Pinnacle clinical leader appointed to new Primary Care Advisory Group

Pinnacle Midlands Health Network clinical director Dr Jo Scott-Jones has been appointed to the government’s new Primary Care Advisory Group (PCAG), a ministerial committee established to maximise the contribution of primary care within Aotearoa New Zealand’s health system.

Dr Jo is one of eight people appointed to PCAG, announced yesterday by Minister of Health Simeon Brown.

Chaired by the Minister under section 87 of the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022, the group will provide independent advice on primary care priorities, including shifting more hospital-based care into the community, supporting delivery of the government’s health targets, and strengthening performance and accountability in primary care.

This is an opportunity to inform, advise and hopefully influence system settings and direction into the future,” Dr Jo said.

“General practice teams provide first contact, comprehensive care and coordinate services as patients need them.

“When people can see the same trusted team over a lifetime, communities benefit. We need continuity from the system to sustain that value. I’m pleased to be part of an initiative I hope becomes an established part of the health system, whatever the make-up of government.”

Pinnacle chief executive Justin Butcher said the appointment aligns with the sector’s focus on care closer to home.

“Jo brings a rare blend of frontline experience and system thinking. His appointment is great for general practice and great for whānau, because it keeps the focus on timely, community-based care that improves access, continuity and outcomes,” Justin said.

“We’re also pleased to see Penny Clark on this list. Penny is a pharmacist prescriber with PHCL, working across NorthCare practices in Hamilton since 2011, and she serves as chair of the Clinical Advisory Pharmacists Association (CAPA). We have worked with many of the appointees and believe the advisory group is in safe hands,” Justin said.

Dr Jo has been Pinnacle’s clinical director for eight years and a GP in Ōpōtiki since 1992. An experienced GP and assisted-dying provider, he helped establish a PHO in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, has chaired the Rural Health Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand (RHĀNZ) and the Rural General Practice Network, is a Distinguished Fellow of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (RNZCGP) and a Fellow of the World Organisation of Family Doctors (WONCA), and will deliver the John MacLeod Oration at WONCA 2026.