Central Region's programmes of work

Central Region Equity Framework

The Central Region DHBs have developed an Equity Framework to promote equity of health outcomes for everyone receiving health services in the region. The framework provides guidance for all Central Region's programmes of work. 

Priority programmes for 2020-2021 

Single System of Care

The purpose of this programme is to establish a regional approach to deliver a single system for planned care (recognising equity for Māori as a priority). Phase one of this programme is to prototype a system for adult orthopaedics that can be expanded to other specialties.

Key principles for development of a Single System of Care are:

Patient-centred: A patient-centred approach that informs and empowers patients and whānau to make informed decisions and participate positively in their own care journey. 

Improve equity: Actively identify the drivers of inequity and modify care systems to improve equity of outcomes in relation to ethnicity, living circumstances and location. 

Quality and safety: Ensure clinical structures, systems and workforce deliver consistent quality with low levels of avoidable variation and adverse events. 

Sustainability and efficiency: Advise on changes to improve sustainability and efficiency of clinical systems within each DHB and across the Central Region. 

Whole system responsibility: Assess and contribute to linkages that relate to the development of other single systems of care within the region. 

For more information, contact:

Sam Valentine
Service Development Manager
Email: Sam.Valentine@tas.health.nz    

Sustainable Complex (Tertiary) Services

The purpose of the Sustainable Complex (Tertiary) Services programme is to identify and implement a pathway to ensure clinical and financially sustainable delivery of complex (tertiary) services. 

For more information, contact:

Sam Valentine
Service Development Manager
Email: Sam.Valentine@tas.health.nz

Specialist Mental Health & Addiction Services

The purpose of the Specialist Mental Health and Addiction programme is to establish a regional system of care for specialist mental health and addiction service delivery that ensures access, equity and the best possible outcomes for the regional population (recognising equity for Māori as a priority). 

For more information, contact:

Sam Valentine
Service Development Manager
Sam.Valentine@tas.health.nz 

Sustainable Cardiac Services

The Cardiac Network aims to enhance the integration of cardiac services by:

• reducing service inefficiencies and inequalities
• improving equity of access and quality of services
• ensuring service sustainability, both clinical and financial
• providing opportunities for innovation and shared learning
• influencing policy decisions at a national level for cardiac issues
  
  This will be achieved by:
  
  
• implementing the NZ Expected Clinical Standards
• performance indicator reporting
• reporting on acute coronary syndrome ANZACS QI
• implementing the Echocardiography Workforce Action Plan
• implementing the Cardiac Health Services Plan
  
  For more information, contact:
  
  Jeanine Corke
  Manager, Planning and Improvement
  Mobile: 027 703 2962
  Email: Jeanine.Corke@tas.health.nz

Age-related Frailty/Health of Older People

The purpose of the Age-related Frailty/Health of Older People programme is to promote integrated models of care for older people that ensures access, equity and the best possible outcomes for the region's population, recognising equity for Māori as a priority.

For more information, contact:

Kendra Sanders
Planning and Improvement Manager
Email: Kendra.Sanders@tas.health.nz

Other programmes of work

Major trauma

The Central Region Trauma Network is responsible for developing a contemporary and efficient system, to enable severely injured people throughout the region to access the specialist care they need.

This work covers pre-hospital emergency services, hospitals (both initial and definitive care), and rehabilitation services.

Current priority areas include:

• Ensuring patients are taken to the most appropriate hospital to manage their injuries
• Standardising hospital major trauma guidelines to ensure they reflect international best practice
• Working to develop efficient inter-hospital transfer arrangements
• Gathering and entering data to the New Zealand Major Trauma Registry, and using this information to help improve patient care.

For more information, contact:

Kendra Sanders
Planning and Improvement Manager
Email: Kendra.Sanders@tas.health.nz 

Radiology

Programme aims

The radiology programme aims to:

Implement a model of delivery that uses resources effectively and addresses equity issues across the region;

Address radiology workforce vulnerability by adopting a regional approach;

Progress the implementation of digital enablers including Regional Radiology Information Systems (RRIS); and

Achieve quality and develop capability across the whole health system including in community-referred radiology.

