Northern Cancer Network
The Northern Cancer Network was established in 2006 by the four Northern District Health Boards: Auckland, Waitemata, Counties and Northland, to facilitate the implementation of the NZ Cancer Control Strategy Action Plan. It is one of four Regional Cancer Networks around New Zealand.
The Network provides leadership, facilitation and coordination across a range of cancer control stakeholders to enable everyone involved with cancer (including providers of cancer services, primary care, public health, consumers and NGOs) to work collaboratively across traditional organisation boundaries. The purpose of this collaboration is to improve outcomes for cancer patients in the Northern Region and to improve the cancer patient journey or pathway.
Work currently underway by the Network includes:
· Development of cancer Tumour Streams, with lung and bowel tumour streams established
· Improving Multi Disciplinary Meetings and development of an electronic MDM template
· Reducing inequalities across the cancer continuum
· Research into the barriers to early diagnosis of lung cancer
· Implementation of a Regional Care Coordination Model
· Ongoing support for DHB cancer initiatives
· Support for a number of other forums, including the Regional Palliative Care Operations Group, Consumer Reference Group, Haematology Clinical Network, Regional Breast Cancer Steering Group, Regional Cancer Care Coordinator Forum
The Northern Cancer Network is located within the offices of the NDSA, at 650 Great South Road, Penrose.
Or for further enquiries please contact:
Ph: 09 589 3920 or Mobile: 021 244 7829
Pandemic & Emergency Planning
H5N1 remains active overseas. While prediction of when is impossible, there is every anticipation that a pandemic will happen.
Planning is well underway to ensure that the northern region DHBs are ready to respond to an influenza pandemic.
NDSA is supporting the work of Health Co-ordinating Executive Group (HCEG) to prepare systems, processes and infrastructure to be able to manage a pandemic.
Any enquiries, contact:
Andy Wisheart
021 450 219
DDI: 09 589 3923 (ext 9823)
The Auckland Regional Settlement Strategy, Migrant and Refugee Health Action Plan Project
The Auckland Regional Settlement Strategy is a whole-of-government strategy led by the Department of Labour to improve settlement outcomes for refugees and migrants. In the governmental sector, interdepartmental activity is required in the areas of health, education, social development, including work and income, the tertiary education sector and internal affairs. Goal 4 of the Auckland Regional Settlement Strategy is to: ‘Enhance Physical and Mental Health Outcomes’. The aim of the project is to provide accessible, equitable, culturally-appropriate health and disability services for refugees and migrants in the Auckland region.
The joint work undertaken seeks to provide accessible, equitable, culturally-appropriate health and disability services for refugees and migrants. The scope of the plan includes:
- improving ethnicity classification systems
- improving refugee and migrant access to disability services providing interpreting services to the primary health sector enabling culturally competent care for culturally and linguistically diverse populations through workforce development programmes
- ensuring that mental health services are responsive to refugee and migrant groups
- ensuring that chronic care management models are appropriate for these populations
The Migrant and Refugee Health Action Plan is being implemented as a partnership between the three Auckland regional DHBs and the Ministry of Health. The project is managed by a steering group comprising representatives from the three Auckland DHB Planning and Funding Teams and a representative from the Auckland regional office of the Ministry of Health.
Any enquiries, contact:
Annette Mortensen - Project Manager
Ph: 09 589 3925 or Mobile: 021 221 7126
Primary Care - Interpreting Services Pilot
This is a project supporting the Auckland Regional Settlement Strategy (ARSS), mandated by the ARSS Health Workstrand Steering Group.
Key objectives are to:
- Scope and then pilot the use of interpreter services in primary care health services to identify costs, workforce development requirements, service specifications and service delivery structures.
- Develop an evaluation and monitoring framework to address medium and long term issues for a service.
- Assess and quantify the potential primary care need for interpreter services and identify options for sustainable funding.
- Consider regional objectives.
Initial thinking is that we have a number of providers in the region as well as other providers outside the region which overlap and also serve our population. The project – through stakeholder and DHB discussions – should establish whether current arrangements and any existing plans for growth based on existing arrangements – would be of net benefit particularly to users.
Desirable regional objectives may include:
- Equitable, or similar ability to, access to interpreting services across the region
- Consistency in standards of professional health interpreting
- Smooth patient referral system
- Same or similar training and accreditation of new interpreters