COMMISSIONER’S REPORT
July 2016
Over the past month, we have been catching up with staff, patients and our communities, as we reflect on our year as a Commissioner team.
As was articulated in our "Owning our Future" plan Click here, our focus has been on addressing some immediate goals - such as improving our financial performance and our delivery against health targets - while putting in place some of the building blocks needed to build a resilient sustainable health care system that meets the needs of our district and is patient centred.
This has included our major community and staff engagement programme, enabling us to develop a shared set of values Click here, and identify those priorities that will make the greatest difference to patients Click here and staff Click here. We are pleased to see teams from across the DHB exploring how these values and priorities can be incorporated into their work, and we look forward to reporting back on these initiatives in future updates.
Meanwhile, we are delighted to share exciting developments in delivering a patient-centred health care system that provides care closer to home. We are also seeing good progress in our programmes of work which will improve our physical facilities both immediately and in the longer term to see short and long term improvements in our hospital facilities, and are pleased to update you on these.
But firstly I would like to acknowledge the contribution of our Chief Executive Officer, Carole Heatly, whose recent resignation I have accepted with regret. Carole has led the DHB since March 2012, and has made a significant contribution across a range of areas in this time. The Commissioner team has appreciated Carole's commitment to our Owning our Future plan, and her deep and genuine concern for ensuring that patients are at the centre of the services we provide. Carole will be working at Southern DHB until 31 August and we wish her the very best for her future.
Investment in telehealth to help avoid unnecessary travel
Following successful examples of its use, the Commissioner team has approved a $500k investment in telehealth across the district to provide more accessible consultations for patients in rural communities.
Telehealth involves the use of IT and video technology to enable hospital specialists in city offices to consult with patients and general practice staff in remote localities via a confidential, secure video link. The convenience has the potential to save patients many hours of travel that in the past could have seen them making long round-trips from their rural homes.
WellSouth PHO has already successfully completed clinics from its Dunedin office with the Lawrence Medical Centre, and a further pilot is due to take place in Stewart Island.
Clinical Pharmacy
Southern DHB has also funded WellSouth Primary Health Network to employ additional clinical pharmacists to work with general practices to assist high-risk patients to self-manage their long-term conditions.
Evidence has shown that clinical pharmacists can reduce medicine-related harm and reduce inappropriate medicines use, especially for patients over 65 years of age who use four or more medications.
The contract value is $1.7 million for three years, and has the potential to provide important support for those managing their conditions in a community setting.
Patient health records more easily accessible to clinicians
At the end of July, the implementation of the IT systems Health Connect South and Health One will have begun to be rolled out, representing a major and long-awaited breakthrough in delivering seamless health care.
The systems enable patients’ entire health records to be visible to clinicians, so any clinician, whether in primary or secondary care, can access a patient’s medical history during any stage of their treatment. For clinicians, this means a fuller understanding of relevant issues that may inform their course of treatment. And for patients, it means less need to repeat oneself, or rely on remembering past issues and results.
Patients can ask for all or specific areas of their records to be restricted, but are advised to seek guidance from their GP before doing so.
ICU/HDU business case approved
We made an important step towards the upgrade of our critical care facilities this month, with the business case and funding now approved by the Ministry of Health. The Critical Care Unit involves refurbishing the Intensive Care Unit and co-locating it with two High Dependency Units. The modern, fit-for-purposes Unit will house eight intensive care beds and 10 high dependency beds, with the potential for further beds to be added over time.
The Ministry’s approval clears the way for physical work to begin in August, and the facility is expected to be completed by early next year.
Planning for Dunedin Hospital redevelopment
Looking ahead to the wider redevelopment works for Dunedin Hospital, the Southern Partnership Group has now released the Strategic Services Plan, which is the first formal document completed as part of the redevelopment of Dunedin Hospital.
The Strategic Services Plan looks at Southern DHB’s future population and demographic forecasts, and considers challenges and potential solutions at a high level. The document is intended to help us understand the future health needs of the Southern region and help shape what future health services and the future hospital needs to look like.
Staff, clinicians and management at Southern DHB have made a significant contribution to the development of the Strategic Services Plan and will continue to have the opportunity to be fully engaged in the redevelopment process.
A copy of the Strategic Services Plan is available here
Southland Education centre to open
In August 2016, Southland Hospital will open its purpose-built education centre on the top level of the former dining room/kitchen facility. Staff will move in after the centre has been blessed in early August, and an official opening will be held in the coming months.
Designed to support a range of collaborative, inter-professional opportunities, the facility includes simulation suites, lecture spaces, video-conference facilities and consultation rooms, and a dedicated skills lab for training a range of practical skills such as intravenous therapy. As well as benefitting staff from across the hospital, the space will also be available for other health organisations and community groups that may wish to make use of these facilities.
Key Reports
The reports from our meetings are available Click here
Feedback
If you have any comments or questions for the Commissioner team, please contact us via Kate Lilley, kate.lilley@southerndhb.govt.nz. Your feedback is noted and appreciated.