Connect+ December 2016

A COUNTIES MANUKAU HEALTH PUBLICATION | DECEMBER 2016

In this issue FAREWELL FROM LEE MATHIAS

PAGE 2

MANGERE COMMUNITY CENTRE HELPS SHAPE SOCIAL INVESTMENT APPROACH PAGE 6 SNAPSHOT 2016

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Contents DECEMBER 2016 1

From the CEO

2

Farewell from Lee Mathias CMDHB Chair (outgoing)

3

The power of kindness Ben’s story

3

Patient, whaanau feedback

4

Paataka Place opens 2017

5

Improving the patient experience

6

Mangere community helps shape Social Investment Approach

7

New services great news for Franklin Locality

8

Mindfulness techniques for a more stressfree Christmas

8

Staff Christmas Plans

9

Livilea’s our El Santa

10

Essential new space for staff and community wide use

11

Snapshot 2016

13

Quality Accounts – hot off the press

13

Mid winter plays a role

14

Patient Safety Bright spot winner

15

Round the Bays

15

Time to dust off that backyard grill...

It’s barbecue season!

COVER PHOTO: Nothing beats eating a juicy, crisp apple on a summer’s day. Photo taken at the Mangere Markets

FROM THE CEO This will be the final issue of Connect+ for the year and while the year has raced by I’m so impressed with how much we have packed into 2016 and what we have achieved.

Year after year, we continue to be one of the best performing DHB’s in the country, and 2016 is right up there with the best. This was shown in our health targets, our collaborative campaigns and quality improvement initiatives, and the continued efforts of our staff who work on the front line each and every day.

However, I believe the real secret of our success is in our team spirit, our values and our diversity. Over the past year, there has been a real openness to work with colleagues across the health system and the social sector to make a real difference to people’s lives. I’ve seen a real honesty from people in that we can’t solve our healthcare problems alone and an unwavering commitment to achieving our vision of health equity, so that people living in our community, young and old, can have a fair and equal chance in life to be healthy, happy and well.

This journey is not an easy one, but if I know anything about the people who work here and our partners, we are not one to back down from a cause we truly believe in. It’s the reason we come to work each day, and it’s the reason some of us took up health as a career. What is going to help us achieve our goal, is our Healthy Together Strategy that will provide us with a road map or series of steps to help us reach our end destination. While we may veer off the path from time to time, or reassess where we are heading we will continue to keep our end goal in sight.

I’ve really enjoyed working with you this year. Please enjoy this issue of Connect+. It’s a testament of all of your hard work and a valuable reminder that I’m really lucky to be working alongside an amazing group of people.

If you are taking a break to spend time with family this Christmas, stay safe and well. If you are working over Christmas, please make sure you take some time away early next year.

Once again many thanks for a great year.

Connect+ is produced by Counties Manukau Health. If you have something to share or would like Connect + delivered straight to your inbox please contact communications@middlemore.co.nz Sign up to our eUpdate at eepurl.com/bWGr0z EDITOR IN CHIEF: Janet Haley | EDITOR: Stacy Superfine

Geraint Martin Chief Executive

BY: LEE MATHIAS

Farewell From

Lee Mathias Unfortunately my term at Counties Manukau District Health Board has come to an end. This provides an opportunity for me to reflect on all we have achieved and all that there is still left to do. Over the past three years, I have been delighted to be given the opportunity to support the leadership team – that is what good governance is all about.

CMDHB Chair (Outgoing)

CM Health, under Geraint Martin’s leadership, has demonstrated that transformational change can be undertaken, in a planned and orderly way, even in the most challenging of environments. Our population present with a never ending demand on services in extraordinarily complex situations. This has the effect of galvanising all of those who work at CM Health to serve our community, to be excellent and kind.

The transformation, from the Best in Australasia to Healthy Together 2020, seeks to support our population to experience the health they deserve, know what good health looks like, and through our professional support and their own participation, live every day in their community healthier than the one prior.

The future focus will be on attaining and maintaining a stable positive health status, which will be underpinned by sustainable access to relevant technology by the health professionals charged with this care. Much of the activity for chronic disease and those people who are at risk is undertaken in the community through our localities. It is my observation that the focus of care for diabetes services, one of our biggest services, is now in the community. For that you can be very proud.

