Public Key Messages

Inform

Choose well – Community Pharmacy

• This Winter, Te Whatu Ora is encouraging you to choose well for yourself and your whānau by making your local community pharmacy the place you visit for advice, medicine and referral for minor health conditions.

• A pharmacist can provide you with trusted advice related to your situation. They can give you advice on managing your condition and if recommended, treatment options including medicine. If your condition needs further support, they can help you navigate the health system by recommending the best place to go for your condition.

Community Pharmacy Minor Health Conditions Service

• This Winter, between Monday 12 June and Saturday 30 September, Te Whatu Ora is funding participating community pharmacies in specific areas across the motu, to provide a Minor Health Conditions Service for Māori and Pacific people, children aged under 14 years, and community service card holders.

• Minor health conditions are those that can be managed with advice, self-care and in some cases, medicines provided by your pharmacist. Proper management of minor health conditions can prevent more serious conditions from developing or prevent further costly treatment.

• This service is part of the Winter Preparedness Plan, to help relieve pressure on general practice and hospital services in regions recognised as having consistent and persistent hospital flow challenges and wider system pressures.

• These areas include Te Tai Tokerau (Northland), Auckland, Counties Manukau, Waitematā, Bay of Plenty, MidCentral, Wellington and Hutt Valley, Canterbury, Invercargill, Gore and Southland

• Participating pharmacies can be found by going to Healthpoint and searching “Minor Health Conditions”. You can also find a list on the Te Whatu Ora website [https://www.tewhatuora.govt.nz/keeping-well/community-pharmacy-minor-healthconditions-service/].

• The following health conditions are included in the Minor Health Conditions Service: o Acute diarrhoea o Dehydration o Eye inflammation and infections o Scabies o Headlice o Pain and fever o Eczema/Dermatitis o Minor skin infections

• The Minor Health Conditions Service is for: o Māori or Pacific o Children under 14 years of age, or whānau members of a child with similar symptoms. For example, if the pharmacist determines your child is needing treatment for scabies and they have older brothers or sisters, or you yourself also have symptoms, they may provide advice and medicine for you all o Community Service Card (CSC) holders

• The service is scheduled to start Monday 12 June and will run until Saturday 30 September.

Pharmacies in a catchment area but not participating in the Minor Health Conditions Service

• Our pharmacy is part of the catchment area for the Minor Health Conditions Service, however we are unable to provide the service here. You can find a list of participating pharmacies on Healthpoint or the Te Whatu Ora website.

• Regardless of whether your local community pharmacy is taking part in the Minor Health Conditions Service, they are the place to visit for trusted advice, medicine and referral for minor health conditions

Areas without the Minor Health Conditions Service

• This Winter, some people, in some parts of New Zealand, can access funded advice, and if needed, medicine, for certain health conditions. This is known as the Minor Health Conditions Service.

• We’re doing this to help relieve pressure on the health system in parts of the motu that are particularly stretched.

• The service is available in participating pharmacies across Te Tai Tokerau (Northland), Auckland, Counties Manukau, Waitematā, Bay of Plenty, MidCentral, Wellington and Hutt Valley, Canterbury, Invercargill, Gore and Southland.

• Our pharmacy / district / area is not part of the catchment area for the Minor Health Conditions Service We are still the place to visit for trusted advice, medicine and referral of minor health conditions.