2020 ANNUAL REPORT
EXTENDED INFORMATION
CQAB continued
The CQAB continued to meet digitally during the COVID-19
cardiovascular risk management, and in many of the areas
lockdown. During this period we dealt with a number of
relating to the way primary care communicates with the wider
matters relating to the primary care response. These
health system. This joint approach to discussion has been
included recommendation on the use of PPE by healthcare
successful and we plan to make it a more regular feature of
workers and patients, infection prevention and control
our meetings.
measures, and the approach to community assessment and testing of potential COVID-19 cases. We are also alert to the potential longer-term impacts of the pandemic, in particular in relation to mental health and the capacity of primary care to respond to the likely increased need. Communication between healthcare providers has been a regular feature on our agendas this year. We have responded to enquiries and prepared advice on the imminent demise of the fax machine and its potential replacements, changes to the way the Emergency Department communicates with primary care, and challenges and opportunities in the way laboratory tests are ordered by primary care clinicians. On several occasions this year we have invited clinical leaders from Waitaha and Christchurch PHOs to join our discussion on matters affecting the entire local primary care system, for example in discussions about the roll-out of population screening for bowel cancer, the Ministry of Health’s proposed changes to performance measurement in
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