Project SPLICE - Taranaki District Health Board

Project SPLICE FINAL - February 2010
improve service provision. Interviews were analysed to identify key drivers and enablers for
change and findings were integrated with available evidence. This report outlines the key
drivers and enablers for change as well as the proposed model of care.
1.2.1 Mäori engagement and consultation
Specific attention has been paid to engagement with Mäori. Dr Sheridan is of Ngapuhi
descent and because of her existing networks and experience in working with Māori primary
health care provider organisations, particularly those providing nursing services, was
responsible for consultation with Taranaki Māori health provider organisations. Other
members of the team, Associate Professor Matthew Parsons and John Baird have strong
records of prior relationships with Māori health providers and consumers. Both have
worked on a number of DHB projects involving Māori such as the ‘Tairawhiti Services for
Older Person Project’ and have established links with Māori research organisations, such as
The James Henare Research Centre, The University of Auckland.
Six Māori primary health care provider organisations were visited during 21 and 22 October
2009 and kanohi ki te kanohi (face-to-face) interviews of up to 120 minutes were conducted
by Dr Sheridan. The main purpose was to find out from providers about the Māori
populations they served and their experiences of service provision. Specifically, we were
interested in what worked well, why and the degree of sustainability. Also what was less
successful, why, and whether any action had been taken or needed to be taken to address
this. These conversations indicated a high interest in integrated service provision and a
readiness to contribute to future health care frameworks for implementation to ensure
cultural relevance and safety for Māori. The individuals and organisations visited are
included in Appendix III.
1.3 Project objectives
The government has indicated that Taranaki DHB is expected to provide better, sooner more
convenient health care for the population of Taranaki. This project seeks to provide the
evidence to implement innovative and affordable models of service delivery to people with
long term conditions and for older people. The expectation is that this report will provide
recommendations on where these health services are best situated, to enable improved
client focussed models of care aimed at better health outcomes for people.
This new model of service delivery is expected to reduce avoidable hospital and residential
care admissions by providing a supported and integrated health service to older people and
those people with long term conditions living in the community. Further it will reduce the
dependence of those living with long term disability and long term conditions, ensuring
interventions and services can deliver effective holistic outcomes.
More specifically, Project SPLICE 4 sought to:
1. Explore the current health services in the community provided to older people and
people living with long term conditions;
2. Recommend evidence based and sustainable models of service delivery to provide this
identified population with health services which enable them to have the best possible
quality of life while living in the community;
4
Splice is defined by The Oxford English Dictionary as “join (a rope or ropes) by interweaving the strands at the ends.”
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