Bringing manaaki to Whaitara Health Centre (WHC) has been a key focus for the Tui Ora team – not only for whānau but for the kaimahi too.
“Prior to Tui Ora acquiring the practice, the situation in Whaitara had been challenging for the administration and clinical team for some time, as well as for whānau,” says Whaitara Project Lead Ngaio Marama. “We are excited to offer whānau a different experience and, while we can’t provide all the answers straight way, make sure our people feel supported and appreciated.
“From the very start, welcoming the WHC kaimahi to make the transition to Tui Ora and letting them know we were here for them was high on the priority list.”
And for Kaiāwhina/Primary Care Assistant, Sandra Reade, it’s brought back her huge smile.
“It’s been wonderful having Tui Ora come on board because it has been hard for everyone,” she says with her trademark beam. “Now we feel like we are part of a big family who wants the best for us and the whānau we care for.
“It’s going to take time to really get to where we all want to be at WHC, but the small changes have made a world of difference already.”
“You can feel the love Tui Ora has for the Whaitara community and I am so excited about what the future holds for us.”
These have included giving whānau the opportunity to have cuppa and kōrero with kaimahi about what’s going on for them at the moment, and how Tui Ora could potentially help.
Sandra knows what manaaki looks and feels like – she has been doing it all her life! A Mum to six children, she began her health career in Eltham looking after dementia patients, before moving to Tauranga and working in care homes all over the city.
She moved back to Taranaki six years ago to be closer to whānau and has been at WHC since 2020 – starting just a week before the first lockdown.
“I love looking after people,” she says. “Some of the people we see are really struggling, especially the elderly who may be living on their own, or don’t have any family, and I know that sometimes just holding their hand or offering a hug can be all they need.
“It’s just human nature to want to know someone cares.”
It’s been just over a month since Tui Ora took over, and a lot of work has been going on behind the scenes in preparation for a systems shift which will bring all existing WHC patients over to the Indici patient management system at Tui Ora.
Being in one system will allow Tui Ora to streamline operations, as well as introduce some innovations and improvements.
“Recruiting GPs and Nurses to work in Whaitara remains our number one priority, so people can experience kanohi ke it kanohi appointments,” says Ngaio. “In the meantime, we will be able to offer phone consults for people at home, video consults here at the health centre, supported by some cool technology to allow whānau to get the most from their appointments, and face-to-face appointments with our doctors for those who really need them.”
WHC will be closed from 12 noon on Friday 2 August to allow the systems change to take place, reopening on Monday 5 August as normal.