Canterbury District Health Board is improving its hand hygiene performance, recording its highest score yet in the latest Hand Hygiene New Zealand report.
Canterbury DHB scored a total of 83.3 percent adherence to hand hygiene opportunities, above the national standard of 80 percent.
Canterbury DHB Executive Director of Nursing Mary Gordon says hand hygiene represents one of the most important measures in the fight against healthcare associated infections, making it a key patient safety issue. Public hospitals have been audited quarterly for their hand hygiene performance since June 2012.
“It's such an important issue the World Health Organisation (WHO) set a World Hand Hygiene Day for 5 May to encourage a continuing focus on the topic with health care workers, something Canterbury DHB uses as a focal point to get staff talking about hand hygiene at work,” Mary says.
“Hand Hygiene is a vital part of our patient care and we have made a concerted effort to improve our performance in this area. We run educational campaigns for staff each year over the month of May and are eager to build on our recent audit results.”
Canterbury has lifted its audited results significantly from 61.8 percent compliance in October 2014.
“The audits are not a measure of hand cleanliness but of compliance with the ‘5 moments of hand hygiene' recommended by WHO. The moments are: before patient contact, before a procedure, after a procedure or body fluid exposure risk, after patient contact and after contact with patient surroundings.”
It's this last point that Canterbury DHB is raising particular awareness of this May.
Director of Quality and Patient Safety Susan Wood says it's important we remain vigilant to all the possible sites of contamination in our working environment, from keyboards in the clinical areas to patients' bedrails.
“Our staff are focussed on having clean hands and we also strongly encourage patients to ask staff to clean their hands if they notice a lapse – infection prevention is in everybody's interest,” Susan says.
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The colder, damper weather signals it's time again to get your flu vaccine and give yourself your best shot of staying well this winter.
Each year the Canterbury Health System encourages people to get their flu shot early, before this serious illness starts to get a grip on our communities.
Canterbury Medical Officer of Health Dr Ramon Pink says it's important everyone gets immunised as soon as possible to stay healthy and well.
“Getting your flu shot is still your best protection against influenza, and by being immunised, you increase your chances of getting the flu and can't pass it on to others. Getting your flu shot helps protect you, your whānau and your community too.”
Dr Pink says influenza is not just a bad cold, it is a serious illness that will confine you to bed for a miserable week or more, incapable of doing very much at all.
“All too often though, influenza can lead to hospitalisation, especially for those who are vulnerable – people with a chronic illness or an elderly person. Each year hundreds of New Zealanders die from flu-related illness.”
Dr Pink says the flu shot is available now and it's best to get it early because it takes about fortnight for the immune system to prepare its best defence after getting vaccinated.
“You shouldn't wait until influenza is making others sick. It also makes sense to go for your flu shot when most general practices are less busy with patients presenting with winter illnesses,” Dr Pink says.
The flu vaccine is free from your General Practice team for anyone aged 65 years or over, people with a chronic illness, such as asthma or a heart condition, and pregnant women. The Canterbury Health System has also extended free flu shots to under 18s enrolled in General Practices in the Hurunui and Kaikoura districts to help support those North Canterbury communities affected by the earthquakes to stay well.
“The vaccine is also available to everyone else at a cost similar to a GP visit. Most people who have had influenza before will tell you that even if you have to pay for your vaccine, it's a small price to avoid becoming severely unwell.”
Anyone new to Canterbury needs to enrol at a General Practice to be eligible for subsidised health care in New Zealand.
“If you are feeling unwell, you should seek advice early from your General Practice team, but you need to be enrolled to make the most of the services on offer, at a lower cost,” Dr Pink says.
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Today marks the start of Immunisation Week (1-7 May) and Canterbury DHB is reminding parents to ensure their older children, teens, as well as any younger ones, are immunised.
Free immunisations are recommended for 11 year olds in Canterbury to protect against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough and human papillomavirus (HPV). Diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough vaccine is available free from general practices for those aged under 18, and HPV is available free up to the age of 27.
Canterbury Medical Officer of Health Dr Ramon Pink says right now is a good time to make sure your child's vaccinations are up to date.
“Particularly as children are approaching high school age, it's important to remember that they need a further round of immunisations to protect them against preventable diseases into adulthood,” he says.
“This is also a key time for a young person's immune system which responds particularly well in forming immunity at around this age.”
