Pito kōrero me ngā pānuiPartners in Care

A new consumer engagement initiative has been established by the Southern District Health Board and WellSouth Primary Health Network (working in partnership as Alliance South). They established the Community Health Council (CHC) to make sure communities, whānau and patients have a strong voice in planning, designing and delivering services across the Southern health system.

The CHC (led by Associate Professor Sarah Derrett as Establishment Chair) aims to improve some of the current health and health system issues affecting patients and the public in the Southern health district. CHC members come from a variety of backgrounds and have been working on health literacy, how patients and their communities are already involved, the current DHB and PHO structures, the complaints and quality improvement process, and on the Treaty of Waitangi and how the health system addresses the Treaty.

The CHC plans to:

• work with communities, whānau, staff, and patients across the district to try and improve the flow of communication
• build a database of CHC stakeholders
• develop a number of patient story videos 
• finalise its ‘Guidance Framework for Health Professionals’ on how to engage patients and whānau in decision making
• help influence the way in which complaints are fielded by the DHB and develop meaningful patient feedback mechanisms that work from a patient/public perspective
• work together with the Clinical Council.

The Council is excited about opportunities that lie ahead to improve health and disability services delivered across the Southern district.

For more information, visit the Southern DHB website.

Last updated 19/07/2017