Local Coordination Centre Will Better Prepare Hawke’s Bay For Living With COVID-19 In The Community

Hawke’s Bay District Health Board is working with local councils, iwi, health and disability providers and welfare organisations on COVID-19 coordination and preparedness so people are well supported when living with COVID-19 in the community.

Hawke’s Bay DHB COVID-19 Senior Responsible Officer Chris McKenna said healthcare modelling revealed Hawke’s Bay could see almost 15,000 COVID-19 cases next year based on traffic light system travel movements and the region achieving a 90 percent vaccination rate.

“Most people with COVID-19 will not need hospital-level care but will be cared for in the community, which is why significant planning has been undertaken with local councils, iwi and health, disability and welfare providers on a locally-led COVID-19 Coordination Centre model.”

Mrs McKenna said the preparedness model, which was presented to the DHB Board at its December meeting, is part of a regional resilience plan and aligned to the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 preparedness Care in the Community framework.

“The Hawke’s Bay COVID Coordination Centre brings the appropriate clinical, psychosocial, wellbeing and welfare services together to provide wrap-around support to COVID-positive people their whānau and close contacts.

“It does not replace any services or outreach programmes already in place. Rather, it will work in partnership with those health and welfare response services to ensure there is an integrated response with clear communications, clinical procedures and workforce, both current and new, to implement and deliver care. It’s vital that we are prepared so we can get to the finish line of this COVID marathon.”

Mrs McKenna said the operating model required hubs in Napier, Hastings, Wairoa and Central Hawke’s Bay with local leadership and services providing community-based welfare care, alongside appropriate health supports. Standard Operating Procedures had been created so local teams were clear about their roles and responsibilities.

“We know from the work in Auckland, and vaccination rollouts, that local leadership is vital to achieving outcomes in the community. With advice and guidance coming from local hubs, the Hawke’s Bay COVID Coordination Centre will be agile enough to provide tailored approaches to ensure whānau access the COVID-19 care available.”

General practices would provide COVID care to their enrolled patients isolating in the community while a small group of practices had agreed to take on care for unenrolled patients. Primary Health Organisation, Health Hawke’s Bay, along with the DHB would support and provide clinical oversight to these patients, she said.

Mrs McKenna said if COVID-positive patients required hospital care they would enter the system via the Care in the Community approach meaning, for many, their arrival to hospital would be pre-arranged.

Modelling suggested Hawke’s Bay Hospital could see 41 COVID-related cases in the Emergency Department a week, leading to about 16 hospitalisations and two of these requiring Intensive Care.

“There will be peaks and troughs so the numbers will vary from week to week. Vaccination is the greatest factor protecting the hospital and the community,” Mrs McKenna said.

People interested in the full Board presentation explaining the COVID Coordination Centre framework can watch the live-stream on the DHB’s Facebook page Hawke’s Bay DHB

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