Referrals to New Zealand’s longest running private homecare agency,Miranda Smith Homecare, can now be made using HealthLink CareSelect.

Established in 1999 by Miranda Smith, the agency offers a range of services including personal, respite and specialised care all in the comfort of the patient’s home.

Miranda Smith Homecare employs over 300 carers and has offices in Auckland, Tauranga, Hawke’s Bay, Wellington and Canterbury, with support staff available in Manawatu.

Managing director Miranda Smith says her organisation prides itself on the high standard of care it provides and also its ability to arrange care at short notice.

“We offer a few hours of care a day through to 24/7 care. We have a very large scope and assist with anything from showering, dressing and meal preparation, through to respite and end of life nursing care,” Miranda says.

She says a lot of people find they suddenly need home-based care.

“We have a quick turn around and can organise care within 24 hours if needed. If we get a call in the morning, we can often have it organised on the same day.”

She says many patients have family who live out of town so it’s reassuring for the family to know there’s someone on the ground to keep an eye on their loved one.

Care plans to suit patient

She says the care plans are tailor-made and flexible to suit the patient’s needs and wishes.

“Patients love the fact they can choose their own carer and that they have the same person looking after them for the duration of their care, which provides a nice continuity.”

Patients also have flexibility around when they want their carer to come, if they want to meet a new carer or if they want their care to stop and start.

“For example, they may just want their carer during winter and not need them during the summer months. It’s all about providing a personalised service and ensuring patients are getting the best care possible so they can maintain their independence.”

Miranda says her organisation has an excellent reputation for matching the best carer to suit the patient’s needs.

“Our carers are all carefully selected, screened and undergo a robust induction and training. Their training is also specific to the person they’re caring for – if they’re caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease, then they’ll get specific training on how to care for someone with Alzheimer’s.”

Homecare products available to buy

Miranda Smith Homecare recently started offering homecare products for sale.

“We sell mobility, bathroom and bedroom products including things like shower stools and walkers.”

She says the products are really helpful for people who have come out of hospital or who have had a health crisis.

“If they’ve decided to stay at home, they can get a whole range of products to assist them in one go from one place.”

How to refer to Miranda Smith Homecare:

• open the patient record
• select the HealthLink icon
• use the CareSelect search bar, type “Miranda Smith”
• click “Compose Referral”.

It was a family affair at the recent HiNZ Conference, with HealthLink, Toniq and Konnect NET exhibiting together for the first time under the Clanwilliam ANZ Group banner.

The annual digital health conference was held this year at Claudelands in Hamilton from 18–24 November and was the biggest yet with 1,250 delegates, 120 booths and 300 speakers.

HealthLink, Toniq and Konnect NET, which are New Zealand companies, have all recently joined the Dublin-based healthcare technology company, Clanwilliam Group.

HealthLink CEO Michelle Creighton says the conference was a great opportunity to showcase together what the three companies are doing in the health IT space.

“It’s a really fun opportunity for us to get together and is mutually beneficial. Having long-term partners is crucial for the sector and we have that because we are part of the Clanwilliam family.”

Mrs Creighton says there are big problems to be solved in the sector.

“We need collaboration and partnerships to solve those problems and together we are greater than the sum of our parts.”

She says Clanwilliam has an incredible understanding of the health IT sector.

“We are on the world stage with them and they understand our business and let us do our business, which is fantastic.”

A more powerful base

Konnect NET CEO Mike Weiss says having friends and sister companies to work with is hugely beneficial.

“The world is changing fast and connecting and collaborating with others creates a more powerful base. Each company brings its own expertise and knowledge to the table,” Mr Weiss says.

“Being part of Clanwilliam gives us access to capital and other technologies and also allows us to tap into deep expertise within the group”

It’s all about patient care

Toniq general manager Andrew Grant says it was exciting to exhibit at HiNZ for the first time and for it to be under the Clanwilliam Group.

“We are a group who genuinely get on and work well together,” Mr Grant says.

“At the end of the day it’s about the patient and their journey across the whole health system and ensuring they have the best possible health outcomes.”

All three companies are looking forward to exhibiting together again at the next HiNZ Conference.

