Monday Pānui 20 October 2025

From behalf of Auckland PHO:

Wishing you and yours a Diwali filled with light, prosperity, and happiness.

Happy Diwali! ⭐

In today’s Pānui	Medinz - New measles case in Auckland Preferred Pricing Arrangements with Heidi New HPV Pricing Clinical Skills Day – Saturday 1 November 2025 Free Graduate RN Vacancy Listings and Primary and Community Funding for Graduate Nurses Upcoming MRI Training for GPs and NPs - 6th Nov NZREX Primary Care Pathway for the 2026 RMO Training Year
Medinz - New measles case in Auckland	Medinz message published by National Public Health Service – Northern Region on Oct 20, 2025 11:14:26 AM. An adult in Auckland has been confirmed with measles, linked to recent overseas travel. This case is not connected to the other recent measles incursions in Northland and Queenstown. Information on LOIs will be published as soon as possible at: info.health.nz/measles-locations-of-interest-in-aotearoa-new-zealand.   Remain vigilant for people with measles symptoms, including fever, cough and rash.  Take a nasopharyngeal swab (preferred) or throat viral swab for measles PCR. Do not test for serology.  DO NOT send the patient to community labs for testing.  If measles is suspected in the clinic isolate immediately; advise any patients to isolate at home until contacted by public health.  Notify immediately on suspicion to public health via eReferral. After hours also call 09 623 4600 to inform the on-call Medical Officer of Health. Follow usual infection, prevention and control for any suspected measles cases.  Prioritise MMR vaccination activity in practices (recall and opportunistic).  Ask your staff to check their immune status to protect patients and fellow staff and avoid quarantine if exposed. MMR is free in NZ for anyone 18 years or under, and for people who are eligible for free healthcare. For more information visit: Auckland HealthPathways - Measles. Please send feedback to Kathryn.wu@tewhatuora.govt.nz.
Preferred Pricing Arrangement with Heidi	Auckland PHO is pleased to provide your practice with access to a preferred pricing arrangement with Heidi (the AI scribing tool approved by Health New Zealand, Te Whatu Ora, for clinical use). This option offers meaningful cost savings for your practice. Heidi (the paid version) is currently the only primary care-appropriate AI scribing tool approved by Health NZ, Te Whatu Ora. Te Whatu Ora does not support the use of the free Heidi tool, as this version (this is not an exhaustive list): Transfers identifiable health information outside secure systems Lacks contractual privacy protections with the AI vendor  (Data Processing Agreement (DPA) Contradicts Te Whatu Ora and PMCSA national guidance Fails to meet cultural, ethical, and medico-legal obligations The following paid subscription options are available: Option 1: Together Plan User-based pricing $750 per user, per year (42% discount) Requires 80% of your doctors/NPs to be signed up in a single transaction. Option 2: Together Plan ESU-based Pricing $0.81 per Enrolled Services User (ESU), which covers all users directly employed by your practice (conditions apply). Sign up before 31 March 2026 is required to access these rates. 1, 2, or 3-year subscription terms are available, depending on your practice’s needs. If you are interested in this offer, please email carmela@hendrix.health (Hendrix Health is the NZ-based distribution partner for Heidi). Please indicate that you are an Auckland PHO practice when emailing Carmela. Please consider the following due diligence requirements before implementation: Before using Heidi or any AI tool, it is essential that each practice completes appropriate due diligence to ensure compliance with privacy, ethical, cultural, and medico-legal obligations. Practices remain responsible for all information generated by AI tools and must ensure robust oversight. In line with guidance from our sector colleagues, each practice should ensure (but not limited to): A Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) is completed, reviewed, and securely retained to assess privacy and data handling risks. Security, governance, and policy requirements are met, including clear approval processes and internal accountability for the safe use of AI. Patient consent is obtained, documented, and renewed as needed, ideally using a layered approach, such as (but not limited to), visible in-practice notices, and verbal consent at the start of consults. All AI-generated clinical notes are reviewed and approved by the