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Te Puna Oranga restructure boosts service
Te Puna Oranga restructure boosts frontline
services
Waikato District Health Board's
Maori health unit, Te Puna Oranga, will undergo a
restructure to boost its frontline services
Acting general manager Ditre Tamatea told staff today funding levels at Te Puna Oranga would remain the same. The unit's annual budget is $872,000 nett a year. It receives $1.3 million annually from Waikato DHB's funding arm.
"This restructure is not about cutting back on Maori health but looking at how we can become a stronger vehicle for Maori health gain," he said.
"It's about maximising the resources to best meet the needs of our whanau."
A discussion paper went to staff last month. Of the 23 submissions received from the 30 Te Puna Oranga staff, 17 were in favour and four against.
"We need more of our people working with our people on the front line," said Mr Tamatea who said the current structure had an imbalance between corporate and frontline.
"Demand for our kaitiaki/kaitakawaenga services has increased as the number of Maori patients grow. A more efficient Maori health service will create a more effective vehicle for the attainment of whanau ora."
There are currently only three kaitiaki dedicated to service Waikato Hospital which provides services to thousands of Maori patients and their whanau from throughout the central North Island every year.
"The service does not have adequate staffing levels to provide comprehensive service coverage during weekends or at night," he said.
Staffing levels in the mental health kaitakawaenga services are also inadequate.
The changes will result in:
• Disestablishment of the following
positions:
o Project managers, 3 FTE
o Operations
manager, 1 FTE
o Clinical nurse director, 0.5 FTE
o Whanau ora coordinator, 1 FTE
• Creation of three
new positions as follows:
o Service development manager
– community, 1 FTE
o Advisor – chronic conditions, 1
FTE
o Researcher role increased to 1 FTE for the
duration of its fixed term
• Increase of 2-3 FTE in frontline services (Kaitiaki/Kaitakawaenga).
The
restructure has the full support of Waikato DHB chief
executive Craig Climo, the board and the Iwi Maori
Council.
The changes are in line with Waikato DHB's six
priorities, particularly quality improvement in frontline
capacity, and consistent with the direction nationally of
boosting frontline services. For further details about
Waikato DHB's Maori health unit, Te Puna Oranga, go to:
www.waikatodhb.govt.nz/maorihealth
to download a photo of Ditre Tamatea
http://www.waikatodhb.govt.nz/photogallery.aspx
- key words Ditre
Tamatea
Waikato District Health Board
Healthy People. Excellent Care
Waikato District Health Board (DHB) employs over 6500 people and plans, funds and provides hospital and health services to more than 391,770 people in a region covering eight per cent of New Zealand.
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