30 August 2024

In this issue:

• Message from the Chief Executive

• Health NZ offers voluntary redundancy

• Stick it to Hep C– easy test, easy cure

• Finalists in NZ Building People Awards

• New report highlights the health burden of alcohol

• First baby welcomed at new Wanaka Primary Maternity Unit

• Bringing services directly to rural youth 

• Wilson Centre improves support for children and whānau

• New resources promote antenatal immunisations

• Whangaitia Cadetship Graduation

Message from the Chief Executive

Tēnā koutou katoa,

To begin, we are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Kīngi Tūheitia. Our thoughts are with the community at this time.

This week, our Commissioner Lester Levy announced the appointment of Kylie Clegg as the third Deputy Commissioner at Health New Zealand. Kylie joins fellow Deputy Commissioners Roger Jarrold and Ken Whelan – read more here.

As part of our response to financial pressures, we have just commenced a process to give eligible staff the opportunity to consider voluntary redundancy. This is part of a wider effort to become a more efficient organisation and focus our resources on the delivery of frontline healthcare. You can find out more in the item below.

I always love to hear stories about how our work is making a difference to people in local communities. I was delighted to hear about the first birth at the new Wanaka Primary Maternity Unit (Rākai Kahukura) which opened last month. The article below notes some of the benefits of this new facility which is now providing dedicated maternity care to the people of the Wanaka area.

Please read on to hear about more of the great work happening across the motu.

Ka nui ngā mihi,

Margie.

Health NZ is sharply focused on how we can sustainably deliver its health services to New Zealanders, within our budget.

We need to move towards being a more efficient organisation, with our resources targeted to the delivery of frontline healthcare. A number of initiatives are in place to support this, but it is now clear that, by themselves, they will not resolve the financial situation or help ensure we have the right people in the right places.

As most of our expenditure is on people costs, Health NZ needs to review its size and structure.

Accordingly, we are providing the opportunity for eligible staff to consider voluntary redundancy, ahead of likely formal change consultation processes over the coming months.

At this stage, the option of expressing interest in voluntary redundancy is available to employees who are:

• employed under Individual employment agreements which are not in coverage of collective employment agreements, or

• in a role within coverage of the new PSA Policy Advisory Knowledge and Specialist (PAKS) Workers collective agreement 21 December 2023-17 February 2025 (PSA PAKS CA), or

• in a role within coverage of the PSA National Health Administration Workers collective agreement 1 January 2023-31 December 2024 (PSA Admin CA) or,

• employed on individual employment agreements with terms and conditions derived from the PSA PAKS CA or PSA Admin CA.

Eligible staff will be able to make an expression of interest over the next couple of weeks. We expect the outcome of any EOIs to be communicated to those that apply by mid-late September.

Applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Health NZ will have sole discretion over whether an EOI is accepted or not.

We want impacted staff to be treated fairly and with respect, and other staff in their areas to feel supported following any changes. Health NZ won’t be making further comment until the process is complete.

Stick it to Hep C – easy test, easy cure

Hepatitis is now the world’s deadliest virus after COVID-19.In New Zealand there are about 500 new Hepatitis C infections every year, and more than 100 deaths. A national campaign led by Health NZ is encouraging testing and treatment for those at risk.

Leading up to World Hepatitis Day on 28 July, Health NZ partnered with local providers to set up pop-up testing clinics and events around the motu to raise awareness. Health NZ spokesperson Dr Ed Gane is New Zealand’s foremost hepatitis expert and attended a clinic at Wellington Regional Hospital to launch the campaign.  He explains “these innovative approaches are an integral part of the Hepatitis C National Action Plan 2020-2030 which has already achieved excellent results. But with up to 25,000 kiwis still living with hepatitis C, there is still much work to do.”

In Raglan, TeToi Ora ki Whaingaroa held a clinic as part of an integrated outreach event that included hepatitis and bowel screening, hosted at Mai Uenuku Ki te whenua Marae. “It was great to see the teams working together, the community welcomed us and were keen to learn more,” said Jo De Lisle, Hepatitis C Programme Manager for the Te Manawa Taki Region.

In the past year, nearly 11,000 point-of-care tests were conducted nationwide. Testing is confidential and available at pop-up clinics, needle exchanges, some pharmacies, Hauora Māori partners, or through GPs.

The ‘Stick it to Hep C‘ campaign will continue across various channels, including TV, radio and social media. For more information,visit stickittohepc.co.nz.

Health professionals can also visit our website for more clinical information.

Image: Attendees at the integrated outreach event at Raglan from Raglan Medical, Marae and local community members, national and regional rural teams, Clinical Nurse Specialist Cardiology - Community Māori Liaison, Ministry for Social Development, Hepatitis Foundation of New Zealand and Te Manawa Taki Community Hepatitis C Programme.

Finalists in NZ Building People Awards

Two Health NZ project managers from our Infrastructure and Investment Group have made it to the finals of the NZ Building People Awards. The awards acknowledge and celebrate the people behind New Zealand’s most successful building and construction projects.

Jeremy Evans, who has previously won an award for his work, is a finalist in the category of Collaboration | Kotahitanga for his work on the Te Kotuku Project. By adding a vertical extension to the maternity building at Whangārei Hospital, the project created a new state-of-the-art medical laboratory, a new neonatal unit and new paediatric units.

Debbie Rihari has also been named as a finalist for her work on Bay of Islands Hospital Redevelopment Stage Two (Paparātā) in the XLam $10-$25 million Project Award category. Debbie covered all aspects of the Stage Two project to construct a new facility in Kawakawa, Northland to house outpatient, primary care, renal, oncology and haematology units and shared support spaces. 

