Primary mental health
Primary health organisations (PHOs) and primary care teams are the first point of contact for many people accessing mental health services. Improving the mental health and addiction service capability of primary care teams will ensure better health care for people in the community.
The Ministry of Health provides specific funding to PHOs in New Zealand to deliver services to people with mild to moderate mental health and addiction issues. The workforce delivering these services is continuing to grow and diversify, creating workforce development opportunities and challenges.
Te Pou assists people working in primary mental health and addiction to stay up-to-date with relevant resources, evidence and workforce development tools through regular sector updates. We profile inspiring examples of what can be done to address mental health and addiction problems in primary care. Te Pou also works with PHOs and primary care teams to identify tools, resources and programmes from the range of Te Pou activity to address workforce development gaps and needs.
Sign up for the Te Pou e-bulletin to receive regular primary care sector updates.
Primary mental health initiative profiles
- Supporting people with mental health issues to return to and stay at work
- Culturally responsive primary mental health care: A profile of three Positive Horizons initiatives - Positive Horizons
- Creating new pathways in primary/secondary integration - Auckland DHB
- ProCare Primary Mental Health Programme
Primary mental health research updates
- Primary Mental Health Research Update - March 2011
- Primary Mental Health Research Update - July 2011
- Primary Mental Health Research Update - December 2011
You may also be interested in…
- Nursing
- Professional supervision
- Outcome measures
- Talking therapies
- Let’s get real
- Le Va's Futures that work programme.
- Le Va's Engaging Pasifika Pacific cultural competency framework
- The Ministry of Health's primary mental health website.


