|
|
Report Summary
Significant progress towards achieving the population health goals of the Primary Health Care Strategy requires those working at all levels in primary care to make sure they ask the ‘right’ questions to improve population health outcomes and reduce health inequalities.
Listening to patients and their families/whanau, asking key questions of them, asking key questions about what the evidence/guidelines might indicate to be appropriate, making a plan with the patient and their family, and deciding how and when to review that are the everyday processes of primary health care. Thus those who work in primary health care are well used to making decisions about ‘what might be the key questions that will help determine what should be the outcome of this consultation’.
This process is actually very similar to that used by those working in management and public health roles in Primary Health Organisations (PHOs) and District Health Boards (DHBs) - gathering evidence by asking key questions, planning and reviewing. They too are well used to having to decide ‘what might be the key questions that will help determine what should be the outcome of this project/service’.
Health promotion in PHOs can make an important contribution towards equipping people to ensure the questions they are asking are the ‘right’ questions to achieve the population health goals of the Primary Health Care Strategy.
This report highlights key issues related to how health promotion capacity in PHOs can best work with and support the primary care workforce to achieve the goals of the Strategy and makes recommendations for action, some of which are needed urgently, to enhance this capacity. It is based on consultation with a sample of: health promoters around the country who have worked in PHOs for some time, Funding and Planning staff from DHBs, and primary care leaders both in DHBs and PHOs.
|