Community Partners
As the role of friends, families, neighbours, community groups and organisations becomes more significant for all in health, so does Pegasus Health’s role as a connection point between the community and the health sector. The reality is, the two have always been inextricably bound in peoples’ lives. Our challenge now is to bring them closely together within the system, to improve health outcomes for all.
Mental health workers and GPs now share the same tearoom with pharmacists, practice nurses and respiratory outreach nurses. Those planning community health initiatives now sit shoulder-to-shoulder with those who deliver them; those allocating the funding for programmes get to see and hear daily from the people on the ground.
Primary care is the logical home-base for the formalisation and streamlining of the informal ties that have always existed between clinicians and community providers. Its large infrastructure and wide, established networks in neighbourhoods across Canterbury provide not just a distribution and connection point, but valuable feedback from practice teams working with thousands of people every day.
These doctors, nurses, receptionists and support staff are in a unique position to be a safe, independent place to consult and receive information from, and open the doors to, the community. They are also the key to the education and support that will be needed if people are to take a more active role in their own care.
There is no doubt that, for the professionals of an increasingly overloaded health system, it is friends, family and patients who are its biggest allies in addressing workload issues. In turn, primary care can remain a central hub for care, and continue to advocate for the continuity of care that is such a strong part of good health.