Consumers Share Their Experiences At Well Child Workshop

04 Jun 2019

A South Island Well Child Tamariki Ora workshop was held in Christchurch on 29 May, where health professionals gathered to talk about quality improvement ideas for the national WCTO programme. Consumers were also given a chance to provide feedback about their experiences of the service.

Making Aotearoa New Zealand the best place in the world to be a child is a top priority for the Government. The health system is well-placed to contribute to achieving this, by providing services to keep children healthy; and identifying and addressing issues at an early stage.

As Well Child Tamariki Ora (WCTO) delivers universal health care to children in Aotearoa, the programme is set to be the health system’s main contribution to improve child wellbeing.To ensure WCTO is well resourced for this important work, a national Ministry of Health review is taking place. An important part of the review is looking at how WCTO can better meet the needs of children’s whānau, caregivers and wider communities, which will empower children to thrive.

The aim of the review is to ensure a service capable of delivering measurable outcomes and the flexibility to adapt to future needs, to more effectively contribute to wider child wellbeing.In response to the national review, a South Island WCTO workshop was held by the South Island WCTO Quality Improvement Steering Group in Christchurch, on 29 May. About 45 people attended the workshop, including clinicians and managers who work within or are closely connected to the WCTO programme.

The event provided an opportunity to offer feedback and quality improvement ideas for the national WCTO programme, and consumers were given a chance to talk about their experiences of the service. Well Child Tamariki Ora Quality Improvement Project Manager Anna Foaese facilitated the workshop and says the sessions highlighted both the enablers and barriers to service delivery, access and outcomes. “Hearing consumer perspectives was the main purpose of the workshop. As we all work towards providing a more sustainable, equitable and accessible WCTO service, hearing the perspectives of various health professionals, the community and whānau was invaluable, so we can identify what’s working well and what could be done differently.”The national Ministry of Health review will be fully concluded by December 2020, to ensure findings are rigorous and thorough.


Published on: Tuesday, June 4th, 2019, under Child health