An aspect of Debbie’s management that was highlighted was her expertise coordinating the cultural concepts for artwork throughout the building. These were inspired by iwi leaders and recognise the importance of treating the whole person.

Click here to read more.

New report highlights the health burden of alcohol

Health NZ and University of Otago have published the results of a project that estimates the alcohol-attributable health burden in Aotearoa. The research shows that alcohol causes a significant preventable health burden through a range of disease and injury conditions, especially for Māori and males.

The research used 2018 data sources from Ministry of Health, Stats NZ, ACC and the Global Burden of Disease Study.

Key findings include:

• More than two standard drinks per week will increase the risk of developing several types of cancer, including breast and colon cancer.

• In 2018, an estimated 901 deaths, 1,250 cancers, 29,282 hospitalisations, 49,742 disability-adjusted life years and 128,963 ACC claims were attributable to alcohol.

• Cancers, injuries and conditions that are wholly attributable to alcohol use (e.g., alcoholic gastritis and alcohol use disorders) contribute most alcohol-attributable mortality and morbidity.

• Alcohol attributable cancers contributed to the highest number of deaths of any condition group with 376 deaths (42% of all alcohol-attributable deaths).

• Alcohol attributable injuries accounted for the second highest number of deaths at 296 (33% of all alcohol attributable deaths).

The study found the burden of alcohol use is largely preventable, and its true extent is likely to be underestimated. Read the report here.

First baby welcomed at new Wanaka Primary Maternity Unit

On August 12, Caroline and Michael became the first parents of a baby born at Health NZ’s new Wanaka Primary Maternity Unit (Rākai Kahukura), which opened late last month.

Mia was born at 10.56pm, weighing 2.92 kilograms. Caroline says having a dedicated maternity unit in their hometown removed much of the stress and anxiety that came with giving birth.

“Having a baby is something that’s overwhelming and enormous and there can be quite a lot of apprehension involved, especially for first-time parents,” she says. “Knowing now that there is somewhere dedicated, safe and purpose-built that you can go to – it takes care of all that uncertainty around what happens if something goes wrong.”

Before the Wanaka unit opened, the closest primary birthing units were in Queenstown and Alexandra and families in the Upper Clutha District returning from specialist care did not have a postnatal option close to home.

Image: Baby Mia and family.

Bringing services directly to rural youth

Making health care and education accessible to rural communities often means stepping out of traditional settings and bringing services directly to the people.

SUPP (not an acronym - the name chosen by local youth) is a Whanganui-based mobile service taking alcohol and drug education on the road in a camper van to reach young people where they live.  

SUPP, which is part of the mental health team at Whanganui Hospital, delivers advice on alcohol, drugs and vaping to rural youth across the Rangitikei district. Recently in a visit to Otiwhiti Station, a not-for-profit agricultural school in the hill country, SUPP engaged young shepherds under 19 in meaningful discussions about substance use. The warm reception and enthusiastic participation showed the impact of connecting directly with these communities.  

SUPP's efforts are paying off, with a significant increase in referrals since it started working in the community. It’s approach of directly engaging with youth is helping to make a real difference.

Image: SUPP team inside their campervan: Sam, Helen, Paul and Michelle.

Wilson Centre improves support for children and whānau

Auckland’s Wilson Centre for Children is celebrating a significant milestone with stage one of a significant refurbishment project now complete. Owned by the Wilson Home Trust, the Centre houses Health NZ’s Regional Out of Home Respite Service and the National Children’s Rehabilitation Service, which supports children aged 0-16 from around the motu. The Centre also provides temporary accommodation for whānau, so children have the love and support of family while in our care.

The refurbishment has delivered major upgrades to two villas, including a complete overhaul of the structure, roof, cladding and flooring. Double-glazed windows, a spacious playroom, improved staff hub and a large,covered deck area have also been added. These upgrades will significantly enhance the experience for children with improved accessibility and safety equipment and provide more space and comfort for their families.

Work on the remaining four villas will start later this year.

Image: New playroom at the Wilson Centre.

New resources promote antenatal immunisations

New posters and brochures promoting antenatal immunisations are now available. We encourage health service providers to display these new resources where they can.

You can download them now from HealthEd or Dropbox or order free copies from Bluestar:

• NIP8939 Protecting you and your pēpi starts during pregnancy (Brochure)

• NIP8861 Protecting your pēpi starts in pregnancy (A3 poster).

Whangaitia Cadetship Graduation

Orita Taualeoo joined the Whangaitia Health Cadetship to gain confidence and learn new skills. Eight weeks later, she graduated with a Careerforce Level 2 Health and Wellbeing qualification and secured a job as a health care assistant in an aged care facility, Bryant House.

The Whangaitia Health Cadetship is a partnership between Health NZ and the Ministry of Social Development to create a pathway for working in the health sector and help build a sustainable health workforce.

Orita was one of 25 people on the Job Seeker benefit completing the tenth iteration of the programme. Cadets are placed in various roles across Health NZ or within community aged-care facilities. They spend every Monday in the classroom and work the rest of the week paid through the MSD Flexi-Wage fund.

Orita admits her first week working at Bryant House was overwhelming. “I was trying to adjust to the workplace routine and not mess anything up. Being a health care assistant is not an easy role, but I’ve learned when you want to achieve and reach your goals, you overcome your challenges. It’s turning impossible into possible.”

Orita found her stride, completed the cadetship, and was offered full-time employment with Bryant House. She says “I’m so thankful for this programme. It pushed me out of my comfort zone and helped me be a better version of myself. It really has beenlife changing.”

Image: Orita Taualeoo and Cadet Supervisor Sharon Steed.

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