WAIKATO HEALTH NEWS
AUTUMN 2019 WELCOME TO OUR AUTUMN ISSUE WHICH INCLUDES STORIES, HEALTH ADVICE AND INFORMATION FROM WAIKATO DISTRICT HEALTH BOARD FOR VISITORS, PATIENTS AND PUBLIC.
PUBLISHED BY Waikato District Health Board Hamilton, New Zealand March 2019
CONTACT news@waikatodhb.health.nz WEBSITES
New centre for mums and babies in Te Kuiti T
he sun shone brightly for the opening of the new Maternity Resource Centre in Te Kuiti in mid-February.
The centre is the first of its kind in New Zealand, and also the first of three such centres across Waikato DHB’s southern rural district. Later this year, similar centres will open in Taumarunui and Tokoroa, after the same codesign process with the local community, mums and whānau. The centre opening marks a significant change in the way Waikato DHB offers support services to mums, whānau and babies in the area. Located at 20 Carroll Street in the heart of town, the centre supports women during their pregnancy, after baby is born and beyond. It is not a birthing centre, rather it helps mums and families to access a wide range of community resources and social services for the health and wellbeing of them and their children. The centre can be used for lead maternity carer (LMC) consultations, and will also house Well Child/Tamariki Ora providers and other
health and community workers including visiting lactation consultants and vision hearing testers. The DHB’s smokefree, immunisation, nutrition and parenting education services will also be supported from the centre, and there will be links with the perinatal mental health service. The resource centre was opened following the closure of the primary birthing unit at Te Kuiti Hospital which was not being used by the majority of local women as they chose to birth at other facilities including the new Te Awamutu birthing unit.
Maternity Resource Centre 20 Carrol Street, Te Kuiti Hours 9am-3pm week days See photos from the offiical opening page 2.
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IN THIS ISSUE
ENTRE
TE KUITI C
ITNEY
MEET WH
HELLE
MEET MIC
K
NEPAL TRE FLU TIPS
TIONS CONSULTA TURE PHOTO FEA
D PUZZLE
OR BONES W
2 WAIKATO HEALTH NEWS AUTUMN 2019
Te Kuiti celebrates the official opening
WAIKATO HEALTH NEWS AUTUMN 2019 3
Meet Michelle Belcher works at Waikato M ichelle DHB and took the photograph
we feature on the back page of this magazine.
What does your work at Waikato DHB involve? I am the medical workforce co-ordinator for Paediatrics at Waikato Hospital. I do all the rosters and leave management for the doctors in “Paeds”. Essentially I am their “go-to” person for anything they need.
Meet Whitney
What do you like best about your job? I love the people I work with, it’s a big family and one I’m grateful to be part of.
Whitney – she recently took over Waikato DHB’s M eet Instagram account to showcase
Do you do a lot of photography, or was this just a chance photo? Photography is a hobby of mine but on this particular day I captured the amazing green of the sea on my phone from the top of one of the sand dunes.
• her region and what it has to offer anyone looking for a good life in healthcare • how awesome her job is and why she loves being a nurse. Ko Whitney toku ingoa Ko Tainui te waka Ko Pirongia te maunga Ko Waipa te awa Ko Ngāti Maniapoto te iwi Ko Ngāti Huiao te hapu No Otorohanga ahau.
What is your connection, if any, to the place in the photo? When I want to feel the sand beneath my feet Raglan is the place to go, nothing like a west coast beach to make you feel alive!
Kia ora, I’m Whitney and I’m from Otorohanga. I work as a registered nurse at Te Kuiti Hospital as well as a public health nurse in the Community and Southern Rural Health team along with other district nurses and ward nurses. Working in healthcare can take you anywhere – all around the world with opportunities and all around our beautiful country. No day’s the same for me where I spend time in Te Kuiti Hospital caring for a number of patients, and then I’ll be working out in the community mostly covering areas like Aria, Te Kuiti and the beachside village of Tahāroa supporting our whānau and communities. A focus of mine is keeping our infants/pēpi, children/tamariki and young people/rangatahi well. Being a mum myself to a 12 year old daughter is one of my motivations for the career I’ve chosen. The inspiration came from my mum who’s a nurse too and I’ve proudly followed in her footsteps. I studied at Wintec in Waikato and I did my NETP (nurse entry to practice) at Waikato Hospital. By doing this (taking over the DHB’s Instagram, putting myself out there!), I want to inspire more people, more mums, especially Māori to become a nurse or some type of healthcare professional because not only do you get a career for life, the best part is that good feeling of helping people. Come and check out my region through the DHB’s Instagram page or better yet come and work with me in one of our rural hospitals.
follow @WaikatoDHB
Michelle Belcher with her photo.
