Proposed Model of Care for Aotearoa New Zealand

Proposed Model of Care for New Zealand

Aims

The key aim of a National Model of Care for Chronic Pain is to improve the delivery of pain services to New Zealanders by:

• Implementing a consistent best-practice model of care to improve pain outcomes and quality of life • Provide culturally safe services, with a focus on Māori and Pacific people and their experiences with chronic pain • Develop health literate systems and services to reduce unnecessary suffering and unmet need • Deliver services so people with persistent pain can self-manage their condition, or support their children and loved ones to manage chronic pain • Deliver services that are integrated across settings, with a ‘one team’ culture to promote smooth transitions of care across paediatrics, adolescent, and adult pain services across all districts • Provide access to specialist advice to build capability in primary health care to better manage people with chronic pain • Embracing telehealth with local supports that provide equity of access to specialised services • Foster an environment of clinical excellence through supported workforce upskilling, training, and development

The model below reflects the specific requirements and nature of the New Zealand health system taking into consideration the Health and Disability System Reform. It is intended to guide planning and delivery of the services provided through the

localities and provider network model.

The key strategy pillar of the national model of care for chronic pain is the integration of services across the continuum of a person’s life stages with better access to pain specialist expertise and more focused training for localities to better understand and treat chronic pain in a community setting. This will deliver a national pathway to improve access to services, improved operational capacity, enable transdisciplinary care and services at all levels, and harness the value of peer-support and self-management of chronic pain.

The proposed changes in the service models across the care continuum for are summarised in the diagram below:

Chronic Pain | Mamaenga roa Model of Care

Specialist networks Locality-based care Peer Support Self-management

Transdisciplinary team of pain experts, providing care for highly complex pain issues and out-reach to local communities and whānau Localities and placebased care Local health professionals with pain training & access to specialists Whānau focused, patient led support Programmes and skills to put whānau in control and cope with chronic pain

Tiriti-based practices and culturally safe care

Figure 1: Mamaenga roa: Chronic Pain Model of Care

This will deliver a national pathway to improve access to services, improved operational capacity, enable transdisciplinary care and services at all levels.