Pleasing progress continues in implementing recommendations made in a clinically led review of services at Oamaru Hospital, Waitaki District Health Services Ltd chairman Chris Swann says.
Last week, the company that owns and operates the hospital announced it had approved a detailed plan to help further implement the review, which was carried out in conjunction with the Southern District Health Board last year.
The review aimed to ensure patients got the services they needed in a safe, responsive and timely manner by using resources efficiently, effectively and sustainably.
Mr Swann said South Canterbury District Health Board director of primary health partnerships and allied health Ruth Kibble, seconded to Oamaru on a short-term contract, and Oamaru Hospital interim chief executive Janice Clayton would work to implement the company's plans.
He said several key recommendations of the review were well advanced, such as the appointment of Dr Fazal Mann as the hospital's new clinical leader and rural hospital medicine specialist, identified as crucial to the shift to a rural healthcare-focused model.
``Fazal is going out now and building his team in the hospital on a recruitment basis. We have two doctors starting at the end of this month or early next month who have a rural medical background, so we're developing that generalist model.''
Another was the development of a clinical healthcare hub, aimed at keeping people well and safe in their homes as opposed to admitting them to hospital.
It was expected that would be fully implemented in ``three or four weeks''.
``What it will mean is that patients can be managed at home. You can send someone out and assess their patient care plan, so that patient can be managed at one point, at that point . . . if it's a rapid response that is required in the home, we can provide that.''
IT infrastructure at the hospital had also been upgraded. That included hardware, access to ultra-fast broadband and infrastructure to utilise the Telehealth service, which meant patients did not have to travel to Dunedin to access specialist services.
There was also a plan to introduce software so patient's records could be collated and reviewed in a single place, with a patient's consent.