4 WAIKATO HEALTH NEWS AUTUMN 2019
“To stay young, hang out with young people,” says Kevin Bardsley.
Nepal trek renews a passion for tramping S
ixty-two-year-old Kevin Bardsley says he didn’t think too deeply about taking on Nepal’s 200-kilometre Annapurna Circuit Trek until the day he was set to leave New Zealand.
“I didn’t get nervous,” the Waikato grandfather of three says. “Because I did not know what to be nervous about.” At 100kg, Bardsley, who is 6ft 3in (1.9m) tall, says he was about 10kg overweight and “couldn’t and wouldn’t” shift the extra bulk. Looking back, he admits he’d become lazy. While he had excelled at multiple sports at school and later “dabbled” in marathons and multi-day triathlons, he’d become much less active since his three children, now in their 30s, were born.
three times; walking for up to five hours at a stretch along the Karamu Walkway; and climbing the 1349 steps to the Hakarimata Summit to practice walking with poles. The Annapurna Circuit has long been considered one of the best treks in Nepal and one of the world’s classic walks. It traverses landscapes ranging from alpine to subtropical and an arid semi-desert similar to the upper Gandaki Valley in Tibet. The climax is the iconic 5416m Thorong La Pass, the scene of the October 2014 tragedy when many people lost their lives.
The views of the surrounding icy peaks from the summit are meant “Our nation is suffering from an obesity epidemic. to be outstanding but Bardsley and I work in the development of tertiary healthcare his group didn’t get much time to facilities and our capacity is always stretched. contemplate them - a snow storm hit We must deal with the epidemic ourselves. Don’t “with full force” five minutes after their arrival. Weathering the storm was hesitate; make the decision to get out.” “spooky”, Bardsley admits. As were Now he has renewed passion for the “difficult descent over 2000m in tramping in New Zealand after fresh snow, the final whiteout and the loss of our path down to completing the circuit. safety.” Bardsley made the trek as part of the adventure group Got to Led by their two local guides, the group made it safely to Get Out (GTGO), which planned to walk the Annapurna Circuit Muktinath Mandir, an important pilgrimage site for Buddhists in the northern hemisphere mid-winter. When asked to join the and Hindus, within eight-and-a-half hours. venture by a fellow tramper, Kevin answered “hell yes!”. Bardsley’s assessment of the pass: “exhausting but rewarding”. Bardsley, who designs operating theatres, specialist procedure Trekking for between five and 10 hours a day, he says his travel rooms and major infrastructure for the Waikato District Health doctor’s advice to take “granny steps” proved solid. Board, says that until that moment he thought his days of He’d done three three-day tramps - Lake Waikaremoana, Queen Charlotte and the Northern Circuit and numerous one-dayers, but had become a bit blasé about the New Zealand bush, saying “it’s all the same!”
overseas travel were behind him. The following day, he put his money where is mouth was and signed up for the trip, having no idea he would be around twice the age of most other group members. With the trip just two and a half months away, Bardsley embarked on an emergency training regime, summiting 952m Mt Te Aroha, the highest peak in the Kaimai-Mamaku range,
“I found descending the hardest as I have arthritis in my feet, probably from years of long-distance jogging. Continual descending gives me acute forefoot pain. But I recover quickly.” The highlights of the hike for Bardsley were the “grandeur” of the mountains, experiencing the simplicity of life in the villages and spending time with the other group members and the local guides, porters and taxi and tuk tuk drivers.
