Media release from Total Healthcare

Total Healthcare Trust is pleased to announce that its Counties Manukau practices will join Total Healthcare PHO on 1 October 2012.

The PHO is a reinstatement of the former PHO Total Healthcare Otara (THO), shelved 16 months ago in a decision made for all East Tamaki Health Care (ETHC) and West Auckland Health Care (WAHC) practices to join the National Hauora Coalition (NHC) PHO. This was done in the belief that the Trust must be affiliated to a Business Case.

However, recent talks with CMDHB saw both parties recognising that a reinstatement was not only possible but would be a good fit with the DHB's vision for growth in large effective health care organisations. The Trust has approximately 150,000 patients enrolled in16 practices across the Auckland region.

The Trust's ability to meet targets and develop innovative and more cost effective healthcare systems requires it to have PHO status to contract directly with DHBs.

At this stage, TH will operate as a PHO in CMDHB only, given the current ADHB and WDHB policies around no new PHOs operating in their catchment area at this time. However, there is a desire by both TH and the two DHBs to explore a closer working relationship given the patient populations the Trust serves in their districts.

In the interim, ProCare has offered to be the "host" PHO for Trust practices in both the central and west Auckland areas.

"We're excited by this first step, with our goal to have standardised health management systems across the ETHC/WAHC network, so the fewer parties involved in facilitating funding flows, the easier this will be to achieve, and the better it will be for our patients, " Trust CEO Mark Vella, says.

He says the Trust has continued to operate as an effective agency of change for ETHC and WAHC since THO ceded to NHC.

"It is well placed to transform itself back into a PHO, given that it has ensured the continuation of clinical quality, governance, training and support, and its lean infrastructure has continued to be pivotal in supporting our provider group in this new health sector landscape," Mr Vella says.

The PHO will continue to support the development of Integrated Family Health Centres and high needs communities across Auckland, and be accountable for the effective and efficient utilisation of funds received for the delivery of healthcare and social, whanau ora services.

"We support NHC in its quest to achieve effective whanau ora commissioning. However, we would like to explore realigning with GAIHN."