What we are working on

Advance Care Planning
HOPLSA recognises the importance for those people living with terminal, severe or multiple long term conditions to have the opportunity to develop and express their own cultural values and choices during conversations about their treatment. Standardised documentation and dedicated training for health professionals across the South Island will support better delivery of ACP and an improved understanding of the current and future health needs of all older people, as well as the treatment and care options available to them.

Standardised Eligibility Criteria
Activities will be undertaken that focus on ensuring eligibility criteria and processes for accessing support services are standardised and equitable across the South Island. National service specifications will be supported and rolled out cross the DHBs, to ensure consistent and equitable service delivery goals are achieved.

Dementia
Ensuring that people with dementia receive a more person-centred model of care is a key focus of the HOPSLA workplan. This will be achieved by cultivating a person-centred approach amongst our dementia workforce through implementing and supporting the education programme “Walking in Another’s Shoes” across all South Island DHBs. Dementia Care Pathways will be developed or revised by all DHBs to provide and enhance consistent pathways of care. A dementia services stocktake will be used to help compare how we are going across the region.

InterRAI
Better, more aligned application of the InterRAI assessment system by DHBs and staff will ensure that older people requiring services will have a timely and effective assessment of their needs that is clinically effective, shared across multi-disciplinary teams and guides the creation of care solutions seamlessly between services. Projects are underway to roll-out the system across South Island DHBs to coordinate training and implementation, and to increase access by relevant practitioners. South Island wide quarterly reporting is now available on interRAI assessments. For more information and a copy of the latest reports see here.