Excellence in Leadership Improving Equity

Hato Hone St John

Team: Dave Richards, Dan Spearing, Malcolm (Makorama) Kendall, Robbie Blankenstein, Bridget Dicker, Aroha Brett, Verity Todd

Hato Hone St John is committed to providing an equitable ambulance service for our patients. Furthermore, the organisation is committed to M–aori (indigenous) health equity. To achieve this, we have created a space for M–aori leaders within the organisation to co-lead and provide guidance on important projects that aim to address health inequity. Maintaining the concept of mana Motuhake (selfdetermination) within and also outside the organisation has been and continues to be a crucial success factor. At its core, it aims to follow the needs, aspirations, thinking and knowledge of our indigenous people.

In addition, our Aka strategy (Hato Hone St John’s overarching M–aori health strategy) and Waka Manaaki Plan (delivering the key outcomes of the Aka Strategy in an ambulance context) provide a framework to ensure Ambulance Operations effectively navigates through our journey of becoming aligned to te Tiriti o Waitangi (New Zealand’s founding document), ultimately improving the quality and longevity of health for M–aori.

Projects delivered to improve M–aori cultural competency (Aka Whiri) include:

• Aka Whiri App – an interactive app designed to teach our staff M–aori language, customs and protocols.

• The entire Ambulance Operations Senior Leadership Team and a number of board members completed a full year te reo M–aori course in 2022.

Key projects delivered to improve M–aori Health Equity (Aka Matua) include:

• Waka Rongo–a – mobile wellness units with full cold chain capability to store vaccinations. These were given to two M–aori health providers to operate in rural and isolated areas to facilitate vaccination outreach.

• Whare Manaaki – a video telehealth pilot to help M–aori patients living in rural/remote areas with access issues to primary health. It comprises live video conferencing and real time transmission of vital signs taken by our ambulance officers at the patient's home to referring primary or secondary care specialists or doctors.

• Manaaki Mamao – a telehealth programme for M–aori and Pasifika with uncontrolled hypertension; designed to monitor blood pressure at home with connection via videoconference to our clinicians to provide regular guidance.

• New Waka Manaaki (ambulance) design & Hato Hone St John name and logo – honouring our uniqueness, indigenous peoples and new approach to health access via authenticity, inclusiveness and trust.

• An equity score framework that can be consistently applied to weight the impact of ambulance planning decisions on equitable patient outcomes.