Primary healthcare is medical care which is provided to you in your community.
Primary healthcare professionals include medical practitioners (GPs or doctors), medical clinics, practice nurses, pharmacists or other health professionals working within a general practice.
A primary health organisation or PHO provides primary health services either directly or through its provider members.
These services are designed to care for the health of people in the community who are the enrolled with the PHO. They also are responsible for making sure services are provided in the wider community to restore people’s health when they are unwell. The aim is to ensure GP services are better linked with other health services.
In the Hutt Valley area the PHOs are Te Awakairangi Health Network and Cosine Primary Care Network.
More information can be found about PHOs on the Ministry of Health's website here.
