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Health

Health services and supports

A healthcare professional speaks with a smiling mother and her young daughter.

Health support and services for disabled people

Disabled people and their families use many different health services at different times in their lives.

In New Zealand, health support and disability support are connected, but they are not the same.  They have different roles and are often provided by different organisations.

Health support

Health support is mainly about treating illness, injury, or medical conditions. Health services help when something is wrong or when you need medical care.

Health support can include:

  • Visits to your GP or nurse
  • Hospital care and emergency services
  • Seeing specialists
  • Mental health services
  • Therapy prescribed for medical reasons (like physiotherapy after an injury)

Health services are usually short-term or focused on treatment. The goal is to help you recover, manage symptoms, or stay medically well.

Many disabled people use both health and disability supports at the same time. For example, you might see a doctor for your health needs and also receive disability support to help you at home or in the community.

Sometimes it can be confusing to know which service to contact. Health support focuses on medical care, while disability support focuses on living well with a disability. Disability Connect can help explain these differences and show you where to go for support.

Below we share a list of  links to health organisations that disabled people often use. This includes GPs, hospitals, specialists, therapists and community health services. These services can help with everyday health needs, long-term conditions, mental wellbeing, and recovery after illness or injury.

 

Healthline logo with small light blue text reading “Free health advice when you need it” above large blue and green text reading “Healthline,” with two speech bubbles containing a question mark and exclamation mark on a white background.

Healthline

Healthline is a free 24/7 health advice and information service in Aotearoa New Zealand. People can call if they are worried about their own health or someone else’s, need advice about what to do next, cannot get to a GP, or need medicine advice. Healthline also offers a callback option, interpreter support, communication disability support through NZ Relay, and a Māori pathway that connects callers with a Māori clinician from 8am to 8pm.

View Website 0800 611 116 Send Email
Healthy Families New Zealand logo with grey and green text reading “healthy families New Zealand” and a green koru-like tree motif on a white background.

Healthy Families

Healthy Families NZ is a large-scale prevention initiative that works with local leadership and communities to create healthier food, activity, wellbeing, and social environments. It takes a systems-change approach.

View Website Send Email
Facebook

Kidney Kids

Kidney Kids NZ supports children with kidney conditions and their families through resources, advocacy, connection and family support. They provide a national support line, registration support, events, and practical information for whānau navigating kidney disease.

View Website 0800 215 437 Send Email
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Local Doctors logo with a blue medical cross above blue text reading “Local Doctors” on a white background.

Local Doctors

Local Doctors East Tāmaki is a low-cost GP clinic in South Auckland and part of the wider Local Doctors network operated by Tāmaki Health. Formelrly known as East Tamaki Healthcare.

View Website 09 274 9264 Send Email
Facebook Instagram
ME Support logo, featuring a purple lantern with a flame beside the organisation’s name in purple, with the words “Navigating ME/CFS and Long COVID” in blue underneath, on a white background.

ME Support/Long Covid

ME Support provides support, advocacy, illness-management information and community connection for people with ME/CFS, Long COVID and related conditions. They offer online and face-to-face support groups, information, resources and help for whānau and carers.

View Website 0800 632 553 Send Email
Facebook Instagram
Ministry of Health logo with a white koru-like graphic and white bilingual text reading “MINISTRY OF HEALTH MANATŪ HAUORA” on a blue background.

Ministry of Health

The Ministry of Health – Manatū Hauora is the government’s lead adviser on health priorities and policy in New Zealand. It regulates and monitors parts of the health system and provides national health information and guidance.

View Website 0800 855 066 Send Email
Facebook
Multiple Sclerosis Auckland logo, featuring large lowercase white “ms” lettering over layered orange wave shapes, with “Multiple Sclerosis Auckland” in white underneath on an orange background.

Multiple Sclerosis Auckland

Multiple Sclerosis Auckland provides guidance, support and advocacy for people impacted by multiple sclerosis. Their services include community advisors, support groups, peer support, counselling, exercise support and information resources.

View Website 09 845 5921 Send Email
Facebook Instagram
mycare logo with a purple figure and purple text reading “mycare” on a white background.

MyCare

Mycare is a New Zealand platform that connects people needing in-home support with care workers. It covers services such as disability care, respite care, aged care, and injury support.

View Website 09 887 9777 Send Email
Facebook Instagram
Ostomy New Zealand logo, featuring the word “OSTOMY” in blue capital letters, with a red-and-orange phoenix figure inside the second “O,” and “New Zealand” in light blue underneath, on a white background.

Ostomy New Zealand

Ostomy New Zealand provides information, guidance, advice and support for people living with an ostomy. They also connect people with regional ostomy support groups and local networks.

View Website 0508 678 669 Send Email
Facebook
Proactive Healthcare logo, featuring overlapping yellow, blue, pink and grey abstract petal shapes above the words “Proactive Healthcare” in pink and grey on a white background.

Proactive Healthcare / AIM

AIM is a Proactive Healthcare partner in Northland and Auckland that provides injury prevention, injury and illness management, pain management, and health and safety services in workplaces, homes, and communities. More broadly, Proactive Healthcare is a nationwide provider of physiotherapy, rehabilitation, occupational health, and related services that help people stay well, get well, and thrive.

View Website 0800 964 234 Send Email
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