Healthcare provider East Tamaki Healthcare seized the opportunity to share with the PM their wider group of companies and their newfound relationship with the National Hauora Coalition.
Presentations and discussions centred around how high quality sustainable primary care can be provided within the tight economic environment and to ensure patients get care where and when they needed it at an affordable price.
Mr Key was impressed and surprised at the size and scale of the organisation which includes 15 General Practices across the region servicing 105,000 enrolled patients plus seeing 180,000 casual consultations per annum.
With its White Cross partner it offers 9 Accident and Emergency facilities across the region offering over 300,000 casual consultations per annum, many of which are after hours.
With 7 Pharmacies as part of the group the organisiation manages over 2,000,000 prescriptions per annum
There is even a company within the group that offers healthcare provision and ill health prevention to employers for their employees in the workplace with some key clients including Air Emirates, The Warehouse and Hynds Group.
ETHC’s CEO Rakesh Patel explained how his father Dr Kantilal Patel QSM and his mother Ranjna Patel QSM built the organisation from a small general practice in Otara over 35 years ago. “Bringing my son’s commercial expertise on board has seen the culture of growth and innovation continue to flourish” said Dr Kantilal.
The Prime Minister was presented with a few “take home” messages for his consideration into the future.
ETHC and its partners along with the Chair of the National Hauora coalition, Sir Wira Gardiner, asked him to explore how they could work more closely with the Government so that it can help them to continue to improve the health of New Zealanders, especially those with the highest needs.
They were keen for the Government to support them in their commitment to continuous improvement and innovative health care delivery through public private partnerships especially in the delivery of integrated family health centres.
The PM was also asked to think about how the Government could ensure that health providers who are committed to offering low cost access health services to large patient populations that are walk in no appointment and open for extended hours are adequately incentivised and rewarded. All this within a funding envelop no greater than the current one, if not smaller.
It was felt by the group that current levels of funding are adequate but they are not delivered to providers in a way that incentivises increased volumes and quality outcomes.
In response, Prime Minister Key applauded the organisation’s goals and aspirations and significant achievements and developments to date.
“Clearly you have a winning strategy in addressing the sustainability issues facing the healthcare sector and have seized the opportunities that Health Minister Ryall’s Better Sooner More Convenient strategies and policies have offered” he said.
He asked Mr Patel if given the association with a national organisation such as the National Hauora Coalition, “Do you think you could scale out your model to say, a community such as Ruatoria?”
Mr Patel was quick to confirm the possibility provided the deliverers of healthcare were part of the network of providers that are part of East Tamaki Healthcare.