This is the way of the future. No longer will the 20th century model, underpinned by medical interventions, be the default model for healthcare services. CM Health will continue to question and seek out confirmation from the literature and change models of care which give the health outcomes desired by patients.

These are the characteristics of 21st century healthcare.

The culture at CM Health is strong. Stick to your resolve to be leaders and change-makers serving your community; you do it well and deserve all the recognition given. I am proud of what has been achieved and will continue to take an active interest in the transformation as it continues.

COUNTIES MANUKAU HEALTH | 2

BY SUSANA SUISUIKI

The Power of Kindness: Ben’s story If you have ever wandered around the staircases at Middlemore Hospital, chances are you would have seen a guy trekking up and down in gear best suited for a hike up the mountains. House Officer Benjamin or Ben as he prefers decided to participate in the annual Westpac Helicopter Rescue Run after being approached by a friend. Realising the impact he would make by getting behind the cause.

Ben began his journey of climbing the stairs to the height of Mount Taranaki carrying with him a donation box and setting himself a personal goal to get fit for the event.

The Westpac Helicopter Rescue Run is held every year where teams of six undergo several courses that simulate earthquakes, floods and car pile-ups. It’s definitely not a course for the

faint hearted but it hasn’t put Ben off, in fact he is excited and is grateful to everyone who have given their support and donated to his bucket while climbing the stairs.

Ben definitely believes that the efforts of his team and their bold decision to take part in the event has been fuelled by kindness, one of the organisation values of Counties Manukau Health.

“Kindness for me is having empathy and recognising other people’s wants and needs without them having to say anything. It’s also doing something for someone else to make them feel better.”

PATIENT PATIENT WHAANAU WHAANAU FEEDBACK

k c a b d fee Friendly, polite, develops relationships and trust. There was a nurse who was exceptional and deserved a 10 out of 10 for her compassion, time spent explaining treatment and reassuring us that we were her top priority.

Smiles, welcoming, approachable, introduces self. Every staff member that came in to my room introduced themselves and explained what was going on and what they were going to be doing at the same time as keeping me calm and relaxed.

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From the bottom of our hearts we want to thank you all so much for looking after our daughter. Having a child in NICU is not an easy thing and having to leave our baby at night is very hard, but thanks to you all for looking after her with professionalism and care helped us know that she is in the best hands and made it a lot easier. Thank you for welcoming us every morning with smiles and updates on our baby, answering all our questions, queries and concerns, helping us to understand the medical terms used, all your tips and advice and basically making our days spent at the hospital just that much easier. Our daughter is going to grow up to be a strong, beautiful girl and thank you to you all for helping her after she was brought into the world so much earlier than expected.

With lots of love (and kisses) Born August 2016 Discharged from Middlemore November 2016

BY JANET HALEY

Artists impression of Paataka Place

Paataka Place

Opens 2017 P R O P O S E D

Middlemore Hospital Retail 100 Hospital Road Papatoetoe, 2025

If you missed it, there’s a definite buzz in the air as we get closer to opening our new retail area called *Paataka Place in February 2017. With less than two months to go, the finishing touches are underway and the tenants are making preparations to move in. These include: Fuku Sushi, Columbus Café, Federal & Wolfe, Subway, Send-a-Basket (florist) and Haumanu Pharmacy.

There is something for everyone, with a variety of tasty, affordable and healthy options available.

The Haumanu Pharmacy, will be managed in-house by our Pharmacy Department. Open seven days a week, the Pharmacy provides filling of prescriptions,

E N T R A N C E

P O R T A L

Con c ept Pe rs pe c ti v e

patient education and health advice, compliance packing of medicines, over the counter medicines, health and wellbeing products, skin and beauty and toiletries and gifts. “We are delighted to be offering quick, convenient and accessible pharmaceutical and health care to patients, staff and whaanau,” says Sanjoy Nand, Service Manager Pharmacy.

“The new space looks amazing,” says Phillip Balmer, Director Hospital Services.

“It will bring a wide range of retailers into the heart of the hospital, while enabling a vibrant new internal main street linking the Discharge Lounge, Learning Centre, retail shots and Pharmacy. There will be a shared seating area, furnished with a range of NZ designed and locally produced furniture and a separate culturally focused family/whaanau lounge area. All of our retailers have been selected with a commitment to holistic health and wellbeing in mind.”

