Toiora Whanau Ora centres launched

Toiora Whanau Ora centres launched

Two Whanau Ora Centres were launched today in the Waikato by the Hon. Tariana Turia, Associate Minister of Health, as part of the Government’s new primary health care programme.

The new Whanau Ora centres – Te Kohao Health Limited on Kirikiriroa Marae in Hamilton and Taumarunui Community Kokiri Trust - are part of the Toiora Primary Health Organisation Coalition, which provides health services for approximately 47,000 people, of which a significant proportion are Maori and high needs patients from throughout the Waikato region.

They are among the first Whanau Ora centres in the country.

While Toiora PHO Coalition has been delivering programmes with a Whanau Ora approach for many years, with the launch of the centres, Toiora will now be delivering Whanau Ora outcomes-based programmes that are recognised and supported by the Government.

Toiora PHO Coalition is a member of the National Maori PHO Coalition, which was chosen by the Ministry of Health in 2009 to develop and implement the ‘Better, sooner, more convenient’ national primary health care initiative from a Whanau Ora perspective.

The National Maori PHO Coalition has designed Whanau Ora programmes that can be implemented throughout the country. The first two programmes are:

• Mama, pepi and tamariki (care of mothers from pre-conception, pregnancy and birth and care of children through to pre-school)

• Oranga ki tua (the management of long-term conditions, such as diabetes, obesity cancer, respiratory disorders, arthritis, depression, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, bipolar disorder, alcohol and drug dependency and many other conditions).

“A significant difference with the new Whanau Ora centres is that measurement for success will be focussed on the actual outcomes for whanau, providers, communities and Aotearoa-New Zealand, rather than the number of patients, inoculations, procedures etc.,” said Toiora PHO Coalition chief executive Tureiti Moxon.

“Other changes are the way whanau can access programmes, including:

• there will be one point of entry to ensure coordination of care
• care of whanau will be managed by teams
• case workers will be assigned to work with individuals and their whanau collectively, creating a seamless pathway to achieving goals; and
• the initial focus will be on mama, pepi and tamariki and Oranga ki tua programmes.”

Already the new Whanau Ora centres provide a diverse range of primary and community services, including a GP practice, a pharmacy, nursing services, physiotherapy, Tamariki Ora, lomilomi (massage), a psychologist, kaumatua programmes, nutrition programmes, smoking cessation and many more services.

Ms Moxon said the launch of the Whanau Ora centres was a significant milestone for whanau in the region.

“These are among the first Government supported Whanau Ora centres in Aotearoa-New Zealand. For decades we have wanted to address specific Maori health priorities in our own way, and now we have the ability and support to do just that.

“It is now within our ability to provide high quality health and social services that will result in positive outcomes with wide ranging benefits for Maori whanau and all New Zealanders who seek Whanau Ora.”

“We are often asked why New Zealand should create a Whanau Ora system. The most important driver is the significant health inequalities that exist for Maori and high needs communities,” said National Maori PHO Coalition chief executive Simon Royal.

“In developing this Whanau Ora system we believe we can not only improve the performance and productivity of the health system, but enable Maori and high needs populations to improve their own health outcomes and re-engage as productive members of our society.”

NB: These Whanau Ora centres are funded by the Ministry of Health, via the National Maori PHO Coalition, to provide primary health care programmes from a Whanau Ora perspective.

The centres are not funded from the Government’s Whanau Integration, Innovation and Engagement Fund, announced by the Minister responsible for Whanau Ora, Hon. Tariana Turia, in late October.

ENDS

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