Women’s Health vision and values

MARY BURR 

General Manager, Women’s Health

Over 2019/2020, we undertook extensive consultation to develop a vision and direction for the CM Health Women’s Health division. This work included surveys, face-to-face workshops, strategy meetings and written feedback.

The themes that emerged strongly were the need for increased ring-fenced funding for Women’s Health services, improved staffing to care for our women and babies, and increased equitable access to care using an individualised, culturally appropriate, woman and whaanau/fanau-centred approach to the provision of services. We heard about the need for fit-for-purpose facilities for all women’s health services, including birthing and postnatal units that support whaanau and partners staying.

Strong themes also confirmed that Women’s Health has “passionate, committed, resilient staff” who must be supported and valued.

For the important work of consumer engagement, we established a consumer group and include that group in our division planning day in October 2020. We will continue to develop this co-design pathway, drawing on close, essential relationships with women and their whaanau.

Our vision is that:

All women living in Counties Manukau have equitable access to woman-centred, compassionate, quality assured, evidence-based and culturally appropriate women’s health care in a setting that suits their needs across the course of their life.

Our values highlight the foundations that underpin all our work, under the themes of:

• whakawhanaungatanga (connection) • wairua (spirit)

• manaakitanga (kindness)

• kotahitanga (unity)

• rangatiratanga (leadership).

Our next step is to develop our strategy, which will be a living document that underpins all our activities in Women’s Health for the next 3 years.

Some of the attendees of the Celebrating Women’s Health Day, October 2020