Te Tumu Waiora puts mental health and wellbeing at the heart of general practice with focused roles, Health Improvement Practitioners (HIP) and Health Coaches (HC), working as part of the general practice team. This allows for a 'warm handover' which means that a GP or nurse in the general practice can offer someone who is experiencing mental distress or addiction issues the option of seeing the HIP in the same location quickly – often immediately.
The HIPs and Health Coaches provide advice and support based on individualised goals, promoting self-management. The Health Coaches are employed by and work closely with local community NGO support workers to ensure people can access the full range of help they need.
The programme gives GPs the ability, and time, to support a ‘skills not pills’ approach in the first instance, with some GPs reporting a reduction in the prescribing of antidepressants. The programme is highly valued by general practice teams in which it already operates from as it enhances GP and Practice Nurse confidence and competence in the supporting the behavioural and emotional health needs of their patients. The stepped nature of the model allows HIPs to see people quickly and assess the level of help they need.
HIPs will be addressing the needs of a significant number of people who have high levels of distress and complexity, including those people who would not meet the entry criteria for secondary services but have needs beyond the capacity of “traditional general practice”