Reimagining Health Together

Mana enhancing service bringing timely care to whānau

The Ministry of Health's Digital Enablement Programme has provided the opportunity for CareHQ (a virtual GP overflow and telehealth service) to collaborate with Aceso and ProCare on UnifyHealth, a pilot which began in December 2021 and finishes in June 2022. Across 28 participating practices, UnifyHealth offers whānau seamless access to a GP by guiding them to other choices if they couldn’t get an appointment with their local practice. This online service meant whānau access timely care for their needs because the tool accesses a network of healthcare providers. UnifyHealth is a digital doorway for high needs whānau designed to carry through government subsidised co-payment rates.

If a local provider was not available, virtual consult options such as CareHQ are offered. Through this mahi, CareHQ currently provides subsidised access to telehealth for over 70,000 high needs whānau across the practices in the pilot. A suite of patient education material has been developed to improve digital health literacy so that whānau can easily use this service.

The service has been a big success with whānau especially when they needed to access care afterhours. A patient has shared their experience during practice closures over the Christmas break.

On Christmas Day, Mrs A, a 77-year-old with an incurable brain tumour was experiencing severe nerve pain under her arm after having a case of shingles. Her daughter sought help from CareHQ after they were unable to get a hold of their hospice or GP due to holiday closures. CareHQ was able to assess Mrs A at their own residence, which was important to her because it meant she avoided the need to go to an in-person emergency clinic, avoiding the risks of waiting hours and exposing herself while being in an immunosuppressed and vulnerable condition. Her medicines to treat nerve pain was arranged without delay by CareHQ leaving Mrs A with timely care that she needed.

So far, there have been over 250 virtual consults, and 63% of patients have been Māori or Pasifika. Feedback from patients and practices alike has been extremely positive. The service is available 7am to 9pm, 7 days a week. The extended hours are supported by online consultation service CareHQ.

Learn more about Virtual Consultations in the video below

Targeted local approach to vaccinating whānau

A one size fits all approach does not work in many situations, especially healthcare. Things like language, location, time and unfamiliarity can be a barrier for whānau trying to access healthcare.

This is why a partnership was formed between trusted Māori providers, Taumata Kōrero and Te Pae Herenga o Tāmaki, with ProCare. This partnership aimed to break down barriers and enter a data sharing agreement to reach vulnerable whānau and get them vaccinated against COVID-19.

Chief Executive of Papakura Marae and member of Taumata Kōrero, Tony Kake noted the efficiency and effectiveness of working together.

“The key thing here is working together locally to achieve vaccination one town at a time – Papakura then Manurewa – we’ll all have our turn. This data is accurate to a household level – we will text, phone, knock on doors to confirm if whānau want a vaccination – if they do, we’ll do it. “

Partnerships allow the collective to build trust with the community and other providers, increase transparency and unite for a shared common outcome.

The data shared not only included COVID-19 vaccination status but was also risk stratified, meaning it identified those who also have underlying health conditions which might put them at increased risk of severe complications from COVID, such as those with heart disease.

“We wanted to ensure as organisations are all working together to reach out to as many whānau as possible, as quickly as possible, to provide COVID-19 vaccination and any other support that is required. Sharing Māori vaccination data, especially that which prioritises those most at risk, really helped us put effort into helping the right people. We know this has the potential to save lives,” said Mihi Blair, ProCare’s Kaiwhakahaere Māori.

The Māori vaccination data was shared following approval from ProCare Clinical Governance Committee together with their respective general practices. The data does not include someone’s full medical history, only their COVID-19 vaccination status, which is stratified for other underlying health conditions to ensure those most at risk can be prioritised.

Walking with St Therese Church on their health journey

On Saturday 12 February, Healthy Village Action Zones (HVAZ), Diabetes Auckland, Ready Steady Quit, and the ProCare team alongside the parish nurse came together to provide free health screenings and guidance around making healthy lifestyle changes at the St Therese Catholic Church. The partnering of these organisations in a space the community knows and is comfortable in meant a range of services were provided at the convenience of whānau, saving multiple trips to various health practices.

Father Ahrul blessed the day by opening with prayer, followed by health screenings for all whānau. Nurses and health practitioners were on hand to check blood pressure, BMI, screen for diabetes, provide smoking support services and give guidance on how to start making healthy food choices.

Each person was talked through their results and what it meant. This was to give them a greater understanding of their numbers (HbA1c, BP, BMI etc), the impact on their health, and how they can make simple changes to improve it.

Masuisui Sam Partsch, HVAZ Pacific Project Coordinator says: “These programmes aren’t just about weight loss, it’s about our entire wellbeing and behaviour change. Today we started the journey with members of St Therese Catholic Church, and we will walk together towards a healthier future.”

Mums and their babies, through to grandparents, were all taking part in this event. Rosalie Su’a, spokesperson for St Therese Church says, “Thank-you all so much for your advice and encouragement. When you visit in the future, I hope we can show you the steps we’ve taken after your advice. From the bottom of our hearts, thank-you.”

About Healthy Village Action Zones (HVAZ)

HVAZ is a significant partnership programme between the Auckland District Health Board, ProCare and Pacific church communities in the Auckland District. HVAZ brings together Pacific churches from Avondale, Mt Roskill, Mt Albert, Grey Lynn, Ponsonby, Otahuhu, Onehunga, Glen Innes and Panmure. These areas have been selected due to the high numbers of Pacific people and strong networks of Pacific churches within these geographical areas.

The HVAZ Vision is a model of self-determination and community-led development that aims to support Pacific communities to develop their own solutions to their health priorities. HVAZ recognises the strengths and the passion of Pacific church communities and seeks to provide a framework that will enable better access to quality primary health care services and health promotion activities. Check out the HVAZ Facebook page here