Hauora ā-Whanau Whaitara, Tui Ora’s community medical centre in the centre of the town, has a wide-ranging team of medical professionals to respond to whānau need.
Nurse Prescribers, Extended Care Paramedics, Nurse Practitioners, Practice Nurses, and Health Care Assistants are all on hand to provide quick, accessible, and responsive medical care, whatever the issue or urgency.
“GPs will always be important members of our team for the knowledge, experience and expertise they bring, but if you have wounds that need caring for, are in pain, need to talk about your sexual health or have an infection, or anything really, the rest of the team are very well placed to help you,” says Lisa Tamatea, Hauora ā-Whanau Business Manager.
One question Extended Care Paramedics Jesse Walmsley and Sarah Sharp get asked a lot is ‘where’s your ambulance?’!
“Being a paramedic doesn’t necessarily mean you rush to emergencies with lights and sirens blaring,” laughs Jesse. “Extended Care Paramedics are specialist paramedics who have extra qualifications and experience in primary and urgent care, so we are very good at responding to urgent issues and problems but we’re also very effective at supporting people for something that is impacting them right now that wouldn’t be regarded as an emergency.”
“The whole team collaborates with each other here because we are all good at different things and have different interests. We complement the way a doctor might approach something because we are so flexible and bring that fast critical thinking to a problem,” adds Sarah.
“I love working at Hauora ā-Whānau Whaitara because we can see how we are making a difference for people and the local community by improving access to healthcare.
“It means people don’t have to travel to urgent care or sit in ED for hours. They can call up, be triaged over the phone and often seen the same day and really experience the caring approach we take.”
Aimee Thompson, Nurse Practitioner, is another key member of the Whaitara team. At 27, Aimee was the youngest nurse practitioner in the country to register in her year, and she has been loving the role ever since.
“Nurse Practitioners can bring a different perspective to a person’s care, which is often well appreciated,” she says. “We do sometimes get ‘but I want to see a doctor’ from patients but by the end of the appointment they are total converts!”
“I think ultimately people want to be listened to and cared for, and that’s exactly what we do.”
Nurse prescriber Micaela Watts is another person removing barriers to accessing healthcare. “If people need a prescription for something that is pretty straightforward, or if there is a smaller issue, I can help and they don’t have to wait for an appointment with a GP.
“It’s all about making a difference at the end of the day, and we all want to do that for our patients, whatever our role might be.”
Hauora ā-Whānau Whaitara is currently accepting new enrolments – just call 0800 TUI ORA (884 672) or pop in to see us!