If your child hasn't had these vaccinations, it's not too late, as diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough vaccine is available free from general practices for those aged under 18. HPV is available free for those aged under 27, but offers maximum benefit when received in early adolescence.
The change in the immunisation schedule at the start of 2017 saw the HPV vaccine eligibility widen to include males aged 11 – 26, which means this vaccine is now available for boys and girls.
“In Canterbury boys and girls can receive the vaccine from General Practice at 11 years of age, at the same time as their scheduled booster for diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough.
“Those aged 14 years or younger need two injections. The second injection is given at least six months after the first injection. Those aged between 15 and 26 years inclusive need three doses.”
Dr Pink says that as well as encouragement to immunise older children and teens, Immunisation Week is also an opportunity to inform parents about the upcoming availability of free chickenpox immunisation at age 15 months, starting from 1 July this year.
“Chickenpox is often a mild though unpleasant disease. However, it can lead to serious complications that result in a significant number of hospitalisations each year. It's great this vaccine is now going to be free, so we can do more to protect our young children from this disease.”
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Work surrounding the Ambulance Bay at Ashburton Hospital is now complete and access will be reinstated tomorrow (Friday 28th April).
The work took seven weeks and involved demolishing the old Ambulance Bay and ground work, including sealing the driveway and establishing kerbing.
Ashburton Health Services Manager Bernice Marra says completion of this work means the after-hours entry and exit will be reinstated.
“For staff and visitors, this means there will be no entry through the Main Entrance after 8pm – it is through the entry beside the new build, to the right of the Main Entry. An automatic door lock has been installed on the Main Entrance doors to accommodate this,” Bernice says.
People are also encouraged to exit via the doors near Acute Assessment Unit, which are identified as the After Hours Exit, she says.
“Also a reminder that the parking spaces where the old Ambulance Bay is remain reserved for ambulances only, in order to help with the flow of patients.”
Bernice says Ashburton residents are also reminded their GP team should be their first call for #carearoundtheclock.
“Unless it's an emergency when you should call 111, always make your general practice team your first call 24/7 when you, or someone in your family is sick,” she says.
“If it's after hours, or your general practice is closed, you'll be able to speak to a nurse who will give you free health advice.”
Bernice says the nurse can advise you on what to do and where to go if you need urgent care.
“Just phone your usual general practice number and you'll get care around the clock,” she says.
If you are not enrolled with a general practice, you can call any general practice number after hours for free advice.
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Two of Canterbury DHB's advisory committees will be hitting the road and heading for Cheviot on Thursday 4 May.
The Community and Public Health Advisory Committee and the Disability Support Advisory Committee have teamed up for a joint meeting to be held in the Cheviot Fire Station Hall in McQueen Road.
The public are welcome to attend the meeting, which will start at 10.30am and is expected to run until about 3.30pm. At the conclusion of the meeting, there will be a light afternoon tea and an opportunity for locals to chat with Board and Advisory Committee members.
The meeting agenda will be available on the Canterbury DHB website from Monday 1 May.
Acting Board chair Sir Mark Solomon says board and committee members are keen to get out of the office and hold meetings in the communities they serve.
“It's an opportunity for the locals to come along and hear about what's happening and about some of the highlights and challenges we're facing.
“The committee members are very much looking forward to this first meeting in Cheviot. We are mindful of the fact we are publicly-funded and this is a chance for the public to come along and better understand the work of the DHB and wider Canterbury Health System.
“I hope we see a good number of locals turn up,” Sir Mark Solomon says.
Meeting details:
Thursday 4 May 2017, 10.30am
Joint Canterbury DHB Community and Public Health Advisory Committee & Disability Support Advisory Committee meeting
Cheviot Fire Station Hall, 6 McQueen Rd, Cheviot (entry and parking off Hutchison Street)
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Canterbury DHB chief executive David Meates, Christchurch City Council chief executive Karleen Edwards, and Otakaro Limited chief executive Albert Brantley met today to urgently address the lack of car parking around Christchurch Hospital.
All three parties agreed that there will be a joined up approach and consistent messaging regarding parking options.
David Meates said it is recognised that parking around the hospital is going to remain challenging with construction happening across many sites at the same time. “This is creating additional pressures in terms of access and additional traffic volume, including contractors.
While it is great that the following construction projects are all happening:
Maintaining access in and around this area is going to require a number of interim parking options to be in place over the next two to three years.