Thanks to our Kaumatua and Kuia for gifting us the name Paataka Place. Paataka means food store or pantry.

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Food Trucks The Food trucks at Middlemore Hospital are doing a great job of keeping staff, patients and visitors fed and watered during the construction of Paataka Place. The good news is the food trucks will continue to operate over the next couple of months: Monday – Friday (10am – 2pm). The Tinman will be on site every day for your organic coffee fix (7am – 12pm).

COUNTIES MANUKAU HEALTH | 4

BY PHILLIP BALMER

Improving the Patient Experience

Staff from the Discharge Lounge get ready to welcome patients, families and visitors to the new facility

Ensuring access to acute care services is a complex issue confronting health care systems worldwide.

This can impact wait times, clinical outcomes, patient safety, effectiveness and efficiency.

To improve this journey we asked each service to consider how they can design their care processes to achieve the following objectives: 1. To deliver care that is faster, safer and more reliable 24/7; 2. To improve care transitions both within and outside the hospital particularly for those patients identified as at-risk; 3. To develop long term capability in the care delivery process that will exist 24/7 and withstand the pressure from seasonal demand fluctuations and future growth trajectories including developing and using alternative options for care delivery; 4. To strengthen leadership and team commitment to improving the patient experience; 5. To be able to access real time information to stimulate and monitor improvements in the patients acute journey.

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Excellent standards have been developed by each service to support these objectives.

However a consistent challenge has been the timely transfer from ED to an appropriate inpatient environment where an expert team can provide specialised patient care e.g. cardiology, respiratory, General Surgery, and Orthopaedic wards. We have therefore made it a priority to ensure we achieve ongoing and significant improvements in timeliness of admissions through achieving timeliness of discharge, within our current resourced bed budget. We are grateful for the support of clinical teams who have responded to this goal and as a result we have seen significant improvements in these two key areas.

One of the key contributors of this success has been the expanded scope and role of the Discharge Lounge. We have recently relocated the Discharge Lounge to a more conducive environment on the ground floor of the Edmund Hillary Building. We believe this will be an excellent place for patients and their family to wait and receive support and advice prior to going home. The Lounge, which is walking distance to the shops, pharmacy and main entrance of the Hospital also includes a Learning Centre, where patients and families have access to health information.

BY SARAH BADDELEY

Mangere Community HELPS SHAPE SOCIAL INVESTMENT APPROACH

The South Auckland Social Investment Board (SIB), of which CM Health CEO Geraint Martin is a member, is well underway tasked with making collective decisions about target support to deliver better outcomes for young people. The first focus will be on Mangere where close to 1,500 at-risk children and their families live.

Connect magazine talked to Peter Sykes from the Mangere East Family Service about what the SIB approach might mean for him and the Mangere community.

CONNECT: Peter – why are you involved in the work of the SIB? PETER: South Auckland has a young, diverse and growing population, and strong community networks. In Mangere, we see some really complicated social issues that are difficult to shift. Old solutions have failed and I am keen to engage in any process that puts the needs of the local community first in shaping better outcomes for our young people.

CONNECT: What is your role?

PETER: I’ve been asked by Sandra Alofivae, the Independent Chair of the Board, to facilitate discussions with our community about the needs of their whaanau/fanau. This includes the tough issues like family violence, housing tenancy, and drug and alcohol addiction. All aimed at starting to address how that first car in the drive provides a better initial assessment to provide support and wraparound for our families. This has got to be on behalf of all government services.

Establish common work practises. Find a common language.

CONNECT: What can we, as health providers, learn from this process?

PETER: Health can sometimes be at the bottom of the cliff. The insights from the work might mean we can turn the dial earlier on. In early childhood education where learning might be impacted by hearing problems. In our justice sector where access to drug and alcohol services might be improved and prevent people from going down some bad paths when they feel they have no choice. None of the issues are straightforward from a health lens or any other. That’s why we need each other. We have to stop the silos and talking past each other.

CONNECT: What would good look like for you?

