PĀNUI
You would be hard pressed to find someone who started this year with a full kete. And yet the collective impact as everyone pulled together over the commongoal of protecting whānau and community from Omicron and other COVID-19 variants, was extremely powerful.
I observed this collective power ignite fromwhere I watched, across the ditch in Australia, as you came together - Māori and Pacific providers,general practice, pharmacy, NGO’s, and hospitals - as one health system, driven by aroha for whānau and communities.
The agility that you demonstrated then, andinnovation that you have shown over the past decade of change in primary and community, excites me about what we will collectively achieve as we continue to work together toward paeora for whānau and community.
Localities
As my Te Aka Whai Ora colleagues and I have travelled down theeast coast of Te Waipounamu this week, we have been warmly received by local Iwi and community groups such as the South Canterbury Tongan Society. I have been privileged to hear and see firsthand thecommunity-driven mahi making such a difference to local health outcomes.
One of the many points of discussion has been localities. As a form of place-based planning, the localities approach is not ‘new’. However the scale laid out in the Pae Ora legislation, which means that by July 2024 everyone in Aotearoawill be part of a locality, is new.
The power of localities is the collective impact, when a group of people come together, gain input from their communities to understand what matters most to them and agree a set of priorities to acheive community wellbeing.
These plans not only enable us as the health system to be more responsive to communities, but the place-based planning approach lays the foundation to leverage investment of other government agencies, local government and corporations, getting everyone rowing together in the same direction. Presently, there are twelve locality prototypes in place around the motu. We are working closely with these prototypesto
PRIMARYANDCOMMUNITYPARTNERSsee what works well in terms of leadership membership, community engagement methods and planning processes. What welearn together will be made available to all future localities.
The process for establishing future localitiesis also underway. As the first step, we are engaging with Iwi Māori Partnership Boards, and we hope that between now and March we will have proposed boundaries for approximately half of the motu. These proposed boundaries will be discussed with local governments from April 2023 before going to the boards of Te Whatu Ora and Te Aka Whai Ora for review. By July 2023, we intend to release these provisional boundaries for broader community consultation. By July 2024, our goal under the legislation is to have locality boundaries in place for the entire motu.
Aseasonforthanks
The other groups I have had the privilege ofmeeting with this week have been my colleagues in Te Whatu Ora and Te Aka Whai Ora in our former DHBs. I have taken the opportunity to deliver my heart-felt thanks and appreciation not just for their hard work but their generosity of spirit.
I seethis generosity in their perseverence through our continued organisational change and their obvious care and passion for thewellbeing of the communities they serve. As providers of critical health services, I know many of you will be working through the holiday season, but I hope you are able to take some time to fill your kete, with what matters most to you.Have a wonderful festive season, and I look forward to engaging with you further in thenew year.
Abbe Anderson (she/her) NationalDirectorCommissioningInthisedition:
• COVID-19 Care in the Community Funding
• Addressing pay relativities in primary and community
• Te Pae Tata: Kahu Taurima, maternity and early years, virtual hui invitation
• Te Pae Tata: Early actions programme hui recording
• Localities update: Whānau wellbeing through self-management
• Addiction Services: Gambling harm, lived experience advisory group hui
• Heads-up: Summer Messaging; All Sorts; Mpox
• Missed it? Māori Providers funding announcement; COVID-19 Antivirals
COVID-19CareintheCommunityFunding
Update from Matt Hannant, Director Outbreak Response, National Public Health Service
“I would like to acknowledge the ongoing mahi to help protect our communities from COVID-19 while we’ve worked to confirm funding.
“We are very grateful for your continued commitment to protecting New Zealanders around the motu and your work bringing communities and health providers together to respond to the needs of our population.
“We can now confirm that we have Care in the Community funding in place for the summer period, through to 28 February 2023; however, we will need to make changes to our services and approach before that as we transition from an emergency response to planning for COVID-19 as a longer-term health issue.
“We recognise the challenges of managing this change through the holiday period and can confirm that we will not be looking to make changes before mid-January at earliest. This gives us certainty over the holidays to help manage the wave we are currently experiencing, in particular, to continue delivering priority services to those who are most likely to need medical and social support when they are sick with COVID-19.
“We are waiting for the Cabinet decision on funding beyond February 2023. We acknowledge the challenges that funding uncertainty has created for you and your people.
“Thank you for your efforts on behalf of your communities while we work to provide certainty for the longer-term. In the coming week, we expect to be able to confirm more about changes we can expect from January.”
• For reference: COVID-19: Care in the community | Ministry of Health NZ
Addressingpayrelativitiesinprimaryandcommunity
On Monday 28 November, the honourable Minister Little, announced additional funding to support pay relativities for nursing in the primary and community sector, while work continues to address these issues for the long-term.
