Canterbury DHB Older Persons Health Provider Forum
Thursday 21st April 2011, 3-4pm, Hagley Netball Centre
Update on actions arising from the last meeting
 Providers were informed that minutes from the previous meeting (17 March) were
circulated via Eldernet and this included notification about the date of this meeting (21
April). Providers at the meeting said that they had not received a copy of the previous
minutes and thus were only notified of this meeting at short notice.
 ACTION: Minutes from 17 March and 21 April to be circulated to Providers via Eldernet
 Toni Gutschlag informed the group that the Canterbury DHB (through the Vulnerable
Persons Helpline 337 8937) were supporting relatives to visit their relocated residents.
Letters had been sent to relocated residents and their next of kin about the financial
assistance available. The Canterbury DHB will pay for one person to visit their loved one,
once a week. If the visitor is frail and needs support to travel then the Canterbury DHB will
also pay for a support person to go with them. If travel is over 100km one way, the
Canterbury DHB will pay: Either up to $100 for accommodation for one night or $25 per
night if staying with friends or relatives. If travel is less than 100Km one way, the Canterbury
DHB will pay 28 cents per Km. If travel is over 350 kms one way the Canterbury DHB will
pay: Either 28 cents per Km or plane tickets and taxi cost from airport to the rest home and
return.
 Toni also informed the group that respite was now being co-ordinated through SPOE but in
small quantities.
 The group was also notified that private arrangements were being considered for
accommodating respite requirements and that the Hoon Hay Village had been selected as a
designated respite facility.
Prioritisation principles and process for repatriation for relocated residents
 A paper on ‘Placing People into Residential Care after the Canterbury Earthquakes’ was
circulated at the meeting. After the 22 February earthquake, Canterbury lost over 600 aged
care residential beds. Several facilities were destroyed and approximately 300 residents had
to be urgently relocated to other parts of New Zealand. Others were required to share
rooms or be accommodated in communal areas within care facilities. In order to manage
the process of repatriation for relocated residents the Canterbury DHB convened an expert
panel to develop prioritisation guidelines for determining who should be allocated the
residential beds as they become available within Canterbury. The panel developing the
guidelines comprised older person health clinicians, general practice, aged care advocates,
and an ethicist. The guidelines will operate for six months (1 April 2011 until 30 September
2011) at which point they will be reviewed an, if require, amended to reflect the situation at
that time. Simon Templeton provided an overview of this paper and explained the process
to the group. Simon informed the group that it had been decided to start the process by
contacting the residents from the first evacuated facilities first. Toni informed the group
that Becky Hickmott (Canterbury DHB) has been seconded to the role of leading the recently
established team responsible for the relocation of residents.
 ACTION: Circulate the paper distributed at the meeting via Eldernet
 ACTION: Toni to work with Canterbury DHB Communications Team to correct the confusion
around Stella Ward’s misinterpreted message of only 2 residents a month will be repatriated
ARC recovery group
 Toni informed the group that Chris Fleming (CEO South Canterbury DHB and Lead CEO for
Aged Care) has been appointed the Chair of the ARC Recovery Planning Group. Other
members of this group include; NZACA, Aged Concern, clinicians and Planning and Funding.
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Contract for SPOE and payment of vacancies
 Toni informed the group of work that had been undertaken in partnership with the NZACA
to develop a 2 page contract to help facilitate the repatriation process through enforcing a
single access pathway into Aged Residential Care. The contract between the Canterbury
DHB and interested providers would result in an agreement for providers to use SPOE as the
single access point into the facility and in turn the Canterbury DHB will pay for vacant beds
that become available at the facility.
 Toni informed the group that this contract is at a final draft stage and hoped for the contract
to be distributed to providers to consider next week (w/c 25 April 2011).
Community Rehabilitation, Enablement and Support Team (CREST)
 Nancy Stewart informed the group about the Community Rehabilitation, Enablement and
Support Team (CREST) that has recently been established. The CREST Service is a supported
discharge service for older people who previously would have been discharged into a
specialist service at The Princess Margaret Hospital or a rest home hospital to recover
following their hospital admission. Initially discharges from general and acute medical
services are being facilitated through the CREST service, resulting in shorter hospital stays to
relieve pressure on reduced bed capacity following the 22 February earthquake. Suitable
patients are selected and discharged home from hospital, where they will be visited by a
community based key support worker four times a day, for up to six weeks.
Director of Nursing update
 Toni informed the group that Kathy Peri (Director of Nursing, Older Persons Health) is
leaving the Canterbury DHB on 29 April 2011. Kathy is relocating to Auckland to take up a
Academic position at the University of Auckland. Toni acknowledged the work Kathy had
undertaken during her time at the Canterbury DHB, not only within the hospital sector but
the wider community and primary sector and noted the significance loss to the ARC sector
and wished her well.
The next OPH Provider Forum will be held on Thursday 19th May, 3-4pm, Hagley Netball Centre
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