The Southern District Health Board has created a role for an analyst - to be paid up to $90,000 - to help advance changes in elderly persons' care in order to keep them in the community.
The salary would be paid from a special fund of $653,000 to be used in 2011-12 for "service development" of changes designed to reduce rates of residential care, DHB finance and funding, general manager Robert Mackway-Jones said.
The extra spending would pay for itself with ensuing reductions in residential care costs, he said.
Applications close on October 6 for the new post of "health of older people portfolio analyst", who would be paid $70,000 to $90,000.
The person would work with health of older persons and disability portfolio manager Leanne Illingworth to develop the "care cluster" concept, and the community health systems needed to make them work.
A steering group would also be set up to implement the Auckland University-commissioned report, which recommended establishing the clusters to organise elderly people's care around general practices, so as keep them out of hospital and residential services.
Mr Mackway-Jones said a report on the matter would be made to November's disability support advisory committee.
Presbyterian Support Otago chief executive Gillian Bremner said when contacted she was excited work was under way on the proposals, which had been presented by Auckland University to the board in May.
"The recommendations heralded for service development in this area bring some exciting possibilities in a joined-up approach between the primary, secondary and community sectors in the support of older people to remain at home."
