Perspectives on how a small rural hospital can contribute to the healthcare of its community were shared by 8 medical practitioners and 3 senior non-medical staff from Hokianga Health via semi-structured face-to-face interviews. In a setting of geographical isolation in the far north serving a largely Māori community, the rural hospital was conceptualised as ‘home’ and valued for providing continuity of care and navigation of health services within and beyond the Hokianga community. The authors commented that rural hospitals should be viewed as ‘their own distinct entity rather than small-scale versions of larger urban hospitals’.