Mr Meates says all three agencies acknowledged the huge challenges facing patients, visitors and staff in terms of the limited parking options around Christchurch Hospital and a large number of construction and roading projects in the area that have come together to create a perfect storm.
“The meeting was very positive with all agreeing on a number of options aimed at helping relieve the car parking constraints affecting patients, visitors and staff coming into the city, especially to Christchurch Hospital,” he says.
“The three agencies are committed to improving the current situation and I'm confident we've come up with some good solutions and we all agree they need to be fast-tracked and underway as soon as possible.”
Mr Meates says the DHB is finalising leases for several sites near the hospital to provide around 240 additional parks for staff. The DHB is also exploring the feasibility of a number of other options. Mr Meates says the three agencies agreed the council would second a staff member with parking expertise to work with Canterbury DHB and Otakaro to bring the solutions to life as soon as possible.
“We are also looking to extend the DHB's successful Park & Ride service to include the public and a range of sites are being explored. Otakaro and the Council have agreed to help with this process including exploring alternative locations.
“All agencies really have acknowledged that it's not easy for anyone coming and going in and around the Health Precinct side of the city but in order for it to be resolved, we need to all be working together to come up with some solutions.
“But what has really concerned us all and has come to head, particularly in the last week, is the fact people's safety has been compromised because of the parking situation. We want to get this sorted as soon as possible.”
In the meantime, Mr Meates says the Canterbury DHB has stepped up its security measures including reminders to staff to be extra vigilant when walking to and from their cars, to remember that a security guard is available to escort them, there's a mobile security patrol, and a new night shift shuttle starting during next week. Staff have been advised to contact security or police if they notice anyone acting suspiciously.
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The Canterbury Health System has made great progress in reducing the harm caused by falls but it's still a major cause of harm, both in hospitals and in the community. So what are we doing about it?
Along with other District Health Boards and with the backing of the Health Quality and Safety Commission, Canterbury DHB is promoting a number of April Falls initiatives.
Canterbury DHB Director Quality and Safety Susan Wood says staff have been challenged to come up with clever ways to raise awareness about how to reduce the risk of a vulnerable person having a fall.
“We want staff to come up with clever and creative ways of highlighting falls as an issue, and raising awareness of how to make them less likely to happen. So far we have displays and videos. In the past we have received poems, and even songs,” Susan says.
Canterbury DHB has recreated new graphics to support the falls prevention message, thanks to Waikato DHB, who shared their idea for an autumn leaves theme.
The key message is that our ultimate aim is that nothing but leaves should fall this autumn,” Susan says.
“We have also put huge effort into communicating what needs to be done to prevent harm to at-risk adults through our Releasing Time to Care bedside ‘Patient Status at a Glance' Mobility Plans. Handover at the bedside and frequent checks by nurses are a really effective strategy for helping keep patients safe in our hospitals.”
Clinical lead for Falls Prevention in Canterbury Ken Stewart agrees but also stresses the importance of falls prevention initiatives in the community as part of a whole health system approach.
“We have an internationally acclaimed Community Falls Programme that makes use of referrals mainly from General Practice and the hospital to identify those most at risk in the community and connects them with a Falls Champion,” Ken says.
“Many of those most at risk are frail elderly, and they aren't just more likely to fall, the consequences can be devastating to their independence – broken hips are all too common and sometimes fatal.”
A Falls Champion visits a person's home to assess and help minimise home-based hazards: things like trailing cables, checking footwear has grip, securing mats or carpets, moving furniture that might be blocking where people walk most often, and increasing lighting levels.
There are other simple but less obvious actions that can help someone avoid a fall, such as placing the phone where it can be reached easily so older people don't fall hurrying to answer it, and making sure there is a light by the bed so that a person can go to the toilet safely during the night.
A Falls Champion – often a physiotherapist – will usually recommend an individually-tailored exercise routine to help build strength, balance and confidence. Over the past five years, Falls Champions have helped keep more than 6000 older Cantabrians living independently in their own homes.
“Other health professionals can help too: a pharmacist or GP team can help review medications to make sure they are taken at the right time and don't cause dizzy spells, and an optometrist can review a person's glasses prescription to make sure poor vision doesn't contribute to a fall.”
Since the programme began five years ago and compared with the figures expected for people 75 and older, Canterbury has had:
Since Canterbury DHB's Older Persons Health moved to Burwood, our data shows there has also been a 22 percent reduction in falls in just the first six months, which equates to 121 fewer falls compared to the same period in previous years.
