equally well at st martins medical practice
Equally Well is a national movement in Aotearoa New Zealand that focuses on improving the physical health and wellbeing of people living with serious mental health and/or addiction conditions. People in this group can experience barriers to accessing timely, effective health care. Equally Well aims to address these challenges through proactive, coordinated, and compassionate care.
At St Martins Medical Practice, we are committed to this approach.
Our work is guided by the Equally Well initiative and by Te Tiriti o Waitangi, recognising the ongoing inequities experienced by many people in both mental and physical health care.
Our Commitment
We consider patients with serious mental illness and addiction to be priority patients within our practice. This means we aim to provide care that is equitable, proactive, and person-centred, supporting hauora in its broadest sense — physical, mental, emotional, social, and whānau wellbeing.
How We Work
We take a multidisciplinary team (MDT) approach to care.
Our practice-based Equally Well MDT meets fortnightly to support the proactive identification, planning, and coordination of care for patients with serious mental health and addiction needs. This helps us plan ahead and provide more consistent care, rather than responding only when problems arise.
Our key priorities include:
- Continuity of care, supporting patients to see the same doctors and nurses wherever possible
- Identifying and reducing barriers to accessing health care
- Providing a safe, non-judgemental, and welcoming environment, where people feel listened to and respected
- Supporting people to set their own health goals and build on their strengths to support ongoing wellbeing
- Working alongside people to support shared decision-making about their health and wellbeing
We work closely with:
- Our GPs, nurses, pharmacist, Health Improvement Practitioner (HIP), Health Coach, Occupational Therapist (OT), counsellor and admin team within the practice
- Patients’ support networks, including whānau, where this is helpful and wanted
- Community mental health and addiction services
- Secondary mental health services and other relevant supports
By working together within the practice, alongside patients and their support networks, and across services, we aim to improve continuity of care and long-term health outcomes.
Outcomes We Aim For
Through our Equally Well approach, we aim to:
- Improve access to regular physical health checks
- Support up-to-date screening and monitoring, including cardiovascular, metabolic, and cancer screening where appropriate
- Reduce missed opportunities for preventative care
- Support earlier identification and management of physical health concerns
Te Tiriti in Practice
Our Equally Well work reflects the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi:
- Partnership – working alongside patients, whānau, and other services
- Participation – supporting access to care and reducing barriers
- Protection – actively addressing inequities in physical health outcomes
Our Equally Well Team
Our Equally Well work is led by a dedicated multidisciplinary group within the practice:
- Ray Lee – Pharmacist (Equally Well Lead)
- Amanda Bradley – Nurse Manager
- Dr Lizzie Loudon – General Practitioner
- Hazel Smithies – Health Improvement Practitioner (HIP)
- Amy Lynch – Health Coach
Learn More About Equally Well
Equally Well brings together people with lived experience, whānau, clinicians, and organisations across Aotearoa New Zealand to improve physical health equity for people with mental health and addiction challenges.
You can learn more about Equally Well here.
