West Coast tops in newborn GP enrolments
The West Coast Primary Health Organisation has achieved 100% (74 babies in total) enrolments of newborns with general
practices, top-ranked in the country in the latest figures released.
The figures demonstrate the efforts of staff from the PHO, DHB and general practices, PHO Executive Officer Helen Reriti
says.
“Having one dedicated DHB staff member working on newborn enrolments, along with a greater understanding of the
importance of early enrolment, a good rapport between organisations, and support from the PHO means we are pretty
consistently near the top of these charts. It’s excellent to achieve 100% in the latest figures,” Helen says.
“Early enrolment at GP practices means getting the babies in for on time immunisations,” Newborn Enrolment Service
Coordinator Sharyn Kenning says. Her other role is National Immunisation Register (NIR) Coordinator for the West Coast.
Government health targets aim to have 85% of all New Zealand eight month-olds immunised. Opt-offs and declines in the
latest quarter reached 16.6%, but 98% of all the “reachable” population were immunised.
The West Coast was ranked sixth for newborn enrolments in the previous quarter, with 68 enrolments out of a possible 73
babies born (93.2%).
ENDS