PETER: Seeing our young people and their families live healthy happy lives. Achieve their potential. Get an education, get a good job, and raise healthy happy kids. We have that here in our community now but I would like to see it as more attainable, more supported, and achieved faster by more whaanau.

More information on the SIB work can be found under “Our Work” on www.ssc.govt.nz

COUNTIES MANUKAU HEALTH | 6

BY CHRISTINE DENNIS

NEW SERVICES GREAT NEWS FOR

Franklin Locality

Meet the Franklin team: From Left to Right: Robyn Prendergast – CHA, Kirsten Neil – Coordinator, Helen Miller – CHA, Louise Postles – CHA and Suzanne Avison – CHA. Absent Tina Gilroy – CHA

016 was an action packed year for the Franklin locality, with more positive changes to look forward to in the New Year.

The CM Health Community Integration plan aims to deliver services closer to where patients live and work.

This year saw the development of a ‘reablement’ capability in the team, addition of five Community Health Assistants (CHAs) and a new Community Health Assistant Coordinator.

Operations Manager Franklin Locality Community Team, Michelle McRobbie says it’s been all go this year and she’s particularly excited about the development of the reablement capability.

“Reablement is all about helping people to regain their independence after a period of illness or injury and may require a variety of clinical skills, such as, occupational therapy. At its heart, it’s about establishing the patient’s goals. These become the main drivers to recovery and motivation, as well as

7 | CONNECT + DECEMBER 2016

progress measures for the reablement team. As part of our capability building, we have trained more clinicians and changed rosters so patients build a relationship with their team. We also hold a weekly reablement peer review,” said Michelle.

The reablement programme is designed to improve the patient’s quality of life and help them avoid hospital admissions. It is for six weeks or less depending on need and support workers can visit up to four times a day if required. It’s all about giving the patient confidence to do things for themselves.

Looking to 2017, Franklin Locality will actively promote the reablement programme to GP Practices to show the variety of support options available to enable them to recover at home. As well as building stronger relationships with local practices, there will be more reablement staff training as required.

Allied Section Head and Occupational Therapist Annabel Williams says having the CHAs has made a huge difference to

the delivery of reablement services and it’s been exciting to see the team grow.

“With everyone on board, we have been able to deliver a broader range of supports and interventions and it’s improved our responsiveness dramatically” she said.

Franklin locality is the largest of the four CM Health Localities in terms of geographical area. It extends from the Hunua Ranges in the North to Waikeratu in the South, and from the Sunset coast to the Seabird coast, from Port Waikato to Kaiaua. Although predominantly rural, Franklin includes the towns of Pukekohe, Tuakau, Waiuku, and Pokeno.

BY RUTH LARSEN

Techniques for a more stressfree Christmas Christmas is knocking at the door. The decorations are up in the malls and workplaces, and CM Health staff will soon be hurled into the festive season.

We all know this time of year can be stressful. As healthcare professionals we will deal with an increase in numbers of visitors to our emergency services.

It will be busy at work and at home.

There may be tense family encounters and an ever growing to-do list – ranging from detangling the Christmas lights that we just didn’t have the energy to put away properly last year, to buying a well-considered secret Santa gift for the

colleague who only started last week.

There are tools CM Health staff can use to help at this time. Connect spoke to Dr Jo Soldan, clinical health psychologist, and mindfulness teacher co-facilitating Mindfulness Based Resilience at Work in Ko Awatea, to get some insights into fostering better mental health this Christmas.

“It is important to remember that mindfulness is not in itself a stress relieving tool, rather a way of training the mind that is associated with a reduction in stress”, Dr Soldan says.

Mindfulness is about learning to focus our attention on the present, rather than the past and future, and it is also about being with what is rather than how we wish it was, she explains.

“If we can do both these more, it is likely to make our Christmas happier and less stressful,” she says.

Dr Soldan says bringing attention to the present could be as simple as focusing on the happiness on a child’s face as that child opens a present, or the taste of Pavlova, rather than thinking about a long list of things to do.

Learning acceptance is also critical in mindfulness, she says.

“Christmas – that magical happy family scene with a beautiful spread of food – may not be a reality. If we cling to our expectation it can lead to disappointment, stress and unhappiness.”

