new Taranaki GP lead, joining the Taranaki Pinnacle team in April this year. Gina recently moved down to New Plymouth from West Auckland where she was a partner in a busy VLCA practice for 15 years. Gina looks forward to getting to know everyone over the next few months. In the meantime, if you have thoughts, feedback or concerns please feel welcome to contact her via email.
The Diabetes Integrated Team (DIT) are delighted to share that Dr Janet Titchener has joined the team as a Consultant Physician with special interest in Diabetology. Janet brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the team and they're looking forward to her sharing this with the DIT and also with the wider teams in the hospital, primary and community settings.
This is a new role, and the team is really looking forward to be able to plan the work around ensuring they meet both objectives of the DIT.
About Janet
Kia ora koutou
Ko Janet Titchener tōku ingoa
No Tamaki Makaurau ahau.
I am a fifth generation Kiwi but happenstance meant I completed my medical training in the United States (University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine). Following a three-year residency in family practice, I completed a Faculty Development Fellowship and subsequently joined the faculty of my training institution to teach in-patient and out-patient medicine to post-graduate trainees and medical school students. It was during these years, working primarily with Hispanic, African American and Amish patients, that I developed my interest in diabetes – as well as an interest in developing a patient-centered approach to diabetes care that could be successfully incorporated into brief clinic visits.
As a GP in New Zealand, my preference has always been to work within low socioeconomic high needs populations. In 2007, I set up and ran GPSI Diabetes, the first publicly funded primary care-based diabetes specialty service in New Zealand. While the service provided a patient-centered approach to care with the goal of empowering patients for self-management, its primary objective was to work collaboratively with GP practices, providing leadership and oversite for restructuring to improve efficiency and outcomes in diabetes care.
I have many years of experience working both within and across the primary and secondary care sectors and I look forward to working collaboratively with you all - facilitating continuity of care across the primary-secondary interface as well as working towards a model of care that reduces work-load, improves efficiencies and ultimately supports patient self-management.
Titiro whakamua ki te tutaki ki a koutou katoa.
Looking forward to meeting you all.
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The COVID funding stream for care in the community services ceased on 30 June 2024. The Te Whatu Ora Taranaki local hospital run COVID Hub stopped providing ‘Covid care in the community’ and testing services on 30 June 2024.
Two hospital-led immunisation services in New Plymouth will also stop on 30 June including the Child and Adolescent Community Centre (CACC) at Taranaki Base Hospital and the Family Health and Midwife Clinic (The Greenhouse) on Devon Street West. Alongside the COVID-19 Hub, these clinics were providing both COVID-19 and other funded vaccinations.
Dr Jo Scott-Jones shares his thoughts on the workforce crisis, likening it to the perceived impossibility of the Chernobyl disaster.
Read morePractice Plus is seeking to enhance consumer engagement and experience through the promotion of equity and ensuring that services are organised and delivered at a high quality. An opportunity has arisen for a GP, nurse or practice manager, to join the Practice Plus service user committee.
Read moreThis new programme is a collaboration between Te Runanga o Kirikiriroa (Facilitation Service) and general practices.
View detailsGPs in each of our districts get frustrated when they hit barriers when seeking interventions from other providers. There is a perception that DHB services are becoming more difficult to access and that different DHBs have different levels of service available to their communities. This page outlines our process for advocating alongside practices.