“All of our work in preventing falls, whether in hospital or at home, is part of our health system's integrated approach to reducing the risk of harm to some of our community's most vulnerable people. When combined with other initiatives to prevent avoidable injuries and manage people's health in the community our overall strategy of helping keep people well and at home is really working,” Ken says.
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Embracing the neighbourhood has earned a Canterbury nurse an award for emerging leadership.
Hannah Laughton – a registered nurse working for the Aranui Community Trust Incorporated Society (ACTIS) – received an Open for Leadership Award from Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne in Christchurch this morning (7 April 2017).
The awards are co-ordinated by the Health Quality and Safety Commission. They recognise, celebrate and share the work of emerging health care leaders who have made a difference to patient care.
Canterbury DHB CEO David Meates says as a neighbourhood nurse Hannah has worked hard to build relationships in the Aranui community.
“Hannah embodies the Canterbury Health System's values by keeping health consumers and their families at the centre of everything she does.
“Hannah has developed links with a multitude of local providers, including General Practice teams, schools, Non-Government Agencies, Public Health, Social Welfare providers and most importantly the families of the community themselves, and all the while as the sole registered nurse in a geographical area that has its own unique challenges.”
Hannah – who completed her nursing degree three years ago at Ara – is also chair of the Aranui Health Networking Forum that brings together different agencies that work in the area to share information and pool resources.
Hannah was nominated by her mentor, Director of Nursing for Pegasus Health, Michael McIlhone who praised her initiative.
“As a young RN, Hannah has actively sought out mentorship and inclusion in to a multitude of forums and as a result of this she has established significant links and presence in the local community, no easy task,” Michael says.
Hannah received a trophy presented by Mr Dunne and will be sponsored to attend a Commission event.
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Photo Caption
Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne (left) and Aranui Community Trust Incorporated Society (ACTIS) nurse Hannah Laughton with the Open for Leadership Award she was awarded at a special ceremony in Christchurch today.
Ashburton Hospital has received a $1.5 million cash injection thanks to community generosity.
Advance Ashburton trustee Gary Fail today presented David Meates, Canterbury DHB Chief Executive with a cheque for $1.5m to go towards the upgrades of Ashburton Hospital.
The donation is in conjunction with the Mackenzie Charitable Trust, the Lion Foundation, the Ashburton Licensing Trust and the Trevor Wilson Charitable Trust.
This will go towards the $8.7m of improvements underway at the hospital which includes building a new 1040sqm Acute Assessment Unit and Day Procedure Theatre.
Mr Meates says it is great to receive such a generous contribution from the community.
“It's remarkable how supportive and engaged the community has been right from when we first announced the upgrade to the facilities here in Ashburton after the Canterbury quakes.
“We are very grateful to have had the people of Ashburton backing us on this journey. Their commitment has meant the best health services, for what has become a very strong and vibrant rural community, are available both now and long into the future.
“I'm absolutely delighted on behalf of Canterbury DHB to accept this donation today and would like to say a huge thank you to all those who have contributed to this very generous gift.”
Bernice Marra, Ashburton Health Services manager, says it's wonderful to receive the donation towards the new facilities, which opened at the end of last year.
“Already the new facilities are proving to be a huge asset for our community. Staff are just loving working in the fit-for-purpose building, and patients and visitors, are also saying how much of an improvement they are.
“It allows us to keep pace with health care innovations and means our staff can provide the right care to the right person at the right time, both now and well into the future.”
The new Acute Assessment Unit replaces an older, smaller unit and is designed to allow staff to assess, stabilise and provide short-term care for people with acute conditions.
Greg Robertson, Canterbury DHB Head of Surgery, says the AAU provides “state of the art” facilities allowing specialists from Christchurch to perform day procedures for people in Ashburton in its new theatre and recovery suite.
“The new facilities together with the $450,000 pledged by the generous community funders to establish a rural health academic centre allowing Ashburton Hospital to build its status as New Zealand's first rural centre of medical excellence.
“It also allows us to offer a wider range of procedures than at present, and has enabled more efficient transfer of patients to and from Christchurch Hospital.”
