From this week, the existing Clinical Team co-ordinator nurses are transitioning to the new PAR team, which will run under a 24/7 model.
The Dunedin PAR is a nurse-led team managed from within Te Puna Wai Ora Southern Critical Care.
It is made up of seven clinical nurse specialists, a nurse practitioner intern and an associate charge nurse manager, and an increasing emphasis will be placed on supporting and educating ward staff in looking after acutely unwell patients.
Southern group director of operations Hamish Brown said the development of the team was extremely positive.
"The PAR team is a hands-on role, supporting and educating, but also providing early escalation to definitive care for deteriorating patients," Mr Brown said.
"The PAR team will also ensure that patients that have been discharged from [the] Intensive Care Unit remain on the right trajectory to keep getting better."
Southern chief nursing and midwifery officer Jane Wilson said the PAR team would mean more support for staff to deliver more timely, appropriate care.
"Above all else, this initiative is about making it safer for patients in our care, and there is no other priority more important than that."
Patient at Risk associate charge nurse manager Rod Bowen said "there is a great team of staff in the wards, and we want to work with them to improve our hospital’s recognition and response to patients that are at risk of deteriorating."
"Deteriorating patient response teams have been shown to save lives and reduce the time to definitive and appropriate care for patients, and it is our hope that our PAR team will do exactly that here in our hospital," Mr Bowen said.
Southern is also working towards implementing the national Kōrero Mai (Talk to Me) Project that has been designed to help patients and their families and whānau get the help they need if they feel concerned about a change in a patient’s condition.
Mr Bowen said whānau would be able to call the PAR team in, and "we are really excited that we can empower our patients and their families to have a voice in their care".
A PAR team will also be established at Southland Hospital this year.
