Where can I find health information?

They sit with you, listen to your story, and work with you to help manage your health, work through challenges and developing goals. You leave an appointment with a plan to make change.

A Health Improvement Practitioner is a registered health professional that helps you develop skills to make positive behavioural changes for your wellbeing. This may include managing stress, thoughts, feelings and behaviours, sleep, alcohol, and drug problems. A HIP can support children and youth who have behavioural or mental well-being concerns.

Health Coach (HC): A Health Coach works with you towards your health and wellbeing goals. A Health Coach helps you develop realistic goals and encourages good self-management of your own health and well-being. This may include addressing lifestyle factors such as nutrition, movement, sleep, and stress or linking you in with community groups/support.

Primary Care Practices are at the centre of health care in New Zealand. They are medical practices where clinicians such as doctors and nurses will work as a team to ensure the health care needs of you and your whānau are met.
 
Primary Care Practices cover a wide range of services, including immunisation, diagnosing, and treating common illnesses and injuries, supporting mental health needs, helping you manage ongoing health conditions, and referring you to other services where more specialist expertise is required. Some general practices will have particular strengths, such as sexual health.  
 
It’s free to enrol with a Primary Care Practice. After enrolling they will charge you a consultation fee when you go to see them. Refer to our previous article; “Why is it important to enrol at a medical practice on the West Coast” for more information around enrolment.  

A General Practitioner (GP) is a doctor based in a Primary Care Practice. A GP has to do at least 11 years of medical training. GPs access, diagnose and treat people living in the community using their broad range of medical knowledge on different health conditions.

An enrolled nurse is a registered professional nursing assistant who works as part of a medical team but has less authority than a registered nurse. They are responsible for the care and monitoring of patients, assisting physicians and advising whānau.

A Registered nurse is often considered the backbone of the nursing system. Registered nurses can work in any specialty and in various healthcare settings including home healthcare. They provide patient care, education and assist other healthcare professionals. A practice nurse is a registered nurse working in a Primary Care Practice setting.

A nurse prescriber is a registered nurse who has the authority to  prescribe medicines.

Nurse practitioners are highly skilled health practitioners who have completed a Master’s Degree in Nursing and have a wide range of specialist nursing skills. Practitioners can assess, treat, order and interpret diagnostic tests, prescribe medicines and have an excellent knowledge of our community.  

A Nurse Specialist is a nurse who has special skills, knowledge and expertise in a particular area of nursing.

A Healthcare Assistant (HCA) is a person who supports medical staff and patients in various healthcare settings. They work under the supervision of registered healthcare professionals.