“We’re incredibly grateful to the HiNZ organisers. These conferences are crucial to the betterment of the health sector by encouraging the collaboration that’s needed,” Mrs Creighton says.

Health and wellness programme Green Prescription is first in a number of community services that will be able to be referred to via CareConnect.

E-referrals to Green Prescription can now be made via the CareConnect referral platform (in addition to the CareSelect platform).

Up until now, CareConnect has been used only for referrals from primary to secondary care.

The new CareConnect form automatically refers patients to the correct Green Prescription provider – either Harbour Sport or Sport Auckland – based on the patient’s address.

Harbour Sport Active for Life Manager Laurinda Howarth says this will save GPs time and hassle.

“GPs won’t have to search for which Green prescription provider to refer their patients to because the system will do it automatically for them, which will save heaps of time and hassle,” she says.

The district health board will automatically receive a copy of the e-Referral for their records, giving them a more complete picture of the patient’s health. This currently doesn’t happen when referring via CareSelect.

Harbour Sport and Sport Auckland will also be able to communicate back and forth electronically with the GP who made the e-Referral, making communicating a lot easier.

Secure and accurate

Laurinda says referring a patient via CareConnect ensures the referral is received securely and with the correct and necessary information.

“Referrals made via email or fax can go missing and unfortunately we have had some experience with that happening. We can’t action a referral if we don’t receive it.”

Having all the correct and necessary information in the e-referral is also crucial.

“If we have the correct and necessary information in the referral then we don’t have to ring the GP or the nurse to get it, which saves everybody time.”

She says the teams at Harbour Sport and Sport Auckland are passionate about helping people increase their physical activity and improve their nutrition over the 12-week programme, and beyond.

“We want to help more people through the Green Prescription programme. We want to affect change and we have such great teams of highly qualified and highly motivated people who can do that.”

She says people are often confused about what they should be eating and what is healthy.

“There is so much information overload around fad diets and what’s good for you which can be very confusing for people. We help people a lot with nutrition but we keep it simple so people don’t have that confusion,” she says.

“We’re getting such great results with people leading more active and healthier lifestyles. We do a lot on eating well on a budget and a lot in the mental health space. When people feel connected to their community and feel wanted and valued, they feel better.”

How to refer patients to a Green Prescription provider:

• open the patient record
• select the HealthLink icon
• click on the CareConnect e-Referrals link
• launch the “Green Prescription” service
• complete the referral form.

Are you ready? Electronic referrals to the free smoking cessation programme Ready Steady Quit just got easier for some GPs.

GPs who don’t already have a within-PMS referral pathway for Ready Steady Quit can now make an e-Referral via CareConnect.

The Ministry of Health-funded programme is available to patients living in the Auckland and Waitemata District Health Board areas and has been running since July 2016.

Ready Steady Quit’s Stop Smoking Services Manager Angela Chong says the face-to-face programme is tailor-made to suit a patient’s needs and has a 50% success rate for those who set a quit date.

“Once a patient has been referred to us, one of our Smokefree Practitioners makes contact with them and arranges a time to meet at their home, workplace, café or at one of our drop-in hubs,” Angela says.

Multi-lingual support

Language is no barrier for patients, with Smokefree Practitioners available who are fluent in English, te reo Māori, Samoan, Tongan, Niuean, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Hindi, Gujarati and Czech.

“We work with the patient on a quit plan and quit date that suits them and we provide education and behaviour-change support. It’s driven by the patient and we are there to facilitate and help them achieve their goal.”

Follow-up meetings are based on the patient’s needs and can be face-to-face or on the phone. The programme is personalised so doesn’t have a set time frame.

“The number of follow-ups depends entirely on the needs of the patient. Some people need weekly meetings and some only need a couple of meetings.”

Support tools available

The programme offers free nicotine replacement therapy in the form of patches, gum and lozenges to help patients quit.

“We help determine the level and strength needed and we train them how to use them properly. If they aren’t on the right dosage or using the correct technique, they are not as effective for managing their withdrawal symptoms.”

The programme also uses carbon monoxide monitors, which are similar to breathalysers.