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Group Photo
Front sitting (from left): Margaret Rickard (Advance Ashburton Community Foundation), Alma Lochhead (Lochhead Charitable Trust), Elizabeth Ashford (Advance Ashburton Community Foundation and Bernice Marra (CDHB Ashburton Health Services Manager)
Front standing (from left): CDHB CEO David Meates, Gary Fail (Advance Ashburton Community Foundation), Janette Balfe (Allied Health – Clinical Manager), Jane Brosnahan (Director of Nursing – CDHB), Krunal Shukla (Finance and Business Manager – Ashburton and Rural Health Services) and Dr John Lyons (Clinical Director – Ashburton and Rural Health Services)
Rear standing (from left): Robert Reid (Ashburton Licensing Trust), Rob Harnett (Lion Foundation and Ashburton Licensing Trust), Graham Kennedy (Mackenzie Charitable Foundation), John Acland (Mackenzie Charitable Foundation), Keiran Breakwell (Lion Foundation and Ashburton Licensing Trust), Jim Lischner (Lion Foundation and Ashburton Licensing Trust), Trevor Croy (Lochhead Charitable Trust), and Roger Paterson (Lion Foundation and Ashburton Licensing Trust).
Cheque handover
CDHB CEO David Meates accepts a $1.5m fundraising cheque from Gary Fail of Advance Ashburton Community Foundation (representing the Foundation, the Lion Foundation and Ashburton Licensing Trust, Lochhead Charitable Trust, Wilson Bulk Transport, and Mackenzie Charitable Foundation)
Ashburton Hospital is making some temporary changes to access from Monday.
General Manager Ashburton Health Services Bernice Marra says people coming to the hospital need to be aware that the new ambulance bay and surrounding area will have no access for approximately six weeks from Monday (13 March 2017).
“The area will be completely fenced off to enable Bradfords to demolish the old ambulance bay and building developments in this area.”
“All patients will need to access the hospital from the Elizabeth Street main hospital entrance, 24 hours per day, seven days per week. This includes patients presenting by ambulance.”
Ambulances will access the hospital via the front entrance by the main reception area. They will take the patient through the main corridor to the Acute Assessment Unit (AAU), entering via the internal access.
Bernice says any walk-in patients will have access via the front of the hospital and will be directed to AAU just as they currently do during the day – arriving in AAU by the waiting area, presenting to the ‘reception area' in AAU.
“After-Hours (between 8.00pm and 6.00am) a security guard will escort any self-presentations through the hospital into the AAU to ensure that patients do not accidently enter other parts of the hospital.”
The current car parks marked ‘drop off” at the front of the hospital will be reserved for the ‘transport ambulance'. This will be a minimum of two parking bays
“The wheelchair access park will remain and other will be marked and regularly checked to ensure these are kept free for the transfer ambulance.”
Bernice says she apologised for any disruption these temporary changes might cause and would like to thank the community for their ongoing support and cooperation while construction works continue.
What you need to remember:
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Canterbury DHB has announced that it will take over management of all food services from 1 July 2017, after the current Compass Group contract expires on 30 June.
Chief executive David Meates said in September last year Canterbury DHB advised Health Partnerships Limited (NZHPL) that it would not be signing up to the national food service contract.
“Our intention is that all current food services staff are retained by Canterbury DHB and we don't expect the public to notice any difference in the food services provided in our hospitals,” Mr Meates says.
“Canterbury DHB is in a unique position among DHBs in having a well-established, proven and fully-owned, Cook-Chill production unit capable of providing bulk menu items to all Canterbury DHB hospitals; this is the only one of its kind in NZ and has been in use constantly since 2007.”
After February 22, 2011 this system enabled the Canterbury DHB to continuously offer nutrititious menu choices to all patients whilst food supplies and deliveries into the city were compromised by the earthquakes.
“We will maintain our current high quality and high standards of food production and service across all our hospitals”.
All current services – cafes for the staff and public, meal provision across our hospitals and meals on wheels will be maintained, he says.
“Our food service enjoys high levels of customer satisfaction and we won't be doing anything to jeopardise the quality of food or service. We will be using the same food production methods as we currently do for patient meals, meals on wheels and staff meals. Over time we plan to enhance the range of healthy choices available.
“We have indicated to Compass that it's our intention to offer employment to all 300 workers and their managers currently employed by Compass Group. It's our intention that they will be employed by Canterbury DHB from 1 July on the same terms and conditions as their current contracts, and they will enjoy additional benefits as Canterbury DHB employees.
“I would like to acknowledge the 13 years' service and valued relationship we've had with Compass who took over the contract back in 2004. Up until that point the services had been provided by a mix of in house, outsourced and joint management contracts; prior to which all food services were in-house.”
