Following a recent case, the Ministry of Health is clarifying the use of the Mental Health Act (1992) for frontline doctors and nurse practitioners. This concerns situations where someone may require compulsory assessment and treatment.

Furthermore, the Ministry recommends all frontline doctors and nurse practitioners in the community, rural hospitals and emergency departments, engage with training such as that available via Te Pou on the application of the Mental Health Act.

To ensure patients receive the funding they are eligible for, Work and Income kindly request practices include a short letter or annotation on the form for all non-subsidised medication requests. This should specify the condition the medication is treating and any funded alternatives that have been tried. By providing this information upfront, Work and Income can expedite the process and reduce the need for follow-up requests.

Anglesea Clinic will continue to work with all practices as an after-hours option for patients and whānau. Anglesea has confirmed that moving to a "new standard fee for all New Zealand residents, regardless of being enrolled or not enrolled, also means their updated pricing is more equitable and affordable for all patients."

Te Whatu Ora is now supporting all general practices and accident and urgent care centres across Aotearoa to publish comprehensive service information on Healthpoint – www.healthpoint.co.nz.

The Waikato Medical Research Foundation exists to support and encourage research within the Waikato region and to assist in the publication of the results of this research. The Foundation awards grants that contribute to the overall costs of the research project but do not fund overheads nor profit. Grant applications of up to $50,000 are welcomed.

Pinnacle is here to support our network. Recent changes have been made to the appointment process for contract providers at PSAAP. These updates impact how your practice selects an agent to represent your interests during negotiations. We encourage you to carefully review the information about these changes. A list of organisations and agents that are offering to represent you, including Pinnacle, and the link to the contracted providers nomination form, are also provided.