Extended care teams

Te manu e kai ana i te miro, nōna te ngahere. Te manu e kai ana i te mātauranga, nōna te ao. 

The bird that feeds on the miro berry, for him the forest. The bird that partakes of knowledge – for him the world. 

Our Pinnacle Extended Care Teams (ExCT) based in Taupō, Taranaki and Tairāwhiti work alongside your doctor, Māori health organisations, and specialist health services to support you to confidently manage your long-term health needs. We offer wraparound care and support that can be for you, your whānau (family), or groups with similar needs. Our teams might see you in your home, at our offices, at your doctors, or in other community venues. We respect whānau values and differences and strive for equity for Māori.  

Our services and resources may vary by location. Below, we outline some of the support that might be available to you.  

Pharmacy support 

Getting your head around medication, what it is for and how it can help you, can feel overwhelming. We can help you and your whānau better understand your medicines and your medical conditions.  

Together, we can check you are using the correct technique with inhalers, insulin or other medication devices. We can create a medicine card listing your medicines, what they look like, the right dosage, and your doctor’s reasons for prescribing them. We can review your medicines and suggest changes to your doctor to get things working best for you – this might include checking medicine interactions or side effects, and exploring options for reducing the number of medicines or adjusting how often you need to take them.   

Dietitian support 

An eating plan should be realistic, nourishing, and tailored to your needs. Our goal is to help you make achievable, long-term, and effective changes that work with your lifestyle. Together we can discuss nutritional goals to focus on, practical tips or suggested swaps to improve your health and how what you eat can affect your health conditions. 

Diabetes support and long-term condition support 

A diagnosis of diabetes or other long-term condition can be overwhelming.  

Our clinical nurse specialists provide diabetes care to those with type 2 diabetes or who are at risk of it. We may also be able to support you to better self-manage your condition. We’ll encourage you to identify your own priorities for change, make positive lifestyle changes, and where appropriate, help you reduce high-risk behaviours and manage stress.   

To improve outcomes for people with type 2 diabetes and long-term conditions, we can provide assessment, create management plans and prescribe medications. Each health professional working with you will consider your whole picture, and you’ll be involved in creating your care plan.  We can connect you with other healthcare and support services to make sure all your needs are being met.  

Child health support 

We work with you, your whānau and other healthcare providers, to improve health outcomes for your tamariki (children). Our nurses offer whānau led services, giving you choices in care delivery. We provide ongoing care and support for tamariki and whānau, including treating skin conditions and helping with smoking cessation. 

Social work support

We can work with you to help you manage your health a little better - we might look at how you manage day-to-day, how you get around, your social connections or your mental wellbeing. 

We can help you get the right financial support, and we can help you navigate the Work and Income system. 

We can create an advanced care plan alongside you and your whānau, to help you prepare for what the future might hold. This also helps your whānau and your healthcare team know what you do and don’t want. 

Kaiāwhina support 

To improve your health outcomes, we can support you to manage your health needs. We’ll help you to build relationships between you, your whānau, and your healthcare teams. We’ll ensure your voice is heard and that you receive culturally respectful care.  

• We can be beside you and encourage you to start making changes in the things you do, which lead to a healthier lifestyle. 
• We can support you with how you feel about your illness.  
• We can link you to the people and things you need to help change your health outcomes. 

Primary mental health support 

Our brief intervention clinicians (BIC) offer specialist mental health training for young people and adults. Our team can offer mental health assessments and treatment plans if you’re experiencing mild to moderate mental health challenges, and support around grief, anxiety, low mood, relationship challenges, situational stressors and more. We support people aged 12 years and older. Our team is responsive and we tailor plans to meet individual and whānau needs. 

Programme support 

Providing administrative support to the clinical teams, we can support you to connect with healthcare, arrange appointments and navigate the health system.