News

CareHQ, the online GP service and joint venture between ProCare and Southern Cross Health Society, is delighted to announce the appointment of Brett Butler as General Manager.

Butler is currently General Manager of Health Services at ProCare, where he has spent about 20% of his role leading the CareHQ team. Prior to joining ProCare, Butler was a senior manager at Southern Cross Health Society where he led a team in the development and delivery of health insurance products.

Butler’s appointment comes after a year of significant growth for the online GP consultation service, with consultations more than doubling in the year 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023. Kerry Boielle, Chair of CareHQ and Chief Sales & Marketing Officer at Southern Cross Health Society said after a year of significant growth for the service, it was the right time for CareHQ to secure a leader to take the business forward, and Butler’s experience made him a natural choice for the role.

“We are really starting to see momentum now as more and more New Zealanders become aware of the benefits of using virtual GP consultation services such as CareHQ and this has been evident by the month on month increase in the number of consultations carried out by CareHQ over the past year, versus the previous year.

“In this period of growth, it was clear we needed an experienced general manager who can focus entirely on leading the CareHQ team and taking the business forward. Brett was a natural choice given his current experience working with CareHQ team, and prior to this leading teams in the delivery of products of value to Southern Cross members. We’re delighted to have him on board in this role,” she said.

Earlier this year CareHQ launched new services to support the needs of more patients, adding injury management clinics and after-hours clinics for New Zealand patients, and international visitor clinics for students and visitors to New Zealand. These clinics have contributed to the significant growth achieved in the last 12 months and CareHQ expects to hit the 40,000 consultation mark next month.

Bindi Norwell, Chief Executive at ProCare said, “the growth in online consultations over the last year has exceeded our expectations as patients have continued to value the chance to see a doctor virtually when they are unable to see their usual GP face-to-face. We expect that level of growth to continue in the next 12-24 months and are excited about the strategic focus Brett will be able to bring to CareHQ to support this.

“General practices in our network tell us they have appreciated having the option to offer their patients the ability to use CareHQ during busy periods such as Christmas, Easter, school holidays, after hours, or when they’re just on holiday themselves. It means they know their patients are in good hands, that continuity of care will be provided to the patient and there will be no ‘clawback’ for their patient seeing another provider,” she continued.

Brett’s role will be effective as of 14 August 2023.