This includes $40 million to be delivered by the 1 April 2023 to priority service settings with the greatest pay disparities and equity challenges, including kaupapa Māori and Pacific providers, aged residential care, home and community support services, and Hospice providers.
Further funding of up to $200 million will be available from 2023/24 to address disparity within mental health, other residential care and whaikaha disability care settings. It is anticipated additional tranches will occur and will be informed by those with the greatest disparities impacting on service coverage.
• Read: Government takes action on pay parity for healthcare workers | Beehive.govt.nz
• Read: Attached one-page background document on addressing pay relativities
TePaeTata: KahuTaurima,maternityandearlyyears,virtualhui invitation
Join us for an online webinar introducing Kahu Taurima, a joint programme between Te Aka Whai Ora and Te Whatu Ora to transform maternity and early years services, from conception to five years old, for all people across Aotearoa.
This webinar is an opportunity for those within the maternity and early years sector or those who interact with the sector, to get a better idea of what’s happening and find out how you can participate and inform this work.
There are two sessions to choose from:
Date: Tuesday 13 December Time: 4.30pm - 5.30pm Link: Join Meeting Here
Date: Thursday 15 December
Time: 4.30pm - 5.30pm
Link: Join Meeting Here
Full Link to join virtual hui: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetupjoin/19%3ameeting_ODlkYmYzYzEtZjQ5MC00YTA3LWJhMWMtYTI5NGEyNmYyNzM1%40thread.v2/0?context=%7B%22Tid%22 %3A%2223cec724-6d20-4bd1-9fe9-dc4447edd1fa%22%2C%22Oid%22%3A%22dbc2f4a8-da83-422c-a6dec7fab8a3a957%22%2C%22IsBroadcastMeeting%22%3Atrue%2C%22role%22%3A%22a%22%7D&btype=a&role=a
We hope to see you there. Please feel free to share this invitation with your colleagues and communities. On behalf of the Kahu Taurima team
TePaeTata: Primary,CommunityandRuralEarlyActionsProgramme virtualhui
On Monday 28 November we connected with our colleagues across Aotearoa on some of the early benefits described in Te Pate Tata as we work together to build a sustainable, unified health system to deliver on the promise in the Pae Ora legislation.
Co-directors of the programme, Brandi Hudson, and Chiquita Hansen, outlined the key priorities within the programme and the work that is currently underway, including:
• Extended Community Care: acute care, planned care, and radiology
• Health Pathways: Community pathways, national pathway development and hospital pathways
• Comprehensive primary and community care and workforce: comprehensive care teams, workforce development in collaboration with the workforce taskforce, and refocus community nursing and allied health
• Data, digital and telehealth: data and digital, investment in data and digital, and telehealth
• Funding and accountability: capitation, funding, and accountability
Find out more:
• Read: About the programme
• Watch: Recording of the hui from Monday 28 November
Localitiesupdate: Whānauwellbeingthroughself-management
Supporting whānau to self-manage their holistic wellness is a goal of the Locality Partnership, Tihei Wairoa Working Group.
The new approach will focus on helping whānau stay well by giving whānau, communities and iwi a strong voice in deciding what’s needed in their local area and having different health and wellbeing organisations working together.
Tihei Wairoa group member and Kahungunu Executive general manager Sarah Paku said key to progressing towards improved health and wellbeing is supporting whānau to be self-managing.
“Grassroots work needs to start with people’s living habits, learning new sustainable skills like growing food, cooking and budgeting, all help make people healthy. Food and exercise are medicine and learning self-responsibility can support whānau in the long-term.
“Education, advocacy and understanding are all part of improving services.”
The Locality Partnership, Tihei Wairoa Working Group, includes the following members: Enabled Wairoa, Kahungunu Executive ki te Wairoa Charitable Trust, Ngāti Pāhauwera Development Trust, Ngāti Kahungunu Wairoa Taiwhenua Incorporated, Queen Street Practice, Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa Trust, Te Iwi O Rakaipaaka Trust, Te Whare Maire o Tapuwae Trust and Wairoa District Council.
• Read: Tihei Wairoa working group update
Addiction services: Gambling harm, lived experience advisory group hui
GIVING BACK: members of the Gambling Harm Lived Experience Advisory Group gather in Wellington to discuss improvements for the sector.
Earlier this week, we connected with the Lived Experience Advisory Group for gambling harm, tasked with providing advice and recommendations to the Aotearoa health sector.
The 12-person group, who have all experienced gambling harm themselves, joined a two-day hui with representatives from Te Whatu Ora, Te Aka Whai Ora, and Manatū Hauora to discuss new ways we can collectively reduce harm from gambling – including, better meeting the needs of people affected by harmful gambling and reducing gambling harm-related health inequities.