Dr Soldan suggests the following short practice this Christmas: “Take a mindful break. Bring yourself back to the present occasionally by just focusing on three things you can sense, then turn your attention back to what is happening around you.

“It might just anchor you back into Christmas rather than spending the holiday in the world of your thoughts.”

In Mindfulness Based Resilience at Work employees learn mindfulness together for four weeks. For more information go to www.koawatea.co.nz/ mindfulness-based-resilience-at-work

Staff Christmas Plans

PENNY PEART, MDM DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR “We’re heading away to Taupo for Christmas this year, having a traditional Kiwi Christmas at the bach with family for a bit of fun in the sun!”

LYNLEY HURST, CLINICAL NURSE MANAGER “Christmas is a time for giving and bringing joy. This year to bring in the Christmas spirit I’m wearing my Christmas hat and lights which always brings the patients a bit of joy!”

JEAN HEADLAND- FACILITIES COORDINATOR MSC “This year we’re going to be doing Christmas the traditional way, just like last year. The grandkids loved it! We are all given a $20 limit to go out and purchase supplies to make gifts for each other. We were so proud of the creativity we saw in the children last year; they created all sorts of things.

We are trying to show them that it’s not what you get or what you desireit’s about spending time with family.”

COUNTIES MANUKAU HEALTH | 8

BY DAVID KEMEYS

Livilea’s El Santa

our

The beautiful little girl under the sombrero is proof the help the Middlemore Foundation gets makes a difference.

You could be forgiven for thinking you’ve seen Livilea Ulaga before, since she is the same little girl on the Foundation’s posters and pamphlets around the hospital.

Liv has been a fixture at Kidz First Children’s Hospital since she was born, and mum Rebecca Wood was delighted to have her feature in the Foundations 2016 Christmas appeal.

“I don’t think there is anything we wouldn’t do to help Kidz First,” she says. Rebecca and Liv are asking

How to help...

To donate visit www.middlemore foundation.org.nz Trade in your Secret Santa and instead send the Middlemore Foundation a book.

Donate a small gift – teenagers are a nightmare for the foundation.

If it smells it rocks!

9 | CONNECT + DECEMBER 2016

everyone to show a little kindness this Christmas by donating to the Kidz First appeal.

“Everyone can do something,” Rebecca says.

When her daughter had surgery for holes in her heart she was left with circulatory problems in her legs.

Since then Livilea, who is autistic, has been under the care of Kidz First. She also became the face of the Foundation, and Rebecca says her daughter loves seeing herself on posters during her regular visits to Kidz First.

“The staff are like family, so we were delighted to have Liv on posters.

Visiting is a big part of our lives, there are even people who remember bathing Liv when she was a baby.”

Liv works on her speech and movement with therapists, and also

sees paediatricians and her friends in the play room. “When Liv was born there was a bit of doom and gloom but I knew she would prove them all wrong,” Rebecca says.

Now at school, Liv is doing well.

“So many people have helped us.

We don’t have lots of money, but everyone can give something. If a hundred people give you a dollar, that’s still $100. It adds up.”

This year Rebecca’s family is replacing Christmas gifts with a donation to Kidz First. “If we donate, we can help lots of kids.”

Some days, Rebecca admits, can be a nightmare. “But every parent has those days. I don’t buy into all that ‘woe is me’ stuff. Liv has her issues, but I’m blessed. Things could be much worse. If you treasure your babies they will grow up to treasure their own.”

Our thanks to you all

You can still help

The Middlemore Foundation gets lots of support from organisations and people – many of them part of the CMDHB whaanau.

We have had gifts, cash, PJs, smellies, toys, you name it.

Others have pointed clubs they are members of in our direction.

Those who shall remain nameless even cycled their way into hospital to raise cash for us!

We couldn’t do it without you, so thanks for all the support.

Every year Fun Fest takes place.

It’s a free carnival event designed to take the pressure off parents at school holiday time. Think the Easter Show, but free. There are fairground games that people pay for (they all win) and it’s a major fund-raiser for the Foundation.

Because Fun Fest goes for five days – Jan 11-15 – the Foundation needs a mountain of volunteers to staff it all. If you have a morning, an afternoon, a day or even more, contact charlene.colling@ middlemore.co.nz We’d love to have you along.

