Health Care Home – second year reflections

10 October 2018

In just two years, the Health Care Home (HCH) model of primary healthcare has spread across Greater Wellington to benefit tens of thousands of people.

Released today, the second annual HCH ‘achievements & reflections’ report provides a broad overview of the HCH’s second year in the Wellington region.

“HCH puts patients and families’ needs at the heart of local healthcare delivery. It’s an investment in helping to ensure people can access services closer to home and stay well in the community,” said Capital & Coast DHB interim chief executive Julie Patterson

“It has represented a significant change in the delivery of primary care, and was achieved through successful collaboration between the DHB and local PHOs – Ora Toa, Cosine and Tū Ora Compass Health.

“This initiative has been, and remains, a priority investment and we are excited that it will reach 80 percent of the DHB population this year.”

An independent tracking of 42,000 patients over two years shows HCH patients are less likely to need Emergency Department or hospital-level care. They also use technology more than non-HCH patients to manage their primary health care needs – with some practices reporting more than half their patients using patient portals for appointments, repeat prescriptions and test results.

HCH practices are also seeing benefits from GP triage or telephone assessment and treatment. In some practices, 35 percent of patients are being successfully managed over the phone, freeing up time to see people with more urgent needs.

“I'm pleased that more and more practices are joining the Health Care Home quality improvement programme,” said Tū Ora Compass Health chief executive Martin Hefford.

“Their early achievements in providing more patient-centred care are encouraging, and we are delighted to be rolling out the HCH model into the Wairarapa, based on the success of our practices in CCDHB.”

For more information read the Health Care Home Second Year: Achievements and Reflections.

For latest news visit www.ccdhb.org.nz, www.facebook.com/CCDHB or www.compasshealth.org.nz.

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