MDHB Health Awards celebrate a decade of excellence

11 August 2014
Categories for 2014 Health Awards
• Supreme Award – Excellence in integrated health care
•
• Best use of technology in health care
•
• Excellence in optimising the health status of priority populations
•
• Excellence in intersectoral collaboration to improve health and social outcomes
•
• Excellence in medicines management
•
• Excellence in research and innovation in health care
•
• Health professional of the year
•
• Excellence in workforce education and development
•
• Most significant improvement over ten years
•
• Judges’ choice
For the past ten years, MidCentral DHB has been seeking out those who embody the innovative spirit that New Zealand is famous for, and the call is going out again for nominations as MDHB celebrates a decade of excellence with the 2014 Health Awards.

Previous winners have drawn on their passion for superior health care to shape a better future for everyone in the MidCentral district, and the MDHB Health Awards provide a way of recognising these innovators, rewarding them for their creative ideas and service improvements. MDHB wants to see what amazing new innovations are ticking away in the health sector, and are encouraging those in health to take a moment to nominate themselves or someone else for the work they are doing to improve the health of local communities.

Entries are now open, and people have until Friday 5 September to get their nominations in. For an application pack, or to order tickets for the event go towww.midcentraldhb.govt.nz/healthawards while any enquiries can be directed to healthawards@midcentraldhb.govt.nz

Awards sponsor Mike Grant is looking forward to recognising the incredible work that health sector workers do within the MidCentral area.

He said: “The 2013 awards were an immense success, with scores of entries showcasing innovation, energy and commitment to delivering the very best in health care. This year, being our celebration of a decade of excellence, will be the best Health Awards to date.

“These awards exist to ensure that individuals and teams are rewarded for work that raises the standard of health care in the MidCentral district. Importantly, it is about celebrating the achievements of all specialties in an array of settings.”

This year the supreme award will go to the individual or team that demonstrates excellence in integrated health care. To win, applicants will need to demonstrate an innovative approach and use of integrated practices in the achievement of successful health outcomes.

The addition of the ‘most significant improvement over ten years award’ will recognise a team that has made impressive changes since the inception of the Health Awards in 2005.

The winner of the supreme award will take away $3000, a trophy and certificate of acknowledgement, while the category winners will take away the trophy, and certificate, along with $2000.

A history of excellence in health care

The first MDHB Health Awards, held in 2005, were for the primary care sector only, and saw 60 nominations across nine categories. In that year’s awards, Professor Nan Kinross won the Lifetime Achievement Award, while Team of the Year went to Whakapai Hauora.

It was in 2008 that the awards were expanded to include secondary care, and saw 80 nominations across an expanded 11 categories. In that year, Dannevirke’s Barraud Street Health Centre won top prize for ‘Team of the Year’ with the judges commenting that they exemplified the meaning of a primary health care team.

The record of winners goes to show that as long as the work being done is innovative, and working to actively improve the health care of people in the MidCentral district, anyone can win. The previously mentioned Barraud Street Health Centre was an example of a large team effort, while Glen Caves’ win in 2010 recognised his individual contributions, including his work as a community pharmacist and as a key driver in the establishment of the MidCentral Community Pharmacy Group.

Previous Supreme Award winners
2005 Professor Nan Kinross
2006 Tamariki Ora/Well Child nurse Carla Kamo
2007 MDHB Director of Nursing (Primary) Chiquita Hansen
2008 Dannevirke’s Barraud Street Health Centre
2009 Dr Homi Zargar and Mr Quentin King
2010 MidCentral Community Pharmacy Group’s Glen Caves
2011 Lower North Island Youth Justice Residential Centre Health Team
2012 Albert Street Medical Centre
2013 Project to improve health of older people in Horowhenua

More recently, the Health Awards have seen a push toward recognising integrated health care, as more and more organisations from the primary and secondary sectors begin to work together to produce positive health outcomes for communities. Now more than ever, it is becoming apparent that using the specialties of different health organisations to work toward a common goal is a way of providing better care, while working within resource restrictions that health organisations often face.

One person who knows all about innovation and integration in health care is The Masonic Villages Trust CEO Warick Dunn who, as part of the team that won the 2013 supreme award, has plenty of experience in this area. The Masonic Villages Trust came up with a concept to establish the country’s first Nurse Practitioner (NP) to work specially with older adults, at their rest home in Horowhenua to help reduce hospital admissions. The Trust knew they couldn’t justify a full time NP themselves, so Mr Dunn approached Enliven Presbyterian Support about a partnership with their two Horowhenua facilities. The proposal was then referred to the Central PHO, where they also took it on board. The three-way partnership has resulted in significantly less admissions to Palmerston North Hospital’s Emergency Department.

Mr Dunn said: “Our organisation has been a supporter of the Health Awards since their inception, and we think they are a great way of recognising a whole range of health care providers, and acknowledging the contribution they make toward better health outcomes for the MidCentral population. They also provide a wonderful incentive to lift quality and come up with innovative new ideas that can be used to develop a better health care system for the future.”

© Scoop Media