New hospital means a revamped health system, too
We have a new Dunedin Hospital site — now what? Southern District Health Board Commissioner Kathy Grant explains.
Iwas as excited as anyone when the site for the new Dunedin Hospital was unveiled earlier this month.
The centralcity site ticks all the boxes with regard to location, size and proximity to the tertiary sector.
And it has been well received by the people of the South, according to a poll conducted by this newspaper.
Sowhat happens next?
This is a very complex project and it will be some time yet before we hear sounds of construction and see cranes on the Dunedin skyline.
But behind the scenes there is substantial work under way to ensure that when the hospital is completed, its doors will open on a redesigned health system.
Southern DHB has been planning for the new hospital, and how it fits with our broader health objectives, for a number of years.
We are fortunate to have our Clinical Leadership Group (CLG) of senior medical staff leading the way. This dedicated team of 25 includes specialists, nurses, physiotherapists, pharmacists and GPs.
They have a broad remit, drawing on the latest global research and using their collective expertise to make recommendations on how the new hospital should best deliver care. To date, they have produced papers on topics including the care for elderly, the best design of wards and the transition to a digital hospital.
We hope this will provoke wideranging discussion among staff to ensure they have a broad vision for the future.
This is because in a wider sense the CLG is also grappling with the role of a modern hospital.
This includes asking questions around which services should be provided in a hospital setting at all.
The outcomes of this work will not capture the public attention in the same way as the first concept drawings of the physical building, but they will have a more direct impact on people’s lives.
We believe it will be a positive impact and the people of the South will not have to wait for the new hospital to experience the benefits.
As we implement the Primary and Community Care Strategy and Action plan that was shared with the community earlier this year, new ways of working will be progressively introduced — and the reshaping of services will extend far beyond the hospital walls.
Just as the new hospital is a hospital for our whole district, so too is our wider approach to transforming our healthcare system.
Our aim is to enable people to stay well, and receive care closer to home, knowing that those secondary and tertiary services that need to be delivered in a hospital setting will be there when they need them.
We have taken important steps in this direction.
This includes the rollout of electronic health records so that your care can be more coordinated, and you do not need to repeat yourself so often. GPs, hospitals and pharmacies can see important information about you, such as any allergies you may have, medications you are on, and test results.
We have also seen an increase in the uptake of virtual health consultations, meaning people can see and talk to specialists and others via a video link. It bothers me greatly to know that people travel three hours or more to Dunedin, incurring costs for accommodation and time off work, for a 10minute conversation that does not require any physical examination.
We can do better than this. We are now also looking forward to working with GP practices that have expressed interest in becoming a Health Care Home.
This approach promises many benefits to patients, including more flexible hours, options for telephone consultations, and more.
Importantly, it means that care can be better organised around individual needs. So in some circumstances, it may be perfectly suitable for a parent with three small children to make a phone call to ask some questions, rather than bundling everyone into the car.
On the other hand, another person with complex health needs could benefit from a planning session involving their GP, district nurse, physiotherapist and specialist at one time, for example, to ensure everyone is on the same page. Everyone is different, and our health system needs to be flexible enough to accommodate this.
Other projects include developing a more effective whole of health system web presence, to make it easier for people to be directed to the care they need, and enabling patients to book their own appointments online, so you know they will be at times that suit you.
We also welcome the additional support for primary care in the recent Budget. This will go some way to better enabling those at risk to seek care early, and in the right place.
Some of these aims can be achieved quickly, while others will take longer.
But focusing in these areas, while having a longerterm view, means we can begin to enjoy the benefits of a redesigned health system long before the opening of the new hospital.
We look forward to continuing to share with you further progress in the months and years ahead.
❛ Just as the new hospital is a hospital for our whole district, so too is our wider
approach to transforming our healthcare system. Our aim is to enable people to stay well, and receive care closer to home, knowing that those secondary and tertiary services that need to be delivered in a hospital
setting will be there when they need them.