“Gambling harm is a serious public health issue and can have a devastating effect on the wellbeing of individuals, whānau and communities,” says Peter Carter, Te Whatu Ora Interim Director for Addiction. “One in five New Zealanders will experience gambling harm in their lives, or know someone close who does.”
The government invested $76 million into a new strategy to prevent and minimise gambling harm that will include:
• Training pathways to enable a more skilled and diverse workforce, including more peer and cultural support workers;
• New and expanded digital services and supports;
• Education initiatives to reduce harm to rangatahi (young people);
• A de-stigmatisation initiative to help change the conversation around gambling harm and encourage people to seek help;
• Better support for vulnerable communities including Māori, Pacific, and Asian people.
“Te Whatu Ora is working hard to build a sustainable, unified health system to deliver on the promise in the Pae Ora legislation,” Peter Carter says.
“We are continuing to focus on ensuring we have co-ordinated, equitable, and accessible services so people have help that works for them, when and where they need it. This includes helping people to receive support earlier and preventing people from reaching a point where they need specialist support, such as addition services.”
The Strategy to Prevent and Minimise Gambling Harm was developed following public consultation in late 2021 and will ensure that services are co-designed with people with lived experience of gambling harm, service providers, community groups and industry bodies.
• Read: Strategy to Prevent and Minimise Gambling Harm (2022/23 to 2024/25)
Heads-up: NewZealandersurgedto‘Haveasafe-assummer’
Having a safe-as summer is all about encouraging people to be prepared for their everyday health needs as we come into the holiday period.
Having a safe-as summer can be used in everyday summer public health messages (stay hydrated, be foodsafe and slip, slop, slap and wrap to name a few) and in COVID-19 specific messages (for example, order RATs, carry a mask, test and isolate, check antiviral eligibility and have an isolation plan).
You are welcome to use any of the resources available on your own organisation’s social media, in newsletters, online, at events, in the local community and in other relevant settings.
• The Unite Against COVID-19 safe-as summer webpage is now live here: Have a safe-as summer | Unite against COVID-19 (covid19.govt.nz)
• Social media tiles, printable posters and other visuals can be accessed here: Assets: Have a safe-as summer | COVID-19 Resource Toolkit (covid19.govt.nz) with more to come including a summer checklist, content in alternate formats and translated into 13 languages. Just check back at the link regularly. If you’ve not used this toolkit before, you’ll need to register first - it's free and only takes a couple of minutes.
Thereareallsortsofwaystoboostyourwellbeingthissummer.
The All Sorts campaign which was a collaboration with the Mental Health Foundation over COVID-19 will morph into a summer campaign over the coming weeks.
The website is now live an encourages people to focus on simple, everyday things that can bring us the most joy and create lifelong memories.
Coming soon: Downloadable resources with tips and guidance on 1) Coping with financial stress and pressures, and 2) Coping with the effects of Long COVID
• Play on the All Sorts website: All Sorts of Summer Wellbeing
Mpox–newpreferredterm
Last week the World Health Organisation announced that in place of the term MPX it will begin using a new preferred term ‘mpox’ as a synonym for monkeypox. Both names will be used simultaneously for one year while ‘monkeypox’ is phased out.
• Read: updated guidance is available here including changes to isolation for people awaiting test results, and patients at higher risk of severe disease
Missedit?
Te
AkaWhaiOraMāoriprovidersfundingannouncement
The Board of Te Aka Whai Ora | Māori Health Authority has announced $71.6 million in new commissioning investments to expand te ao Māori solutions and support the organisations and kaimahi that deliver them.
Key health priority areas for the next two years have been identified:
• Kahu Taurima - Maternity and early years
• Mate pukupuku - People with cancer
• Māuiuitanga taumaha - People living with chronic health conditions
• Oranga hinengaro - People living with mental distress.
The investments also includes $17.6 million to expand mātauranga Māori services, te ao Māori solutions, and population health, and workforce developments.
• Read: Te Aka Whai Ora announcements
COVID-19Antivirals
COVID-19 antivirals factsheet that is now available in te reo Māori, Samoan, Tongan, Cook Islands Māori, and Simplified Chinese. These translations are available at this link COVID-19 treatments – antiviral medicines | Health Navigator NZ and easily accessible from the Health Navigator homepage
This newsletter has been produced by the Communications and Engagement team at Te Whatu Ora. If you would like to recommend content, topics or have any questions about the newsletter, please reach out to Natasha Hoskins, Strategic Lead – Commissioning, Communications and Engagement: Natasha.Hoskins@health.govt.nz
