Our Statement of Intention
Ko te tumanako a tenei poaari he whakarato i teetahio ngaa taupori Maaori nui, taupori Maaori matatini, puta noa i te motu. Ko tewhakakikokiko i te mana-taurite hauora Maaori teetahi o aa maatou tino whaainga.
Ko too maatou hiahia ko te whakamana, ko tewhakatinana hoki i te wairua me ngaa maataapono o Te Tiriti o Waitangi heituuaapapa i taa maatou e whai nei, me te whakapono nui - maa te aatawhakapakari i te ara whakawaiora Maaori e taea ai te whakatutuki i te manataurite hauora moo te katoa.
As a District Health Board we serve one of the largest and most diverse Maaori populations in the country. Achieving Maaori health equity is a key priority for us.
Our commitment to this is driven by our desire to acknowledge and respect the Treaty of Waitangi and our belief that if we are serious about achieving health equity for our total population, we must first strengthen our commitment and drive to accelerate Maaori health gain in our community.
Whakaari / White Island Response
Snapshot of Counties Manukau Health
Healthy Together
Our Healthy Together strategy comprises three key objectives:
- Healthy People, Whaanau and Families
- Healthy Communities
- Healthy Services
These objectives are underpinned by a goal of achieving equity in key indicators for Maaori, Pacific and other communities with health disparities.
Below are some of our key achievements in this space.
Healthy People, Whaanau and Families
“Together we will involve people, whaanau and families as an active part of their health team”
Te Ranga Ora
This ground-breaking, equity focused programme aims to improve health, experience and wellbeing outcomes for Maaori, Pacific and people with long-term conditions.The programme uses a co-design approach with service users and whaanau which sees solutions designed by the community, for the community.
Matt Hannant, GM Primary Care and Health of Older People:
“People in our communities will access a responsive, integrated range of health and social services close to their homes and their whaanau. They will see their culture and what matters to them reflected in the care and support that they receive.”
Telehealth in Mental Health and Addictions
The effects of the COVID-19 lock-down on our patients and clinicians were minimised through the use of technology which enabled patients to 'see' their clinician (doctor, nurse or other healthcare professional) by video or telephone appointments. The result was that thousands of outpatient appointments that would normally have been cancelled during the lockdown were able to go ahead and Telehealth is now embedded as a familiar communication and treatment option.
Charles Tutagalevao, Acting GM Mental Health and Addiction
“Face-to-face appointments will always be valuable but Telehealth offers a different dimension - one that enables us to continue to deliver quality service for our patients at a time and place that best suits them.”
Asian Community Flu Fighters Programme
The collaboration between our Asian Health team, Unichem Pakuranga, Auckland Chinese Medical Association (ACMA) and local organisations delivered free flu vaccination at 18 clinics in locations close to where our Asian communities predominantly live and socialise. The programme reached over 900 people from the Chinese, Indian, Korean and Cambodian communities as well as other groups, with 40% of attendees receiving flu vaccines for the first time.
Kitty Ko, Asian Health Gain Advisor
“The feedback we received was very positive and we vaccinated more than double the number of people compared last year. Our Asian communities appreciate when we run clinics in locations that are convenient to them as they serve to minimise the barriers to people with physical disabilities and others who are housebound.”
“Together we will help make healthy options easy options for everyone”
Fanau Ola
Our Pacific Health Team played a key role in engaging with the Pacific community in Counties Manukau during COVID-19 lock-down - from supporting the wider DHB services with language/translation assistance and ensuring patients could continue to attend appointments during this time to working on the frontline at community testing centres and Auckland Airport border control.
Auckland Dental School
A brand-new, state-of-the-art dental facility has opened at the Manukau Super Clinic site. Built by the University of Otago in partnership with CM Health, it will improve oral health outcomes for communities in Counties Manukau by providing low-cost treatment options.
Phil Light, Service Development Manager, Child and Oral Health:
“Oral health is an often overlooked area for many in our community due primarily to the cost. The new dental facility will make a real difference to our people’s health, wellbeing and quality of life.”
Pharmacy Immunisation
We delivered 9,602 funded influenza vaccinations for people 65 years and over, pregnant or with chronic conditions, a 276% increase on the previous year.
Dr Natalie Gauld, Pharmacy Programme Manager:
“We have been targeting more community pharmacies in high priority areas to provide vaccinations and improve accessibility for Maaori, Pacific and those most in need, which has delivered very positive results – the number of funded influenza vaccinations delivered in 2020 has been nearly three times that of 2019.”
Public Health Nursing
During lock-down our PHN workforce mobilised to help the Community Based Assessment Centres complete community COVID-19 swabbing and manage the Port Border. The PHN’s also dispensed approximately 600 flu vaccines during COVID-19 to some of the most vulnerable children in the community.
Healthy Services
“Together we will provide excellent services that are well-supported to treat those who need us safely, with compassion and in a timely manner”
Wellness Support
Dr Sophie Ball, CM Health’s lead for Primary Mental Health & Addiction and Pam Hewlett, Portfolio Manager for Mental Health & Addiction developed and implemented CM Health’s Wellness Support model for Primary Mental Health which won the Best Mental Health Programme at the 2020 New Zealand Primary Healthcare Awards. Anyone attending a General Practice in CMDHB can now access the award winning Wellness Support model that was developed alongside the workforce and the community. The model is all about GPs and practice nurses offering effective medication and non-medication options to support mental health and addiction needs.
Dr Sophie Ball
"My Primary Care colleagues have exceeded expectations. The independent evaluation had demonstrated improved Maaori and youth access and showed effectiveness however we didn't know what would happen in a pandemic. So far over 2020 - as well as managing COVID - all practices in CMDHB have transitioned to use Wellness Support and the model has reached almost 15,000 people. GPs and practice nurses have delivered close to 40,000 Wellness Support mental health/addiction support consultations - this is truly remarkable.”
Accessibility Tick
Awarded in December 2019 this organisational milestone represents our on-going commitment to serve the accessibility needs of disabled people in our community with a three-year action plan developed to guide the work that needs to be done.
Sanjoy Nand, Chief of Allied Health, Scientific, and Technical Professions
“CM Health’s work in the accessibility space will continue to develop systems, processes and a culture that promotes diversity in our workforce including increasing employment opportunities for disabled people and supporting their development. Our disability action plan also aims to improve access to health care services and the quality and equity of health outcomes for disabled people in our community.”
Acute Flow Programmes
These were established in the Emergency Department (ED) and General Medicine Wards and have resulted in improved patient allocation and proactive discharge meaning our patients get seen and return home earlier. The implementation of a senior clinician at the front door in ED has streamlined the process of getting the patient to the right place sooner. This has been helped by a pilot project using flow coordinators on the general medicine wards which resulted in a 13% increase in the utilisation of the discharge lounge. In MRI, waiting times for patients have been reduced by better matching demand and capacity, with the number of patients waiting over 42 days falling from 1312 to 101.
Ophthalmology Services
CM Health invested significantly in Ophthalmology and despite being at COVID-19 Level 3 or 4 for seven weeks we were able to provide over 38,000 in-clinic consultations and perform cataract surgeries on over 2,600 patients, an increase of 12% on the previous year.
Danny Wu, Service Manager, Ophthalmology:
“Healthcare services were not immune from the effects of Covid-19 and Ophthalmology has worked diligently to reduce the backlogs caused by the pandemic to the extent that in some services such as First Specialist Appointments patients are being seen in advance of the pre-Covid expected wait times. This is a testament to the dedication of the team, its commitment to our community, and validation of the investment CM Health has made in the service.”