BY BARBARA BRUCHERT

Artist’s impression of the Ko Awatea Extension

Essential new space for staff and community wide use Over the last five years Ko Awatea has established itself as a hub of education, improvement and innovation, supporting health systems and public services.

Each day around 750 staff, students, stakeholders, consumers, whaanau and visitors come to Ko Awatea to collaborate on projects, share, train and learn.

To ensure we continue to meet the growing demand and provide services that help support our staff, patients, whaanau, the wider community and visitors, Ko Awatea is expanding. This means additional visitor car parks, improved access to flexible teaching and learning spaces, a lecture theatre for organisation and community wide use, a dedicated area for engagement of patient and whaanau centred initiatives and

increased access for CM Health staff for learning and development. Construction will start early December and new car park spaces will be available from early next year.

“We have closely engaged with patients, whaanau and other stakeholders to design spaces that reflect our wider community needs. The facility itself is just an enabler in the future of Ko Awatea, Counties Manukau Health and the functions we play for the communities we serve,” adds Jonathon Gray, Director of Ko Awatea.

Ko Awatea’s extension has been

formalised against tight fiscal constraints.

A limited budget, capital funded from a specifically established capital facility for the project is in place with Ko Awatea absorbing any incremental costs.

To find out more about Ko Awatea’s Extension project, visit http://koawatea.co.nz/ko-awateacentre/ko-awatea-extension/ If you would like to provide feedback or be involved in the Extension, please contact Braedon Makgill on braedon.makgill@middlemore.co.nz

COUNTIES MANUKAU HEALTH | 10

2016 was an action packed year. Below is a taste of some of our milestones...

FEBRUARY PARRIS GOEBEL TEAMS UP WITH CM HEALTH Award winning choreographer Parris Goebel, teamed up with CM Health to encourage visitors and patients to stop smoking outside our hospital. Parris is proud to call South Auckland home and she is determined to see her community becoming smokefree.

“Think before you light up and together, we can clear the air. I don’t want to walk in someone else’s dirty smoke, especially not outside the hospital!”

SAFE HANDS CAMPAIGN “Safe Hands” prompted us all to do what we know is the best way of preventing hospital-acquired infections by cleaning our hands immediately before and after patient contact, procedures or contact with patients’ environment.

APRIL THE GRANNY TEST In April, 17 independent health auditors assessed our performance against the Health and Disability Sector Standards (Certification). For a large, complex and busy DHB we received a great result.

NEW DIALYSIS UNIT OPENS Health Minister Dr Jonathan Coleman opened the new Toto Ora Dialysis Unit in Mangere, Auckland.

“This is the first dialysis centre of its kind in New Zealand with Counties Manukau DHB partnering with international specialist provider Diaverum,” says Dr Coleman.

A large number of staff attended the 2016 Nursing and Midwifery Awards.

Congratulations to all of our winners.

VOLUNTEERS AWARD Congratulations to the Rainbow Volunteer Team at Middlemore Hospital – winner of Outstanding Achievement Award at the recent Ministry of Health Volunteer Awards.

JUNE PASIFIKA WEEK This year marked the fourth Pasifika Week at CM Health. Counties Manukau is home to a large Pacific population and Pasifika Week aims to raise awareness of the issues that impact the health of our Pacific communities.

MATARIKI 2016 This year we celebrated Matariki with promotions for Safe Sleep for Pepi, breast-feeding support, and smoking cessation for a smokefree whaanau, whare and waka.

MARCH MEDICAL STAFF VOLUNTEER TO HELP FIJI Staff from Middlemore Hospital were amongst a team of New Zealand medical volunteers helping with relief efforts for Fiji, affected by Cyclone Winston.

PATIENT EXPERIENCE WEEK CM Health celebrated Patient Experience week with a range of activities focused on the theme of communication.

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MAY NURSING AND MIDWIFERY AWARDS WINNERS

JULY TELEHEALTH CONNECTS CM HEALTH WITH SAMOA Counties Manukau Health teamed up with the Samoa National Health Service to use video conferencing to get support from clinicians for specialist treatment.

BY JANET HALEY

being the first in NZ for exceeding the smoking cessation target.