Mr Meates says that between now and 1 July there's a lot of behind the scenes details to work through and the Canterbury DHB will continue to work cooperatively with Compass/Medirest, their staff, and union to ensure a smooth transition for all.
Canterbury DHB continues to support the New Zealand Health Partnerships programme to develop national nutritional guidelines for all hospitals and we continue to support the application of Key Performance Indicators/benchmarks to all DHB food service operations nationally.
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All sites which currently have Compass Group staff working in food services. We also have some Compass Group staff carrying out cleaning and orderly services in Ashburton – they too will be offered employment with Canterbury DHB from 1 July this year.
This includes:
The services at Kaikoura Health Te Hā o Te Ora, Rangiora Health Hub, Oxford and Waikari Hospitals, Darfield, Ellesmere, Leeston, Lincoln Maternity and the Chatham Islands Hospital are either provided in-house or by a local provider – these services will be unaffected.
It includes all the meals and beverages for patients, including those with a wide range of dietary requirements, Meals on Wheels, and the provision of food in cafes which are open to staff and the public at Christchurch Women's Hospital, Christchurch Hospital, Burwood Hospital, Ashburton Hospital, Hillmorton Hospital, and The Princess Margaret Hospital. The service aspect includes taking patient's orders from the menu, collating and processing the orders, and delivery and serving meals to inpatients, and clearing away meal trays after each meal. It also includes ensuring patients have fresh jugs of iced water available and serving hot drinks and snacks to patients on wards where appropriate throughout the day.
Canterbury DHB prepares and serves more than one million patient meals each year.
More than 120,000 meals on wheels are delivered by volunteers to Canterbury people each year.
We will be using the same production methods and hope to be using the same suppliers after 1 July. Over time we will be looking to enhance the range of quality healthy food options available to patients, staff and the public. Where possible and economic to do so, we would also like to source more local providers of ingredients and fresh produce.
For commercially-sensitive reasons, we cannot discuss the actual amount, however savings are in the order of millions of over the next 14 years.
It will cover a range of staff from site managers, located at the various sites, to catering associates, kitchen assistants, cooks, food supervisors, retail staff and administration staff.
No. A number of DHBs already provide in-house food services, however, Canterbury is the only DHB to have an in-house cook-chill production unit, which means fresh food can be prepared to enable quality meals with an extended shelf life.
Patients are currently surveyed every six months, and Canterbury DHB patients consistently rate the hospital meals highly, with 80-90% of respondents saying the meal service was satisfactory or better.
Absolutely not – this is a vitally important service, and we will need all the current staff to continue to provide the current high standard of food and services.
The Canterbury DHB's performance in Quarter 2 of the 2016/2017 National Health Targets has remained strong despite several challenging disruptions.
Canterbury DHB chief executive David Meates says the Civil Defence Emergency declared as a result of the North Canterbury earthquakes and the Resident Doctors' Association's strikes during Quarter 2 caused significant additional work and distractions for our health system.
“Despite our health system facing troubling circumstances yet again, our staff have done an incredibly remarkable job to ensure services continue to be provided,” Mr Meates says.
The Canterbury DHB was back on track in Quarter 2, meeting the Shorter Stay in the Emergency Department (ED) 95 percent target.
Mr Meates says initiatives to support target performance have included the implementation of strategies to manage demand in the community and improve flow in ED and the hospital.
“This is impressive, especially considering our ED is one of the busiest trauma centres in the country.”
Mr Meates says the supports in place in the community, such as the Acute Demand Management Service, have meant more than 33,000 people in Canterbury have been provided care in the community over the last year, rather than being admitted into hospital.
“Our ‘Care Around the Clock' campaign has also played a part in ensuring people don't default to ED when they should be seen by their own GP team. The campaign has been promoted significantly during Quarter 2, reminding people to make their general practice their first call.”
For the sixth quarter in a row, Canterbury has achieved the immunisation target, vaccinating 95 percent of eligible children.
“We had strong coverage rates across all population groups meeting the health target for all this quarter,” Mr Meates says.
The rates were Asian 97 percent, Pacific 96 percent, New Zealand European 95 percent and Māori 95 percent.
“This is a significant achievement, showing the results of the ongoing commitment from immunisation teams in primary care right across our system.”
