Providing more help to patients with long-term conditions and supporting older persons to remain in their own homes, when that is the right place for them to be, has earned Southern health providers a top industry honour.
WellSouth Primary Health Network and Southern DHB together have earned Health Roundtable’s 2018 Whole of Health System Innovation Award, for their work to improve support to frail elderly patients and people with complex health needs.
The Southern team’s submission was chosen from among 10 health agencies around the country. It highlighted CLIC, a new long-term conditions programme for primary care, a falls and fractures prevention initiative, and the new ‘Home Team’ programme that works to bring allied health, rehab and other supports to the community or in people’s homes. The overall aim of the group of programmes is to help reduce hospitalisation, patient re-admissions and moves to residential care.
“There were many excellent initiatives presented, so this is a real endorsement of the work we are doing here to provide better support for people with complex health needs, helping them receive more care in the primary and community setting or even in their own homes, and, ultimately, reducing the need for hospital visits,” says Southern DHB, Medical Director, Primary Community and Strategy Directorate Dr Hywel Lloyd.
 1737 free text/phone number service (www.1737.org.nz) will connect you to a trained counsellor who can help if you have feelings of anxiety, helplessness or just need to talk to someone. 1737 can be reached from landline or mobile phone, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It’s designed to meet the needs of anyone who ‘wants to talk.’ |
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