DOING OUR BIT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT CM Health receives CEMARS Certificate and is a finalist in 2016 NZI Sustainable Business Network Awards COMMUTE AWARDS CM Health are winners of the Match Maker Award in Auckland Transport’s 2016 Commute Awards.

AUGUST DIVERSITY BALL 2016 The CM Health Diversity Ball was proud to bring back Motown. This year we traveled back in time when the air was filled with the sounds of sweet soul music from The Temptations, The Supremes and Smokey Robinson.

APAC FORUM 1500 health and care change-makers travelled from over 30 countries to ‘explore new frontiers’ and ‘design a blueprint for a healthy future’ at this year’s APAC Forum in Sydney, Australia.

“The APAC Forum has helped us find our collective voice around healthcare innovation and improvement and this comes from the passion, commitment and determination of people coming together to make a difference,” says Geraint Martin.

SNAPPED OUT CAMPAIGN A WINNER Snapped Out wins Social Media Auckland Awards and were finalists in the Designer Institute 2016 Best Awards.

outcomes – firstly focusing on 1500 at-risk children and their families living in Mangere.

SEPTEMBER OUR 2016/17 MAAORI, PACIFIC AND ASIAN HEALTH PLANS ARE PUBLISHED NEW STATE OF THE ART LABORATORY OPENS IN THE HARLEY GRAY BUILDING CONSTRUCTION FOR THE NEW TIAHO MAI (ACUTE MENTAL HEALTH UNIT) GETS UNDERWAY

MATERNITY QUALITY AND SAFETY PROGRAMME 2015-2016 LAUNCH For several years, Counties Manukau Health (CM Health) has had an increased focus on improving the quality of maternity care provided to women living in the district.

This report covers initiatives undertaken in the past 12 months as part of continuing to implement the Maternity Quality and Safety Programme (MQSP).

NOVEMBER ALLIED HEALTH SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL CELEBRATION AND AWARDS A large group of students attend the work expo to get a taste of what it would be like to have a career in Allied Health.

Our Allied Health staff are recognised at the Allied Health Awards. It’s great to see such a diverse and talented workforce.

LET’S WALK THE TALK The theme for this year’s patient safety week, run at CM Health is ‘Let’s Walk the Talk’, which means doing what we say we will when it comes to safety, quality and experience. A range of activities were planned for the week.

NEW CHAIR AND BOARD APPOINTED CM Health farewells Dr Lee Mathias and welcomes new Chair Dr Lester Levy and a new Board.

OCTOBER

HEALTH TARGETS EXCEEDED Counties Manukau Health once again excelled in reaching and exceeding some of the most challenging National Health Targets for all population groups. This quarter saw CM Health

INTEGRATED CARE Thanks to the incredible work of our clinicians and community, more than 22,000 patients have now been reached through the ARI programme.

Every one of those patients has developed an individualised care action plan, based on their own goals and needs.

SOCIAL INVESTMENT BOARD The South Auckland Social Investment Board (SIB), which includes social, health, justice and community agencies are working together to improve

DECEMBER QUALITY ACCOUNTS ARE PUBLISHED OUR VOLUNTEERS ARE RECOGNISED ON VOLUNTEERS DAY COUNTIES MANUKAU HEALTH | 12

BY SARAH BADDELY

Mild Winter Plays a Role As summer approaches, a number of staff within CM Health have just finished examining how our health services faired over Winter.

In the 22 weeks of winter 2016, there were 48,682 presentations to our Emergency Department, Te Tari Rongoa Ohorere. Overall this was a 1.07% decrease on Winter 2015.

“It’s never a straightforward thing, but lower levels of influenza and associated complications might be able to be attributed to the milder weather” said Vanessa Thornton Clinical Director of Middlemore Hospital’s Emergency Department.

Adults coming to the Emergency Department without first consulting with a GP or talking to Healthline continue to be a challenging area with a steady increase by 8% from winter 2014 to winter 2016.

However, chest pain, shortness of breath, and abdominal pain

continue to be main source of complaint – confirming that the majority of people presenting to the Emergency Department are doing so for the right reasons.

“We do need to support those in our community who are experiencing these kinds of urgent and serious health issues, particularly chest pain, to ring 111” says Vanessa Thornton.

