HIPs
A health improvement practitioner is a registered health practitioner. This is a new role to provide more support for you at the same place you see your doctor.
WHO IS A HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PRACTITIONER?
A health improvement practitioner is part of a general practice team. They work with patients to achieve goals by providing support and follow-up for issues related to mental health.
WHAT CAN A HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PRACTITIONER HELP WITH?
A health improvement practitioner can see people of all ages and at all stages of their lives and help with any type of issue related to behaviour change or mental wellbeing.
A health improvement practitioner can see people immediately when they are in the GP clinic to provide support. Your GP or doctor may refer you to a health improvement practitioner when you are in a GP clinic and you can usually see them immediately.
A typical consultation with a health improvement practitioner will take about 30 minutes and is usually focused on evidence-based brief interventions.
A health improvement practitioner can also educate other team members and help to develop pathways and protocols around mental wellbeing and addiction support.
WHERE DOES A HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PRACTITIONER WORK?
As a health improvement practitioner is part of the general practice team, they usually work in a GP clinic.
Being based in a general practice, there are no barriers as to who can see them, as long as you are enrolled in the practice. Appointments are available every day. Half of the day is for booked appointments and half is for unbooked appointments to allow for same-day referrals.
WHAT TRAINING DOES A HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PRACTITIONER HAVE?
A health improvement practitioner will need to complete specialist training in the Te Tumu Waiora primary mental health model – a new model of mental health and addictions care and support in general practice. This new mental health model aims to provide all New Zealanders experiencing mental distress or addictions challenges with access to convenient, high quality, integrated and person-centred care and support.
Long Term Condition Management (Repeat Prescriptions)
The Doctors Apollo Long Term Condition Medication Management Process is based on researched safe practice. It is designed to ensure that you, and all our patients, receive the most appropriate treatment and are given the best advice in order to optimize your health and well-being.
If you have not read our Process before please read it before requesting a repeat prescription, by clicking here.
The Doctors Apollo's prescription service aims to complete your repeat prescription requests within 3 working days. If you take regular long-term medications please ensure prescription requests are made in plenty of time to avoid disappointment.
If you require a same-day URGENT PRESCRIPTION ($45), please call us on 09 477 3700 and request it over the phone. Please note the cut-out time for same-day service is 10am. Requests received after 10am will be processed on the next working day.
Thank you for assisting us to care for you.
The ordering of online repeat prescriptions can now only be accessed via our patient portal called ManageMyHealth.
Registration to ManageMyHealth needs to be with the practice staff, and you may be asked for a photo identification and a current email address. Alternatively you can phone the receptionist on 09 4773700 to order your repeat prescription. You will need to provide your name date of birth, contact phone number and the medications you require.
Charges: (please note we do not offer an urgent repeat prescription service - if you need your prescription in less than three working days you will need to come in and see a doctor to get it). All prescription requests for patients 14 years and older are charged based on the time taken for the doctor to review and prepare your prescription and are charged at a flat fee of $35 per patient. Patients not eligible for NZ healthcare funding will incur a higher fee.
You can pick up this prescription from our reception, once you have received notification that it is ready to be collected, or you can request it be faxed to your local pharmacy at no additional cost.
