FOR MEDICAL EMERGENCIES DIAL 111

Research confirms primary care pro-equity approaches improve diabetes care

01 October 2025

At Pinnacle Health our commitment to health equity goes beyond words — it is backed by evidence. Our medical director, Dr Jo Scott-Jones, recently joined partners in academia to examine how primary care can close gaps and improve outcomes for people with type 2 diabetes.  

Supported by the New Zealand Health Research Council, this research confirms what we see in practice: 

  • direct support and mentoring of nursing teams lifts the quality of diabetes management
  • pro-equity initiatives in primary care can reduce inequities in access to medicines
  • rural communities, particularly Māori, continue to face barriers in access to prescribing and lab testing — an area demanding urgent focus. 

This work shows the value of strong partnerships between healthcare providers, researchers and universities, and Pinnacle is proud to be actively engaging in such partnerships. 

The research is published across several recent studies with the University of Waikato and academic partners.

We remain steadfast to our role in driving equitable and evidence-based healthcare, ensuring whānau across Aotearoa can access the right care at the right time wherever they are. 

He waka eke noa — we’re all in this together.

Mauri ora.