Good care close to home: local health professional perspectives on how a rural hospital can contribute to the healthcare of its community.

Aim: Hokianga Health in New Zealand's far north is an established health service with a small rural hospital, serving a largely Māori community. The aim of this study was to gain insights into the wider roles of one rural hospital from the perspective of its staff.

Method: Eleven face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with employees of Hokianga Health, eight with past and current medical practitioners, three with senior non-medical staff.