clinician to confirm accuracy and appropriateness before being entered into the patient record. The data handling and storage practices of the AI provider are understood, particularly whether any information is stored overseas and are consistent with the Privacy Act 2020 and New Zealand data sovereignty principles, including Māori data sovereignty. Your Practice team are trained in the safe, ethical, and compliant use of AI tools, with ongoing education embedded into practice onboarding and quality processes. Human oversight and regular audits are built into your processes to ensure that AI outputs are accurate, culturally safe, and clinically appropriate. Auckland PHO is developing a support resource to assist practices in meeting these requirements. In the meantime, we recommend reviewing: GPNZ AI resources & webinar links Pinnacle PHO guide to the use of AI in general practice Collaborative Aotearoa’s PIA template. This resource provides a structured way to evaluate risks, benefits, and alignment with core principles like clinical safety, whānau-centred care, and data protection. The template is based on the work already completed by the New Zealand Privacy Commissioner and Te Whatu Ora Waitematā.
New HPV Pricing	Mōhio have updated pricing on the Best Care HPV form, effective 16 October 2025, in alignment with Te Whatu Ora's pricing schedule update from 1 July 2025. Auckland PHO are reviewing all HPV claims submitted between 1 July and 15 October 2025 and will process reconciliation payments for affected practices.
Clinical Skills Day for Nurses – Saturday 1 November 2025	Comprehensive Care PHO are hosting a Clinical Skills Day for nurses. There are five 45-minute sessions that include canulation, phlebotomy, diabetes foot checks, continuous glucose monitors: accessing free trials and continuous glucose monitors – LibreView. Date: Saturday 1 November 2025 from 10 – 3pm Venue: Clinical Skills Suite, Massey University, Albany Campus Please complete the form linked below to register your interest and return to alison@aucklandpho.co.nz by Wednesday 22 October 2025. ROI – Clinical Skills Day As the number of places on this course are limited, completing the registration of interest, does not automatically enrol you onto the course. Auckland PHO intends to fully fund nurses who would like to attend.  You will be contacted if a place has been secured for you by Friday 24 October 2025.
Free Graduate RN Vacancy Listings and Primary and Community Funding for Graduate Nurses	With Kiwi Health Jobs decommissioned in July and no direct replacement available, interim support has been introduced to help graduate registered nurses (RNs) connect with primary and community healthcare employers. To assist employers seeking graduate RNs now or in the new year, Te Whatu Ora is offering free vacancy listings on its Careers site with a dedicated graduate RN webpage featuring key information and a link to available roles. For role listings or questions about the required information, please contact careers@tewhatuora.govt.nz. Graduate RN vacancies for New Zealand-trained nurses in primary and community care are published on the Te Whatu Ora Careers page within two business days of receiving all details, with a live link provided. More information on the initiative including funding, how to apply and eligibility criteria for employers and graduate RNs can be found at Primary and Community Funding for Graduate RN Employment on the Te Whatu Ora website.
Upcoming MRI Training for GPs and NPs - 6th Nov	ProCare are pleased to announce an upcoming free NP/GP MRI Training in Auckland. Date: Thursday 6 November 2025 Time: 6:00pm - 9:00pm Venue: Carlaw Commercial Building, Level 1, 12-16 Nicholls Lane, Parnell. Light refreshments will be offered on the evening. Interested practitioners are required to register their attendance via the registration link found under the "FAQ" section of the MRI website - click here to access it. An email confirming their registration will be sent out a week prior to the event. Further correspondence will be sent to all registered attendees closer to the date.  For any questions, contact Sarah Chieng – sarah.chieng@procare.co.nz
NZREX Primary Care Pathway for the 2026 RMO Training Year	Auckland Metro and Northland Districts are now seeking expressions of interest for the NZREX Primary Care Pathway for the 2026 RMO training year. Applicants submit an expression of interest and apply via the link here. Applications close 30th October.

Barbara Stevens | Tumu Whakarae / CEO