14 November 2013 - Global disaster puts personal challenges in perspective
David Meates
My thoughts are with those who have family and friends affected by the deadly Typhoon Haiyan which hit the Philippines. It’s been shocking to see the devastation with the huge loss of life and lack of basic amenities, such as food, water and medical supplies. Seeing the badly-damaged hospital overwhelmed by casualties reiterated the level of helplessness of those on the ground.
The challenges of getting aid to where it’s needed when all infrastructure is damaged is proving to be a huge obstacle for the government and relief agencies. A United Nations report this morning stated that even on day five of this tragedy, they still don’t know the full extent of the picture of devastation, with information coming in in a piecemeal fashion. They’re now talking about 9.4 million people being affected with more than 600,000 people displaced. That’s more than the population of Christchurch. A global disaster such as this certainly puts our own personal challenges in perspective. World Congress on Integrated Care Last week I was invited to present at the World Congress on Integrated Care held in Singapore. The Congress focused on why integrated care is a high priority for healthcare systems around the world. A number of examples from a range of different countries were used to highlight a variety of models that exist and the “folly” of searching for the “one best way” was discussed. The importance of understanding the common ingredients of integrated care that can be found in different models and the importance of adapting and shaping these ingredients in different contexts were highlighted. The distinction between real and virtual integration; the importance of aligning incentives behind integrated care; the need to focus primarily on clinical and service integration rather than organisational integration and to integrate care around individual patients and users as well as populations were seen as fundamental ingredients. Fragmentation to integration Evidence and experience show that moving from fragmentation to integration is extremely challenging with many attempts either failing or achieving only partial success. A small number of examples of progress towards integration were highlighted. One of these small numbers of examples was the Canterbury Health System. All of the work that so many have been involved with in Canterbury is at the leading edge of integration worldwide. However, I think that we are all aware of just how much better we can make our health system. More information on the King’s Fund report which talks about Canterbury’s journey towards integration be found here: http://cdhb.govt.nz/What-We-Do/Projects-Initiatives/kings-fund/Pages/default.aspx Canterbury Anniversary Day If you have a day off tomorrow – enjoy the break. If a visit to the A & P show is on the agenda be sure to pop in and say hi to the team at our health system exhibit. It’s in the Future Canterbury Pavilion. If you’re feeling brave you can ‘oldify’ yourself and see what you might look like 30 years from now. And you can also have go at the Mindgame, where your ability to shut down brain waves and chillax will make you a winner. Find out more about our plans for new health facilities and why more health services are being provided in peoples’ homes and in the community. Take care David