There was a notable drop in the number of children presenting to the Emergency Department, with an average number of 72 children which was down from 81 for the same period in winter the year prior.

Overall, the Winter Wellness communications campaign helped people know where to best access care, including the Healthline although there was some variance across our localities and our population.

People from Manukau people the most represented locality at 38% of presentations, followed by Mangere with 18%. Pacific Island continued to be the largest ethnic

QUALITY ACCOUNTS

Hot off the press

The Quality Accounts is the most important document we publish each year and that’s because it tells the story of our DHB. It highlights our commitment to evidencebased quality improvement, what improvements are needed and how the public and local communities play a part in making health services better and more responsive.

13 | CONNECT + DECEMBER 2016

Please take the time to read the Quality Accounts. It’s rich in content and includes key insights, achievements, learnings and feedback from people who use our services. Most of all it shows our commitment to achieving health equity so everyone has the same ‘life chances’ to live healthier lives. The Quality Accounts can be found online at countiesmanukauhealth.co.nz While you are there check out the Maaori, Pacific and Asian Health Plans.

group presenting to the Emergency Department with 33%, followed

by NZ Europeans at 31%. However, overall these two groups have dropped slightly in the last two years, offset by an increase in the number of our Asian community who are accessing our services.

The hospital reached capacity on nine days throughout the winter period, the same level as last year. These days most commonly occurred on a Monday or Tuesday, and the majority in the month of August.

“Great support from our primary care colleagues and moving our patients through the hospital, including being well supported on discharge, remain key factors in managing these periods of high demand for our services” said Dot McLean, General Manager Middlemore Central.

And while many will be heading to the beaches over January, the team in Middlemore Central will begin the process of preparing us for Winter 2017.

BY JANET HALEY

Anup (L) and Yardly (R)

Patient Safety: BRIGHT SPOT WINNER

“Until you spread your wings you never know how far you can fly” Meet Anup and Yardly, two very passionate and dedicated Hand Hygiene Gold Auditors, who work in the Dialysis Ward in the Scott Building. Anup and Yardly have championed hand hygiene and their hard work and perseverance has

paid off. In May their hand hygiene compliance rate was 62%. Today it is well over the national standard at 96% in quite a short time. That’s a great result considering Dialysis is a very high intensity area and patients have an increased risk for getting an infection. Just hooking up a patient to a dialysis involves many steps and many hand hygiene moments during the one procedure. Over the past

few months Anup and Yardly have been undertaking regular local Hand Hygiene audits and educating their fellow staff on Hand Hygiene. As well as education, they have also been looking into their processes and making improvements.

They both credit their success to strong support from management and a deep commitment and team work with a common focus.

COUNTIES MANUKAU HEALTH | 14

Round the Bays 2017

Come and join us at the 45th Ports of Auckland Round the Bays event on Sunday 5 March 2017.

With an emphasis on fun, the scenic course promises entertainment and surprises to cheer you on along the way - whether you're walking, jogging or running the 8.4km journey from the city along the waterfront to St Heliers Bay. Ditch those headphones and enjoy what Round the Bays has to offer!

Entries are now open so what are you waiting for? Register under Counties Manukau Health at roundthebays.co.nz

TIME TO DUST OFF THAT BACKYARD GRILL...

It’s Barbecue Season!

Around 200,000 New Zealanders get sick every year from food-borne illness or food poisoning, but simple tips can help keep people safe from bugs in food.

Before firing up the BBQ, make sure you give it a good scrub down with soap and hot water to ensure a spotless cooking surface as well as utensils. Food preparation is also key because warmer weather offers the perfect conditions for bacteria, viruses and parasites in food.

SIMPLE TIPS INCLUDE: •• Washing hands thoroughly before food handling •• Defrost any frozen foods thoroughly before cooking •• Have one set of utensils for raw meat and poultry and another for cooked foods •• Precook chicken, meat patties and sausages before going on BBQ to ensure they are thoroughly cooked through •• Don’t use the same plate to transport raw and cooked foods

•• Extra care should also be taken with any leftover food •• Refrigerate or freeze any leftovers within two hours of their preparation •• Don’t reheat leftovers more than once •• Eat leftovers within two days

Take care over the summer months. It’s a great time to enjoy the great outdoors, spend time with friends and family and be active.