“It measures carbon monoxide levels in the blood and patients can see the level drop as they reduce the number of cigarettes they smoke. It’s really encouraging for them to see the progress they’re making.”

She says they don’t provide vapes but provide education on the differences in devices and e-liquids and how to use them.

“Vapes are a significantly reduced harm option and can be a viable transitional tool for some patients to become smokefree.”

The programme is available to any age group and people can re-enter the programme. People can also take part in the programme in groups, which they can create with whānau, friends or workplace colleagues”.

Maternity Incentive programme

Angela says GPs can also mention in the notes section of the e-Referral form if the patient is pregnant and a smoker.

“We also have a maternity incentive programme that helps pregnant women and their whānau become smokefree and create a smokefree home for their baby.”

How to refer to Ready, Steady, Quit:

• open the patient record
• select the HealthLink icon
• click on the CareConnect e-Referrals link
• launch the “Stop Smoking” service
• complete the referral form, entering the email address you want updates to be sent to on your patient’s engagement with the service.

From nurses visiting rural patients on horseback to the use of an e-Referral Smart Form, a lot has changed since Access Community Health was established in 1927.

However, one thing has remained the same – a total dedication to caring for people in the comfort of their own homes.

Access Community Health specialises in home-based healthcare and support around the country.

Referrals for the Canterbury region are now possible via Access Community Health’s new Smart Form, making the process much easier and quicker for Canterbury GPs.

Highly skilled workforce

Clinical manager Gwendolynn Johnson says Access Community Health’s team of skilled nurses and domestic support workers provide a range of services to people in the comfort of their own homes.

“We offer a district nursing service as well as domestic support to help them maintain an independent lifestyle,” she says.

“Our nurses assist with a range of health needs such as medication management of insulin, wound care, compression bandaging and complex negative pressure dressings.

“Our domestic support workers help with housework, meal preparation, shopping and personal care such as dressing, toileting and showering.”

Access Community Health, which recently became a member of the Green Cross Health group, also has a dedicated Palliative Care Team on board.

Wide range of patients

Patients range in age from the very young to the elderly, including some who are over 100 years of age, Gwendolynn says.

“We see a range of patients whose needs vary from simple assistance with daily household chores up to, and including, full personal care and healthcare for patients with debilitating illnesses. We also assist children with disabilities. We help them and their parents to ensure they can live a full life integrated in their community.”

Gwendolynn says there are many people in the community living with complex health needs who are living longer so there’s a real need for home-based support.

The nurses and support workers are available 24 hours, seven days a week for patients.

“We offer a very high standard of care and all our employees go through induction, training, and yearly competency assessments.”

How to refer to Access Community Health:

• open the patient record
• select the HealthLink icon
• click on the Access Community Health link.

If you need help making a referral or have any other questions, please call Access Community Health on 0800 284 663.

HealthLink is pleased to announce the release of the latest upgrade of its HMS (HealthLink Messaging Service) client software.

HMS Client 6.7.3 has preserved the look and feel of the previous version and retained compatibility with all the same practice management and electronic medical record systems.

The new upgrade has incorporated hundreds of new security features, bug fixes, sub-component upgrades and performance enhancements.

One of the most important changes is an upgrade to the transport layer encryption used to transmit messages. In addition to the end-to-end encryption using PKI digital certificates, we now support an upgraded transport layer protocol (known as TLS 1.2).

More than 9,000 Windows sites have already received the new upgrade automatically and may not even be aware it’s happened. However, a small percentage of sites won’t allow an automatic upgrade, usually due to restrictive firewall rules.

We’ll contact you if your site hasn’t automatically upgraded over the next few weeks. You may have to download and install the new version on site.

For Mac users, changes to the MacOS security model will require most users to perform a one-time manual upgrade.

To check if your site has the new version installed:

• Go to the Windows Start Menu
• Choose “HealthLink Client”
• Choose “HealthLink Advanced Options”
• Choose “Help”
• Choose “About” to see the version number (it should be 6.7.3)

We’d like to thank all the stakeholders for their contributions to the HMS client development roadmap. We’re already hard at work coding the next release… watch this space!