Extended Skill Mix In Primary Care Teams Improves Patient Access And Outcomes

As Primary Health Organisations and general practices nationwide await a decision on funding continuation, a new report from General Practice New Zealand (GPNZ) highlights the improvements to access and outcomes that have been gained through the addition of new roles into general practice.

“This funding has supported a historically underfunded sector to explore what integrated care looks like. The general practices I’ve spoken to are clear it has been better for patients, better for the workforce and ultimately just better for the system,” says Andrew Swanson-Dobbs, CEO at WellSouth Primary Health Network and member of the GPNZ Executive Committee.

CPCT is a centrally funded initiative to support expanding general practice teams with a range of addition roles, including pharmacists, paramedics and physiotherapists. It builds from the successful work pioneered by Primary Health Organisations (PHOs), along with research showing expanding the skill mix in general practice improves access and equity outcomes.

Budget 2022 allocated $102m over three years to implement the CPCT initiative, with funding set to end 30 June 2025. Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora has confirmed it is looking at ways to continue the programme, but there are yet to be any formal announcements.

“Bringing new roles into the practice team isn’t just about increasing capacity by doing more of the same things, it also expands the capability of that team, giving whānau access to services that weren’t previously available,” says Mr Swanson-Dobbs. “In pulling this report together GPNZ has heard countless stories of success up and down the country, with clear association with better patient outcomes.”

The GPNZ report presents case studies and emerging evidence indicating that the CPCT initiative has contributed to reduced ED attendance and hospital admission, with a wider range and greater complexity of conditions successfully managed within general practice. Patients have benefited through reduced appointment wait times, and more tailored care and wrap-around support. Some practices have reported the addition of CPCT roles allowed them to safely re-open to new enrolments.

With patients clearly benefiting, bringing in new roles has also worked to spread the workload and offered learning opportunities within the practice team.

“Our workforce is our most valuable asset. By using a variety of roles and advancing clinical scopes for others we can mitigate some of the pressures and strains our workforce has been under and begin to build more career pathways and opportunities for rewarding and life-long careers in primary care.”

Recent Government announcements have signalled a shift in focus, acknowledging the vital role of primary care in reducing hospital pressures and delivering cost-effective healthcare.

“Signs seem positive, but we will continue to push hard for the sustained investment and workforce development needed to make this the new normal,” concludes Mr Swanson-Dobbs.

The report is available on the GPNZ website: https://gpnz.org.nz/media-releases/cpct-report

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