Tend takes 50pc stake in primary care provider Better Health

App-based primary care provider Tend has partnered with South Island-based Better Health. Photo / Supplied

App-based healthcare provider Tend Health has taken a 50 per cent stake in South Island-based general practice service Better Health.

The partnership will cover 14 medical centres — in Christchurch, North Canterbury and the lower South Island — reaching more than 90,000 patients.

Tend co-chief executive Cecilia Robinson said the partnership was “a big step towards our goal to give Kiwis seamless and complete healthcare online or in person”.

Robinson said GPs across Aotearoa were interested in working with Tend, and attributed this to its focus on creating a more convenient and clinically sound patient experience.

Tend founders and co-chief executives Cecilia Robinson and James Robinson.

“Tend is building technology alongside clinicians to help reduce the administrative burden and better support our doctors and nurses to spend more time interacting with patients, working from home or in the clinic.”

Better Health co-founder and medical director Dr Graham McGeoch said: “We’re excited about the opportunity with Tend to lift health equity and improve access to healthcare in the South Island — especially for people living rurally, with disabilities or in under-served communities”.

Better Health has a network of medical practices throughout the South Island and provides management services and succession planning for medical practices. Tend plans to integrate with select Better Health clinics over time.

Both organisations said equity and accessibility were essential to their services and had driven their decision to work together.

Better Health co-founder and chief executive David Jones said: “A key goal of ours is helping our GPs manage their succession planning. With the backing of Tend, we’re ensuring the GPs who work with us can successfully plan for the future of their practices.

“Tend’s digital capabilities will open a lot of doors, enabling our clinicians and patients access to technology and the ability to connect virtually, changing the way they think about healthcare.”

Tend launched in 2020, and is already one of Auckland’s largest primary healthcare providers. Last year the company bought the Symonds Street Medical Centre and Pakuranga Medical Centre — boosting the number of staff on its books to 100, including 50 clinicians.

Its core business is providing healthcare for individuals through secure video consultations as well as providing messaging for doctors and nurses through its app.