New owner for Howick home support services

New owner for Howick home support services

Home Support Services of Howick Baptist Healthcare are sold to Access Homehealth

Howick Baptist Healthcare has announced that it is selling its home support services to Access Homehealth. The transfer will take place on 11 November 2013. All other services operated by Howick Baptist Healthcare, the Rest Home, Hospital, Day Programme and Retirement Village, will remain owned and operated by Howick Baptist Healthcare.

“In choosing a new owner for our home support services we looked for a not- for- profit with similar values and the same commitment to quality services as we have”, said CEO Bonnie Robinson.

Access Homehealth is fully owned by Rural Women New Zealand and sits at the forefront of the home and community health sector. Their involvement in home support services started in the 1920s with the bush nursing service and now extends to seventeen DHBs and national contracts with ACC and the Ministry of Health.

Howick Baptist Healthcare has also had a long commitment to home support services, being one of the first organisations to provide these services in the Counties Manukau area. The system of funding and contracting for such services is changing however, with DHBs increasingly putting services out to tender, with no guarantees that existing providers will be successful.

“In this environment the Board of Howick Baptist Healthcare needed to look to the best interests of the organisation as a whole, and especially our existing home support staff and clients”, said Bonnie Robinson. “Selling to Access provides job security and on-going opportunities for staff, and ensures that clients will continue to have the same quality services from the same quality staff that they have come to expect.”

While sad to be leaving the area of home support services, the Board of Howick Baptist Healthcare is looking forward to exploring new opportunities to extend their residential services.

Access Homehealth is excited to be taking on the home support services previously provided by Howick Baptist Healthcare. “As a leading provider of personalised health and support services in communities throughout New Zealand, we are dedicated to providing the very best in personalised quality care and support to New Zealanders of all ages. We look forward to providing ongoing assistance for our new clients, and helping them maintain an independent lifestyle in their homes and communities.” said Graeme Titcombe, CEO of Access.

Access Home Healthcare and Howick Baptist Healthcare will continue to liaise together after the transfer of services and staff to ensure a smooth transition and continued high quality services.

ENDS

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