PROJECT UPDATE FOR INTERESTED PARTIES 26 November 2014

Introduction

As we work towards our goal of making video healthcare a sustainable daily occurrence by 28 February, the focus of the past month has been east of the Raukumaras. Ngati Porou Hauora, along with Tairawhiti District Health, have surged forward, partly arising from their workshop on long term conditions at Te Puia on 29 October. Elsewhere there are several video outreach under way, and although these are cautious starts on a small scale initially, the results are overwhelmingly positive.

“Video Outreach Clin ics ” Under Way Around East Cape People with long term conditions in isolated East Cape communities are starting to benefit from regular “Video Outreach Clinics” between Gisborne hospital and the six isolated Ngati Porou clinics along the eastern side of East Cape. A joint initiative of Ngati Porou Hauora and Tairawhiti District Health, the Clinics were given enthusiastic endorsement by a workshop of more than 20 NPH GPs, nurses and support staff, and TDH representatives, at Te Puia Springs Hospital recently.

Some of the Ngati Porou Hauora and Tairawhiti District Health team at the Long Term Conditions workshop at Te Puia Springs hospital.

With all NPH clinics, many TDH departments, Hospice Tairawhiti, and the contracted pharmacy all now video-capable, the stage was set. The clinics began this week. Initially they involve diabetes consultations between specialists at Tui te Ora, the hospital’s long term conditions unit, and patients at the NPH clinics at Tokomaru Bay and Te Puia. Once proven, they are expected to expand rapidly to cover the full range of long term conditions across the six rural NPH clinics which stretch north to Ruatoria and Te Araroa.

Natasha Ashworth, Clinical Nurse Manager at Tui te Ora, and Georgina Paerata, Acting Primary Health Services Manager at Ngati Porou Hauora, have been leading the initiative. Together they have developed formal protocols for the new service, covering operational elements such as the cases where video is appropriate or otherwise, booking processes, staff training, note-taking, etiquette, support for the patient, and patient consent. TDH Planning and Funding have been actively involved, while the Telehealth Demonstration Project enabled the video service and played a facilitation role.

Following Tui te Ora’s lead, other departments in Gisborne hospital are revising the way they work with Coast patients to take advantage of the video capability. Mental health clinics from Gisborne hospital are now happening routinely with patients at Te Puia, while the Emergency Department is looking at ways to use video to support Coast clinicians in emergencies. Each patient will be asked to complete a customer satisfaction survey, and staff will be interviewed after 3 months, for review by the NPH Clinical Board and Tui te Ora medical team.

How’s This for Kiwi Ingenuity?

So as to make it easy to video between Te Puia Springs Hospital and various departments of Gisborne Hospital, the Ngati Porou Hauora team came up with the idea of a mobile trolley with a video camera that could quickly and easily be taken anywhere in the wards. Acting Primary Health Services Manager Georgina Paerata gave the job to Executive Assistant Ripeka Atkins. Ripeka located a disused clinical trolley. The Project contributed a camera, a pair of special

clamps, and a 5 metre extension lead. With a new PC and monitor, which was the only major expense, and some bits and pieces from a hardware store, Ripeka delivered this masterpiece at a very modest cost. WiFi connects the mobile unit to the NPH network from where fibre optic connects the patient to the world. Top marks to all concerned.