Canterbury's performance against the Faster Cancer Treatment target in Quarter 2,saw 84.8 percent of patients received their first cancer treatment (or other management) within 62 days of being referred with a high suspicion of cancer.
“Our teams are continuously working to improve the capture and quality of the Fast Cancer Treatment data, and reviewing patient pathways to improve timeliness,” Mr Meates says.
See how Canterbury DHB performed in Quarter 2 of the National Health Targets.
Electronic referrals by Canterbury clinicians through the South Island's Electronic Request Management System (ERMS) have just passed the one million milestone.
ERMS provides easy to use, secure electronic referral forms for most services listed on HealthPathways, ensuring people in need of health services are connected to the right person as soon as possible. It makes sure a request gets a response, helps protect patient privacy through keeping communications secure, and cuts waste out of the system by saving patients' and clinicians' time.
Canterbury District Health Board chief executive David Meates says passing the one million mark in Canterbury is a remarkable and satisfying achievement.
“ERMS plays a fundamental part in our strategy of bringing care closer to home by making general practice people's first point of contact for health care,” Mr Meates says.
“ERMS was designed by clinicians, for clinicians, to prevent people getting lost in the system as happened all too often before ERMS was designed. A key feature that has led to its South Island-wide success is that requests can go to any part of the system, whether public or private, and incorporate community-based as well as hospital-based services.”
ERMS was launched in Canterbury in 2009 and has since been rolled out in all five South Island DHBs, who together provide health care and support to more than a million people.
“This is an excellent example of collaboration across our Canterbury health system for the benefit of patients, and how working closely with other South Island DHBs can spread those benefits further and help still more people,” Mr Meates says.
“I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge Pegasus Health in particular, who were instrumental in the development of ERMS and continue to work with us and our South Island DHB partners on its ongoing evolution. Thanks too to our other Canterbury Primary Health Organisations; Rural Canterbury PHO and Christchurch PHO whose support has been crucial.”
Christchurch general practitioner and ERMS Chair Graham McGeoch thinks ERMS is a fantastic tool that improves the quality of care General Practice teams provide because it is fast and easy to use, and frees up more time for patients.
Dr McGeoch says using ERMS, he can often submit a request while the patient is still with him.
“The electronic form pre-populates with key patient information from the patient record, such as past medical history and medications,” he says.
“The referrer can easily add the key information such as test results needed by specialist services to manage the referral. This information then goes straight into the electronic record at the hospital and an appointment or service arranged with few delays.”
Dr McGeoch says better quality information provided in this way helps the specialist receiving the request to make an accurate assessment and to respond quickly.
“Sometimes ERMS triggers a phone call or written advice back to general practice which helps patients get the right care,” he says.
“ERMS has really strengthened the link between community-based care and specialist services. It is one of those simple ideas that has become one of the best tools we have in ensuring we provide a timely, effective and consistently high standard of care.”
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Port Hills residents affected by this week's wild fires are being reassured the smell of smoke in their properties presents no serious threat to health.
Canterbury Medical Officer of Health Dr Alistair Humphrey says while many people returning to their houses will notice a strong smoky smell lingering, it does not present any long term harm to people's health.
“While those returning to their homes may find the smell distressing, it presents no immediate harm to health.”
Dr Humphrey says health effects from smoke usually present at the time of exposure.
“Most people are very unlikely to have any long-term health effects from short term exposure to smoke but people with pre-existing respiratory (lung) illness or heart disease may experience and exacerbation (recurrence) of their condition.”
Christchurch Hospital had two people present to the Emergency Department for breathing problems exacerbated from smoke during the fires.
“The advice to people experiencing any health issues following the tragic events of the Port Hills fires this week, is to phone their own GP team for #carearoundtheclock 24/7,” Dr Humphrey says.
“After hours, and when they're closed, a team or nurses is ready to take your call.”
Dr Humphrey acknowledged Canterbury has been hit hard with its fair share of disasters in the last half decade, so many people will understandably be feeling overwhelmed and in shock.
“We all need to remember to look out for one another and take care of each other.
All Right? manager Sue Turner agrees.
“We know that going through a disaster takes a toll on all of us and coping isn't always easy,” she says.
“During scary events like earthquakes or fires, our brains react chemically – releasing adrenaline. This response is our natural alarm system – our body telling us to be alert and ready for action. It's there to help us, but afterwards we can feel shaky, queasy or on-edge, and it can make it hard for us to concentrate. It can also result in strong emotional responses such as anger or crying.”
