Urgent patient stabilisation and observation services provided by Buller Health’s Foote Ward team will be provided at a reduced capacity from 11pm Friday 21 October 2022 to 7 am Tuesday 25 October 2022.
For Labour Weekend, the following temporary services will continue to be provided:
“Due to on-going staffing pressures, we introduced temporary changes to services at Buller Health in mid-August and were able to reinstate Foote Ward’s 24/7 urgent patient stabilisation and observation services on Monday, 10 October 2022. Unfortunately, this weekend we find ourselves in the situation where overnight services need to be reconfigured to ensure we can safely manage patients with our available staffing” says Philip Wheble, Te Whatu Ora Te Tai o Poutini West Coast’s General Manager.
“These changes have been made so that urgent acute care as well as routine primary care to the wider-Westport community can be maintained. We appreciate that this situation is not ideal and we value the Buller community’s on-going understanding and support of this situation.
“Staffing pressures are not just confined to the West Coast but are being experienced both nationally and internationally. We have an active recruitment strategy and our recruitment team is working hard to fill the current vacancies across the West Coast. Alongside local recruitment initiatives, Te Whatu Ora is currently running a global campaign for nurses to work in New Zealand.
“If you or a member of your whānau needs emergency or acute care these services are still available 24/7 – they are just being provided in a different way. You can continue to help us out by booking your routine health care appointments early,” says Mr Wheble.
Remember, if you are injured or experiencing severe symptoms, it’s critical that you call 111.
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The July 2021 flooding event in Buller came at a time when many locals were still dealing with the effects of the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown. And then a further lockdown in 2021 has added more complications and stress.
Recognising that these events will have impacted on men’s health and wellbeing, a number of community organisations have been working on ways to help men through.
One of the organisers, counsellor Bernard Smith says men are great at stepping up to help others in times of crisis like the flooding, “but we are not always so on to it in terms of stepping up and looking after ourselves!”
“Over the years I’ve heard all sorts of ‘a-ha’ moments from men I’ve counselled who realise they cannot be the best partner or dad if they don’t focus on their own health and wellbeing first,” he says.
A couple of typical comments from Bernard’s clients:
“It was a real shock to realise that my son was learning about how to be a man from my behaviour and that my daughter would to some degree be thinking about possible partners or boyfriends based on how I treat their mother. I need to be a better man.”
“When I got the cancer diagnosis I was only 43 and to be told you could be dead in a year, it was a shock and really made me think about my lifestyle, the booze and the job stress had to change.”
“At the moment all the Buller health and wellbeing agencies are seeing a spike in issues to do with men. We’ve pulled together a couple of programmes to try and give men a chance to help themselves,” Mr Smith says.
The first event in the Buller Men’s Health and Wellbeing series, on Tuesday 19 October features:
Homebuilders West Coast Trust Chief Executive Lorraine Scanlon says men often don’t speak out when they are in situations involving family harm, a job that is not meeting their needs, or an unhealthy relationship.
“The Buller Men’s Health and Wellbeing programme will build awareness, resilience and kindness to be the best we can be,” Lorraine says.
The Buller Men’s Health & Wellbeing series includes presentations mostly by men and for men will take place at the Westport Bridge Club, starting on Tuesday 19 October from 6.30pm to 8pm; and the second in the series on Tuesday 26 October at the same time. Other events will be organised if there’s a need/demand.
Each evening will include two or three speakers, a panel discussion, and shared food and beverages (non-alcoholic).
Any women who wish to attend are welcome, but are asked to bring a man with them.
A Kawatiri Men’s Health Group is also being set up to follow the presentation series, to provide regular facilitated meetings for men in the Buller community.
Organisations behind the initiative include Homebuilders West Coast, the West Coast DHB, Kawatiri Family Harm Prevention, the Rural Support Trust, the Buller District Council Recovery office, Te Hā O Kawatiri, No 37 Community House, and many others.
Register for the Buller Men’s Health & Wellbeing presentations at: sara@homebuilderswpt.co.nz, phone 027 644 0523.
For updated information about the presentations and speakers, visit www.wcdhb.health.nz/BullerMen.
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This edition of Focus on People is the West Coast Health System’s Quality Accounts 2020 publication which provides a picture of how well our Health System is meeting the West Coast’s health needs, and showcases our work to improve services and standards of care.
You can read the newsletter in two different formats:
View on issuu.com Download PDF (5MB)As announced by the Director-General of Health and Ministry of Health on 9 April, a fifth case of COVID-19 has been notified on the West Coast. This is a probable case, bringing the total to four confirmed cases and one probable case.
Case five is a male in his 40s. The case is related to close contact with a confirmed case on the West Coast.
The risk to the West Coast community is low as the man has been in self-isolation since his contact with the confirmed case, and Community and Public Health have identified and followed up his close contacts.
West Coast Medical Officer of Health Dr Cheryl Brunton says in time we expect we will see more cases on the Coast.
“Isolated cases linked to overseas travel, or close contact with a confirmed case will be followed up by public health teams to help stop the spread.
“Now is the time for increased vigilance and – if you are not already doing so – to follow the advice from the Ministry of Health. There is useful information, updated regularly on both the
Ministry of Health web page and the government’s COVID-19 website: www.covid19.govt.nz,” Dr Brunton says.
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In this edition of the CE Update, Chief Executive David Meates congratulates the newly elected Board members and also acknowledges the contribution of the out-going Board members. He introduces WellFood to the West Coast DHB; provides an update on measles and talks about Patient Safety Week (3 – 9 November 2019
Articles in this update include stories about:
• Faster treatment for South Island stroke patients
• Coasters benefit from comfort and personal care packs
• Cancer Nurse Coordinator connecting care across the Coast
• Max. keeps growing – have you seen all the updates?!
• Nurse calls it a day after 40 years
• West Coast DHB’s Kia Ora Hauora rangatahi visit
• Grey Base Hospital case study: Resilient, multi-use design in one of the most challenging locations on earth
• West Coast Careers Expo 2019
• Celebrating 40 years with the West Coast DHB
• One minute with…Gargi Sharma-Thapaliya
• Language Assistance Services Programme
• Latest Quitline campaign: Quit for your pets
You can read the CE Update in 2 different formats:
Read the PDF version View on issuu.comThere has been a rise in influenza across the West Coast over the past month, with at least 14 people with influenza needing hospitalisation due to complications such as pneumonia.
West Coast DHB is reminding people that there are some simple ways to stop the spread of influenza and other respiratory infections and to look after themselves and their loved ones this winter.
West Coast Medical Officer of Health, Dr Cheryl Brunton, says if you get the flu, the best way to help prevent spreading it is to stay home from school or work if you are sick. It’s also important to try and keep your home as warm and dry as possible.
Proper cough and sneeze etiquette is also key – cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or use your elbow if you’re caught short, and wash your hands often with soap and water or use hand sanitiser.
If you need medical advice, call your general practice team 24/7 first rather than visiting in person. After hours, follow the instructions to be put through to a nurse for free health advice.
If you’re caring for someone with the flu, the coping with the flu at home brochure contains some practical advice, including:
If you’re in one of the following priority groups and have not yet had your free flu vaccination, you should contact your general practice team to discuss getting vaccinated:
A limited supply of vaccine is still available for people in these groups.
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West Coast DHB's own newsletter. In this December issue:
Page last updated: 10 May 2021
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