Integration between hospital, community health and GP care

Wednesday 22 December 2010

GPs being asked to New system will allow closer integration between hospital, community health and general practitioner care

The Bay of Plenty District Health Board is changing the delivery of health care across the Bay of Plenty with closer integration between hospital, community health and general practitioner care.

This is in keeping with the DHB’s desire to give patients better access to a wider range of health services as close to home as possible.

Bay of Plenty District Health Board CEO Phil Cammish says that Bay Navigator will improve the patient’s overall journey through the health system, as well as ensuring continuity of care across different disciplines and sectors.

“We are looking to create a fundamental reorientation of the health system across the Bay of Plenty,” he said.

He said Bay Navigator will provide online support to enable hospital clinicians (Senior Medical Officers) and general practitioners (GPs) to work together to improve the coordination of patient care from the community, into hospital and back into the community.

“Bay Navigator has SMOs and GPs working together to create a seamless health care system that meets the needs of our population.”

“We have brought clinical staff from a range of disciplines to the table to design and agree care processes for their use, to benefit patients. Bringing all parties together through a series of pathway development meetings has resulted in "boundary-crossing", and the strengthening of clinical networks to share knowledge, produce efficiencies and reduce errors.”

Mr Cammish said that by working together in the care pathways project all clinical staff can ensure we provide patient care in the right place at the right time. “Improved communication and coordination between different parts of the health system and between hospital clinicians and general practitioners can only improve patient care,” he said

The four health groupings chosen to kick-start Bay Navigator are diabetes, respiratory, cardiology and child health.

The BOPDHB is now asking for expressions of interest from GPs to be involved in the development work to work jointly with the SMOs to set the development priorities, provide clinical leadership for pathway development, education and implementation.

“We recognise the value of working collaboratively and that to make the best of our resourcing, both in terms of funding and availability of clinicians; we need to work together across all providers of health care to ensure the best outcomes for the Bay of Plenty.

“Our goal is to create a smooth transition for patients between services and deliver better, sooner and more convenient health care for our community” says Mr Cammish.

“Bay Navigator is a clinically driven initiative that has a real focus on local need.”

It will be officially launched in the New Year and includes the development of a new website that will be able to be accessed by all health care services.

ENDS

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