WAIKATO HEALTH NEWS AUTUMN 2019 5
Bardsley says “I feel like a new person as I have 10kg less to carry around.” He wonders now why he put up with the extra weight for so long, saying he feels fitter, healthier and better about himself than he has in a long time. He reckons it’s taken a few years off his appearance too. Getting back into hiking has made him realise how many “closet trampers” there are in New Zealand too; people who have given up or forgotten the pleasures of venturing into the wilderness since having children. “While training for the hike, so many of my friends and workmates have revealed they also used to tramp. I was not very aware of this. So I have motivated them and they have motivated me.” Believing that keeping active and hanging out with young people are key to staying young yourself, Bardsley encourages those feeling old, overweight, unfit or simply unhappy to get outside. Pronto. “Our nation is suffering from an obesity epidemic. I work in the development of tertiary healthcare facilities and our capacity is always stretched. We must deal with the epidemic ourselves. Don’t hesitate; make the decision to get out.” Article written by Lorna Thornber and published in edited format with permission from Stuff Ltd.
How long have you worked at Waikato DHB? 44 years What is the biggest change in the organisation you’ve seen in that time? New and upgraded facilities – the $500m construction of the modern Meade Clinical Centre, Acute Services Building, Older Persons and Rehabilitation Building, upgrades of the Regional Renal Centre, Henry Rongomau Bennett Centre and Peter Rothwell Academic Centre, and many other closely related projects over the last decade. What does your role involve? Managing and designing technical infrastructure (engineering) and building construction projects, and design and construction of specialist clinical areas. Given my accumulated institutional knowledge, I also give advice to the external engineering and design consultants we use on projects. What has been the most exciting project you’ve been involved in and why? Being a key member of the large team leading the huge redevelopment of Waikato Hospital campus from 2009 to 2015. I also enjoy design and construction of smaller rooms/projects like operating rooms and specialist xray rooms as these projects are short, sharp and precise with little room for error.
INFLUENZA KILLS PROTECT YOUR WHĀNAU FROM FLU THIS WINTER
The flu vaccination is FREE for people who are most at risk. Almost everyone can benefit from protection, especially if you or any family member is:
Pregnant (any trimester).
Mothers who receive the influenza vaccine while pregnant can pass protection on to their baby.
Aged 65 years and older Living with ongoing health condition like asthma, diabetes, cancer, a heart or lung condition.
Aged 4 years or under who have been hospitalised for respiratory illness or have a history of significant respiratory illness.
Each year around
1 in 4
New Zealanders is infected with influenza
Three things you can do
1. Immunisation is your best defence against influenza as it prepares your immune system to fight the virus 2. Follow basic hygiene practices
• Wash hands, don’t share drinks, avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
3. Stop the spread of the flu
Kevin Bardsley, at the back of the Meade Clinical Centre, Waikato Hospital.
• Symptoms include fever, chills, aches, runny nose, a cough and stomach upset • If you are unwell, stay at home until you are better • Avoid close contact with others • Cover your nose and mouth while you cough or sneeze.
6 WAIKATO HEALTH NEWS AUTUMN 2019
Community consultation updates Health System Plan update n 2017 Waikato DHB developed the vision of “Healthy people. Excellent care” along with some priorities that would help us to deliver on the vision. To get closer to this vision we have to look at how our health system is working now and how we need it to work in the next 10 years.
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The result is called a Health System Plan. We know we have to make some big changes to meet the challenges of the future and to have a health system that works for our people. Most importantly, we want to design those changes with our communities and the people who use our services. Through July and August last year we held a series of wānanga, focus groups and consumer interviews to get ideas and input from our communities and service users. A big thank you to everyone who shared their experiences, knowledge and ideas. Since then we have distilled those community and individual voices into some clear themes that have helped us develop a draft Health System Plan.
Mental health and addictions services etween December 2017 and August 2018 we held a series of ‘Let’s talk’ (Me kōrero tātou) hui in the Waikato community to ask people to share experiences, views and ideas that will help guide the new direction of mental health and addictions services in the Waikato.
B
What did people say?
Engaging with Māori was a priority and the DHB worked with local Māori service providers and their iwi to find the best way to reach them to hear their voice.
