Breathe easy goal for new service
A new service is being trialled at Whakatāne Hospital designed to support people with respiratory conditions such as asthma to better manage their health at home and reduce the likelihood of them needing hospital treatment .
The Kaupapa Māori Emergency Department Nursing Service ( KMED ) will see Nurse Practitioner Theresa Ngamoki ( Te Whānau-ā-Apanui ) following up patients at home who ’ ve gone to the Emergency Department ( ED ) for treatment for exacerbations of asthma , emphysema , chronic bronchitis and the like .
Dr Tamsin Davies , Clinical lead ED says , “ We frequently see patients who for a raft of reasons come to ED for treatment for these conditions – more so in winter . However very few actually need hospital care . With the right care plan and support , many of these exacerbations can be managed at home .
“ The KMED sets out to do that . Once the patient is treated and discharged , they ’ ll be followed up at home . The goal is that they will be less likely to need hospital treatment in future . It ’ s about supporting people to get well and stay well .”
The initiative , focused on Māori under the age of 65 who live within an hour ’ s driving time from Whakatāne Hospital ,
follows a Whānau Ora model of care ; putting the patient and their family at the centre and co-ordinating with other health and support agencies to improve health .
It ’ s a model that Theresa is well versed in having worked in the Western Bay as a Kaupapa Nurse Practitioner , providing care in patient ’ s homes , in the GP clinic , at marae and linking with other support agencies .
“ When you go into a person ’ s home , you not only build a rapport with the patient but you get a real sense of the environment that they live in . You can see things that are having an impact on their health . Sometimes these are really important things that they haven ’ t shared with their doctor or practice nurse .”
As a Nurse Practitioner , Theresa has advancing clinical training allowing her to prescribe medications , order and interpret diagnostic and laboratory tests .
“ Part of my role will be to connect the patient to other
Whakatāne Hospital ’ s trialling a new service in ED which will see some patients with respiratory conditions followed up at home . From left to right : Dr Tamsin Davies ( Clinical Leader ED ), Theresa Ngamoki ( Nurse Practitioner ) and Dr Matthew Valentine ( Clinical Leader Whakatāne Hospital ).
community based health services , including a GP if they aren ’ t currently enrolled with one . This is about supporting Māori to access the health services they need in a more timely way .”
The Kaupapa Māori Emergency Department Nursing Service is due to start this month for a trial period of 18 months .
The Strategic Health Service Plan is due to be published online mid July at www . bopdhb . govt . nz
Bay of Plenty Health System
Healthy , thriving communities towards 2027 , Kia Momoho Te Hāpori Oranga
Technology
People with long term severe mental health and addiction issues
Vulnerable older people
Contracting
Stay well
Develop a smart fully integrated system to provide care close to where people live , learn , work and play
PRIORITY POPULATIONS
Live well
Empower our population to live healthy lives
PATIENT AND FAMILY CENTRED CARE – WHĀNAU ORA
Workforce
Facilities
Vulnerable children and young people
Partnerships
Information
Get well
Evolve models of excellence across all of our hospital services
Māori
First 1000 days of life
The Bay of Plenty District Health Board ( DHB ) has developed a plan to meet the changing health needs of our communities for the next decade .
Chief Executive Helen Mason says , “ The Strategic Health Services Plan sets the scene for what we need to focus on to support people in our communities to live healthy lives .”
The plan has been developed with input from our staff , community based health services , other support agencies and patient advocates .
“ At the heart of this plan is the patient , families and whānau . Going forward we really need to improve the way our hospital services and health services provided in the community work together . Our aim is for people to get well , stay well and live well .
“ To achieve this , we plan to strengthen our focus on providing integrated health services , bringing health services closer to the patient , and providing the right mix of health supports in the right place .
“ Just like other parts of the country , the health needs of our people are changing . The population ’ s increased , the number of people living with diabetes and heart disease is increasing , as is obesity and health conditions related to that . This plan will guide us to providing health services that better support people to stay well and manage their own health ,” says Helen Mason .
A health profile of Bay of Plenty DHB communities has identified priority groups : Māori , young children ( the first 1000 days of life ), vulnerable children and youth , vulnerable older people , and people with severe long-term mental health need and / or addiction issues . These groups have particular focus in the Strategic Health Services Plan to improve their health in the next ten years .
The Strategic Health Services Plan is due to be published online mid July at www . bopdhb . govt . nz
Live well Dr Neil de Wet , Medical Officer of Health
Stay well
Dr Joe Bourne , Clinical Director of Improvement and Innovation
Get well
Dr Hugh Lees , Medical Director
Empowering our populations to live healthy lives for as long as possible is our aim . To achieve this we ’ re focusing on three major risk areas - smoking , nutrition / physical activity and housing .
We aim to work more closely with services outside health such as councils , housing and education to work through issues that may have an impact on the ability of our priority groups to manage their health .
At the same time we ’ ll continue to support all people across our region to access the right mix of health services to live healthy lives .
Improving the way the Bay ’ s health system provides care for people and their whānau closer to where they live , learn , work and play is our aim .
This is about listening to our people , focusing on what matters to them , and then bringing them the right mix of health services in the right setting .
We need to improve the way we support people to manage their health . And when more help is required , our health services need to be able to respond quickly . When people are staying well and looking after their health , we ’ re likely to see a drop in the number of patients needing hospital treatment .
Ensuring our hospital services are patient-centred , well connected to community based health services and focused on delivering care that enables our patients to return home as quickly as possible is our aim .
Providing coordinated follow up care in the community is pivotal to ensuring our patients get well .
Our progress will be monitored through patient feedback , and how long people stay in hospital .