Waitaki District Health Services review complete

Monday 7 November 2016

Waitaki District Health Services review complete

All recommendations from the joint review of Waitaki District Health Services undertaken by Southern DHB (SDHB) and Waikati District Health Services Ltd (WDHS) to explore how best to provide sustainable health services for the Waitaki community have been endorsed by both the WDHS Board and SDHB Commissioners.

The report of the joint review is now available, and the recommendations are summarised as follows:

• Community based services: Establish a community clinical care hub as a local single point of entry with the aim of keeping people well and safe at home

• Coordinated urgent care: Implement a streamlined first response system to ensure people get the right care in the right place when they have urgent health needs

• Improved post-hospital discharge: Improve processes for post-hospital discharge to reduce delays, avoid patient readmission and support return home

• Services closer to home: Increase specialist outpatient services provided locally to ensure access to care is as close to home as possible and people only travel when they need to

• System communication and coordination: Improve systems for communication and coordination to provide patient centred care through better use of technology and enhancing relationships within the healthcare provider community

• Workforce enhancement: Develop and maintain a workforce that will meet the needs of future service delivery

• Measures of Success: Adopt measures in the implementation phase to monitor the success of the implementation

• Implementation process. Establish a working group to oversee implementation of the report’s recommendations

A series of workshops by the review team were held in June to draw out “ideas for change,” aimed at providing community and staff feedback which were then incorporated into the report.

“We’re delighted with the outcomes of the review which shows the value of working in partnership across organisations and professions, with people at the coal face designing their solutions” said Dr Carol Atmore, General Practitioner and Clinical Advisor, Alliance South, who chaired the review team.

The review team included members of SDHB and WDHS senior management and clinical staff, and other clinical leaders from the Waitaki health community including GPs and a pharmacist.

The implementation of the recommendations will be led by WDHS with continued support from SDHB clinical and managerial leaders.

Helen Algar, WDHS board member, and review and governance team member said that, “Going forward, we’ll be drawing on the recommendations to design a contemporary patient centred health service making the most of the strengths of our community within the resources available. This will include amongst other things, exploring the use of telemedicine and specialist nursing to provide care closer to home.

“The review group are confident that the recommendations will lead to a sustainable and future focussed health service that meets the needs of the Waitaki community.”

The board has appointed an independent facilitator, Christchurch consultant Rosita Guy, to lead a project board to implement the changes.Details on Rosita Guy at http://www.guyassociates.co.nz/

The WDHS board of directors has accepted the review and agreed to lead the implementation of the recommendations.

To read the report click here

ENDS

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