• Focussed on wellness and wellbeing
There were 29 community hui held throughout the Waikato DHB area.
Our next step will be to go back to our communities with that draft in April.
Overall, people said that by 2028 they’d like Waikato health services to be: • Focussed on the needs of service users, not the services’ needs • Equitable and fair for everyone regardless of ethnicity, sex, age or where people live • Joined up health services with smooth links between health and other social services • Designed with the people who use them.
The feedback translated into six goals with action areas underneath: 1. Partnering with Māori in the planning and delivery of health services 2. Empowering whānau to achieve wellbeing 3. Supporting community aspirations and addressing the determinants of health 4. Improving access to services 5. Enhancing the capacity and capability of primary health care 6. Strengthening intermediate care We will focus our work in these six areas to address what is needed in communities to support people to stay well and live well with their health needs and to have better, more affordable health services.
Updated information is on our website: waikatodhb.health.nz/hsp
There were also workshops with staff working in Mental Health and Addictions services, plus focus groups for: • tāngata whaiora (clients, consumers) • rangatahi (young people) • LGBTQI+ community Throughout the ‘Let’s Talk’ hui, we checked with communities to make sure that we had heard them correctly in terms of the local issues to be resolved, and what was needed for achieving transformational change in the mental health and addictions sector. We also asked our communities to help us better understand the different opportunities and challenges in each community that would overcome inequalities for Māori when accessing mental health and addictions services, and lead to improved health and wellbeing. We will use this feedback to be responsive towards finding the best solutions for addressing health inequalities in the Waikato DHB. It is our job as custodians of the ‘Let’s Talk’ hui process to ensure the voice of the people we met with is reflected in any recommended solutions.
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We have evaluated all this important feedback and summarised are the themes and starting points for further conversation and actions that will help guide the new direction of mental health and addictions services in the Waikato.
Whānau Strengthening families Tautoko Support Whānau as equal partners in all decisionmaking involving their loved one’s care
Mātauranga Education Whānau will be offered information, training and support to recognise, monitor and act on any signs of mental unwellness
Kia manawanui Resilience Navigational access within the health system and across the social sector
Hapori Resilient communities Mahere hapori Community mapping Communities will know the best person / organisation to help navigate their community services
Tūhono Connected Communities are supported to reach out, take care and check in on each other
Ngā awenga oranga Wellness influencers Ratonga Services Services that treat you with dignity, quality and in a timely manner
Rawakore Poverty Wrap around service that will stick with you
Whakatūtata Closer to home Early access to a range of local services
Ngā mōrearea Crisis resolution Tōmuri-ināianei Earlier, timelier Believe me when I say I need help
Whakapā Communications One friendly familiar face with you and your whānau throughout this journey
Ngā mahere Planning One care plan throughout your journey
Hanga raukaha Capacity
Mana motuhake Holistic automony
Communities have the resources and are supported to strengthen our social and operational infrastructure
Hakapapa Identity
Aiwhenua Rural
Supporting a sense of belonging and connectedness to cultural anchors
Tikanga-kawa Protocol and practices
Rural communities will co-develop their own crisis response
Kati whakamomori Stop suicide Rangatahi Coming of age Bringing people together to help harness the potential of rangatahi
Whakakati Prevention
Mātauranga Māori underpins health and wellbeing
Rangatiratanga Leadership Kaumātua, kaitakawaenga, kaiārahi, kaihautū kaiwhiriwhiri
Mahi te mahi Workforce Whakatiki Appropriate
The first call for help is answered, supported and followed up
Supporting a sense of belonging and connectedness to cultural anchors
I muri iho Postvention
Whakaata Reflective
Reaching in to support whānau in these challenges
A sustainable workforce that reflects the needs of the service users
Poapoataunu Stigma
Ngakau Compassion
Making it OK to not be OK
A workforce that values and respects people
We will continue to work with our communities for a better health and wellbeing system that works for all. The full report is on our website: waikatodhb.health.nz/lets-talk
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Showcasing beautiful Waikato
Photographer: Michelle Belcher. See story page 3.
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