Regional Radiology Steering Group

The radiology work programme is overseen by the Regional Radiology Steering Group which:

Formulates the appropriate radiology services and structure required;

Steers initiatives to manage the challenges of growth in demand and changes in clinical services; and

Advocates for an appropriate approach to workforce supply to provide sustainable services.

For more information, contact:

Jeanine Corke
Planning and Improvement Manager
Email: Jeanine.Corke@tas.health.nz

Stroke

The regional programme for stroke is supported by the Central Region Stroke Network, which implements evidence-based interventions to reduce the burden of stroke.

This part of their work is based on the Australian Clinical Guidelines for Stroke Management 2017.

The regional programme for stroke currently focuses on:

• the implementation of a regional stroke clot retrieval service to improve equity of access and outcomes
• working regionally and collaboratively to help DHBs ensure stroke patients have access to organised acute and rehabilitation stroke services
• continuing to work across primary, community and secondary services to improve linkages to improve primary stroke prevention, and promotion of assessment and diagnostic tools in primary care.

For more information, contact:

Stephanie Calder
Director, Regional Programmes
Phone: 04 802 0510
Mobile: 021 237 5313
Email: Stephanie.Calder@tas.health.nz

Child Wellbeing

Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy (SUDI) prevention

The Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy (SUDI) regional programme builds on the work of the Ministry of Health and SUDI prevention champions in the health sector, to make ‘every sleep a safe sleep for babies’. Evidence informs the programme and it has been identified that two crucial, modifiable risk factors need to be addressed:

* Second-hand tobacco smoke exposure in pregnancy

* Shared sleeping surfaces between infants and others

These risk factors combined lead to a 32-fold increased risk of SUDI occurring (Mitchell, Thompson, Zuccollo, MacFarlane, Taylor, Elder, Stewart, Percival, Baker, McDonald, Lawton, Schlaud, & Fleming, 2017).

Supporting the Central Region initiative, there is a national SUDI prevention coordination programme. It provides research and resources to help share the messages of SUDI prevention.

Hapai works with the wider government sector to reduce the significant impact on whānau from SUDI.

• To support provision of safe sleeping devices for babies who are identified as needing extra safety precautions.
• To promote and support whānau and communities to be smoke free, to ensure pēpi and tamariki are protected from second-hand smoke. 

For more information, contact:

Katie Kennedy 
Planning and Improvement Manager - Child Wellness
Email: Katie.kennedy@tas.health.nz

Well Child Tamariki Ora

The Central Region’s Well Child Tamariki Ora (WCTO) Quality Improvement Programme enhances and supports the national WCTO programme.

The national WCTO Quality Improvement Programme has three high-level goals:

• improving family/whānau experience
• improving population health
• offering best value for the health system resource.

The regional focus is on using quality improvement methodology to develop projects that lead to better outcomes for children.

TAS works in partnership with the Central Region DHBs and alongside service providers spanning the maternity and child health sector to identify, develop, and implement quality improvement goals.

This work is collaborative and finds its strength in people working and learning together.

 Quality Improvement Framework Indicator Report

TAS has redeveloped this report to provide better functionality to assist Portfolio Managers and Well Child coordinators with their planning.

The report now includes an interactive dashboard which shows trends for both current and past data. It provides the following information:

• A longitudinal view of data
• Trend data by indicator and ethnicity for the DHB
• Identification of variations and opportunities for improvements
• Easier DHB or regional comparisons

 
For more information, contact:

Katie Kennedy
Planning and Improvement Manager - Child Wellness
Email: Katie.kennedy@tas.health.nz

Breastfeeding Across Aotearoa

This report provides an overview of specific breastfeeding intervention programmes across Aotearoa.

We spoke with programme providers directly, and have outlined the theory for improving breastfeeding rates, how the programme is implemented and how it works for Māori. Information is also provided on how users can access the service as well as any data supporting its effectiveness.

The report will be useful for Maternity and Child Health Leaders and Portfolio Managers, as well as Māori and Pacific leaders and health professionals who want to increase breastfeeding uptake in their regions.