Who we are, what we stand for, and how we work with general practices across our region. People, purpose, and a genuine commitment to health and wellbeing for all.
Pinnacle partners with Practice Plus to provide same day virtual after-hours GP appointments for enrolled patients, as an extension of our regular medical centre team.
In this section we share clinical and practice operations updates from Pinnacle and the wider health sector. Use the search box and filters to help find what you’re looking for.
Braemar Charitable Trust is calling for expressions of interest from any GP or GPEP Registrar for a free professional development opportunity in minor plastic surgery/skin lesion removal. Please email Paula Baker by Monday 30 June, to express your interest.
Following the very successful free Community Surgery days last year, Braemar Hospital will again be opening its doors for a free surgery day on Saturday 13 September. GPs can submit referrals for patients who have been declined, are facing a significant wait time in the public system, and do not have health insurance, ACC cover, nor the financial means to fund private treatment for a number of procedures. Referrals should be made no later than Thursday 31 July 2025.
The University of Waikato is offering a specialised primary, community and rural pathway as part of their postgraduate programme in Health Science, commencing in Trimester B, 2025 with HLTSC561 - Primary Healthcare Practice.
The provision of extended immunisation services is part of the kaupapa to improve childhood immunisation rates by offering services at a time that suit whānau who cannot attend during regular practice hours. These practices will offer childhood immunisations to both enrolled and non-enrolled whānau. Whānau are encouraged to contact these clinics directly to enquire about attending as booking in advance is preferable, however they will also accept walk ins.
Recently, many MedTech patient management system practices have been having difficulty accessing HealthPathways via BPAC. Te Whatu Ora has provided this One Point Lesson as a solution to resolve this issue.
There is only a short time left for practices to claim their six-week immunisations under the pre-call/recall funding initiative. Data from the Aotearoa Immunisation Register (AIR) suggests there are number of six-week immunisations currently un-claimed. This funding aims to support practices with the time and effort required to undertake good pre-call/recall processes, and where required, referral to outreach or other vaccination service providers.
The Assisted Dying service is sharing this update about the service specifications, payments and process in the hope of stimulating interest in doctors and nurse practitioners in becoming providers. As with all end of life care, this is complex work that can be incredibly rewarding. Dr Jo is happy to have a conversation with individuals or teams about the Assisted Dying service.
Funding is now available for primary care, community, and rural health providers who are committed to supporting graduate registered nurses (RN) as they transition into practice. To be eligible for placement funding, employers must employ a graduate RN, provide preceptorship and clinical support, and hire the graduate RN for a minimum of 0.6 FTE for a period of 12 months or more.
Pathlab utilise bpac guidelines to reflex FT4 and/or FT3 based on TSH results. This process is fully automatic, and the reflex tests are reported with the TSH result. Pathlab is seeing many requests for FT4 where the TSH is within reference limits. Some of these requests may be valid and they do not want to restrict useful tests. However, FT4 is often requested with TSH for no good reason. Pathlab will shortly be removing FT4 from the front page of the electronic order form. It will remain searchable and requestable to requestors. Their intention is to encourage best practice as detailed in the bpac guidelines