East Care Blog

We’re excited to share news of the acquisition of Pukekohe Family Health Care by our owners, Care Group Ltd. Care Group started our East Care clinic in the early 90s with a vision of building Auckland’s community health. Nau mai, Haere mai – welcome to our whānau Pukekohe Family Health Care!

The newest Addition to the Care Group Whānau

In October, Care Group purchased 100% of Pukekohe Family Health Care (PFHC). This well-known, general practice is the largest practice in the Franklin area, situated in the heart of Auckland’s Pukekohe. PFHC has been serving the community for over 20 years and currently has around 18,000 enrolled patients. The team at Pukekohe are known for their wealth of experience and their innovative models of care. They have a low-cost, affordable healthcare model that’s accessible to everyone.

CEO, Gordon Armstrong says, “It was clear that bringing Pukekohe Family Health onboard would bring extra capability to the broader Group. Their team are extraordinary. PFHC chose to join the Care Group family due to our long association. We’ve continually worked with them through the Auckland after-hours network and it’s always been clear that we shared values of delivering high-quality care to our community.  It’s evident that the staff at Pukekohe Family Health are thoroughly invested in the community. For example, Dr Brian Ross has been at PFHC since 1981; and Dr Rattan Saini and Dr Ishavar Morarh are born and bred South Aucklanders. They understand what the Pukekohe community needs and they’re dedicated to making it happen.”

Shared Values for thriving communities

It’s always been our shared goal at East Care to work with Primary Care Providers who ensure the continuity of community ownership, whilst also providing great patient care. Care Group always makes this their top consideration when considering purchases of new General Practices. This was especially evident in purchases of the Sommerville and Highgate practices. These were successfully co-purchased in the last two years with Health Improvement Group.

“Their expert teams have already brought a wealth of knowledge, cultural competency and diversity to serve the varied needs of our Tāmaki Makaurau community, so it was easy to recognise the value the Pukekohe team would also bring.” says Gordon Armstrong.  PFHC joins our wider Care Group team with a full complement of fantastic doctors, nurses, receptionists and support staff along with an experienced management team.  “Our team see a lot of people from many practices coming through our Urgent Care services. We hear first-hand from those enrolled at PFHC the high regard this clinical team holds within the community. It gives us the confidence to be able to return patients back to the safe hands of their usual , trusted GP provider after we’ve seen them. This is because closing the loop well with your Primary Care Provider after an accident or emergency is reassuring”, says Operations Manager, Lianne Webber.

Acquisition of Pukekohe Family Health makes Care Group one of Auckland’s Largest Primary Care Teams

We’re also proud to announce that Care Group is now the largest provider of primary care in east Auckland. Subsequently making them one of the largest Groups in the greater Auckland region. Being part of a big network benefits our East Care team as we work so collaboratively with the Primary Care providers who support our walk-in and Specialist Care patients. We know that the exponential growth of the Care Group Portfolio in the last year will benefit everyone.

Many of our patients are enrolled at the equally well established Botany Junction Medical which is just up the road. Care Group are co-owners of the Botany clinic with Health Improvement Group (HIG). Together with HIG, Care Group has also opened two other state-of-the-art clinics in 2021. These include Ormiston Medical Centre in Flat Bush, and the brand new Highbrook Medical. This groundbreaking new concept focused on Workplace Wellness is purposefully situated within the Highbrook Business Park to support employees in these businesses and their whānau in the surrounding area.

“The acquisition of Pukekohe Family Health represents an important step in expanding our footprint and growing our business. It’s important that we match not only capability standards but strive towards values that meet a higher purpose of improving health and wellbeing. This is especially important for preventative care. We’re doing this by constantly looking at accessibility, patient experience. We’re also dedicated to creating environments that unconditionally support all who need them. We’ll continue to be on the lookout for other clinics that would fit our vision and contribute to our ongoing growth and success.” says Armstrong.

Focus on the Future with PFHC

Finally, we understand that accessing healthcare in the last 18 months has been quite an adjustment for everyone. With virtual consults, drive through swabs and Covid-19 vaccinations becoming a norm, we’ve all had to change our thinking. This means working out ways to simplify the process collaboratively. So, by bringing extra skill, knowledge and capability by way of acquisition of clinics like Pukekohe Family Health Care we’re showing our commitment to your wellbeing.