Sue says this is normal and can be eased with doing some light physical activity, taking up a small chore or task and by focusing on some calm breathing for 10 seconds.
“Returning home after an evacuation can be a difficult and emotional experience. It is normal for people to have conflicting emotions as a result of returning home.
“Experience and research tell us that the impacts of disasters go on for a long time. You need to pace yourself. Go slow and steady, and look after yourself and your relationships.
“Recovering from disaster can be a stressful, overwhelming time. By taking care of yourself and your loved ones, remembering that this will take a long time, celebrating the small wins, and asking for help when you think you need it you'll give yourself a good chance of a good recovery.”
Sue says recovery takes a long time, but with strong, positive support from friends and family, most people recover well.
Find out more earthquake support on the All Right? website.
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Recreational water users are being reminded to avoid contact with some Canterbury and South Canterbury waterways – with the long weekend almost here.
Dr Alistair Humphrey, Canterbury Medical Officer of Health, says remain in place where there's potentially toxic blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) in a number of areas around the regions.
“Make sure you check the health warnings for toxic algae before going near any waterways this long weekend,” Dr Humphrey says. “And if in doubt, keep out.”
Algal blooms can produce toxins harmful to humans and animals; people should avoid contact with the water until further notice. The algae is particularly dangerous for dogs.
“Animals that show signs of illness after coming into contact with algal mats should be taken to a vet immediately. Symptoms of cyanotoxin poisoning in dogs include panting, lethargy, muscle tremors, twitching and convulsions – which usually occur within 30 minutes of exposure.”
Dr Humphrey says people who come into contact with the mats can also experience unpleasant symptoms.
“Exposure may cause skin rashes, nausea, stomach cramps, tingling and numbness around the mouth and fingertips. If you experience any of these symptoms visit your doctor immediately and please let your doctor know if you have had contact with the lake water,” Dr Humphrey says.
People should never drink water from a waterway where a health warning is in place and they should also avoid eating fish and shellfish.
“Boiling the water does not remove the toxin. If fish are eaten, remove the gut and liver and wash in clean water.”
Dr Tim Davie, Environment Canterbury Chief Scientist, says it is not possible to monitor every reach of every streams and rivers in Canterbury so we concentrate on sites where we know people swim.
“We monitor 52 popular freshwater swimming sites in Canterbury and similar number of beaches; the results are shown on the Environment Canterbury and the LAWA websites (Land, Air, Water Aotearoa),” Dr Davie says.
“If you're swimming at non-monitored sites then we encourage you to check the stream bottom for what look like black mats. If there are significant black mats and particularly if bits are breaking off then you should not swim or allow dogs to the site.”
Potentially toxic algae is currently present in the following locations in the region:
Visit the Environment Canterbury website for more information on swimming quality in Canterbury.
You can also contact Community and Public Health for more information on this health warning (03 364 1777).
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Members of the New Zealand Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) will go on strike from 7am on Tuesday 17 until 8am on Friday 20 January 2017.
Like all 18 of the District Health Boards affected, Canterbury DHB is well advanced in its contingency planning to ensure it continues to provide safe care during the 73-hour strike period from next Tuesday, when most Resident Medical Officers will withdraw their services.
Canterbury DHB employs about 533 Resident Medical Officers and understands approximately 75 percent are RDA members.
David Meates, chief executive, says continuing to provide safe care for patients during the strike remains the highest priority and focus for the Canterbury Health System.
“We are prioritising essential and acute services, which means that some outpatient appointments and elective surgeries are being rescheduled,” he says.
“Patients who have appointments or surgery booked during the strike period can expect to hear from Canterbury DHB, whether they are affected or not.
The Emergency Department (ED) at Christchurch Hospital will remain open during the strike.
“Canterbury people can help take some of the pressure off acute and emergency services during the strike period by phoning their General Practice team first for all non-urgent care. When you call your usual general practice number after hours your call will be answered by a nurse who can provide free health advice and if you need to be seen, they can tell you what to do and where to go for #carearoundtheclock.”
Patients who haven't heard from us, but want to check if their surgery or outpatient appointment is going ahead next week should call 0800 778 226 from Monday 16 January. This line will be answered 8am – 5pm Monday – Thursday next week. After hours you can leave a message. You should state your name and NHI number (Your NHI number is on your appointment letter and contains three letters and four digits eg ABC 1234).
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Page last updated: 1 November 2022
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