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SECTOR UPDATE
8th August 2014
• Next HDANZ Auditor Training Course (NZQA 8086) is just around the corner on 18-21 September in Christchurch. To apply, please complete the application form at bottom left side of this web-site or contact us for information
• The New Zealand Aged Care Associations’ (NZACA - http://nzaca.org.nz/ ) annual conference is 15 – 17 October in Wellington and HDANZ will be represented as usual so come visit us at our stand.
• It has just been announced that the publishing of full rest home audit reports on the Ministry of Health’s web-site will continue after completion of the 6 month trial.
• Also, for designated auditing, mental health / AOD contract integration with certification is in full swing with providers certified for psychiatric disability. This includes that their surveillance audit is now unannounced as has been occurring in aged care for a number of years.
• The Home Care sector successfully transitioned to their updated 2012 standard last year and all providers are expected to now be certified. The funders are involved in this process which has minimised the need for contract audits.
• Southern Cross Health Society is the latest to make auditing a requirement as, by July 2015, their affiliated providers have to be certified to either NZS 8164:2005 Day Stay Surgery and Procedures Sector Standard or the NZS 8165:2005 Rooms / Office Based Surgery and Procedures.
If you have any queries about audit, certification or auditor training in the health and disability sector then please do contact us.
EARTHQUAKE STATUS UPDATE
2nd March 2011
Just one week ago our lives in Christchurch and wider Canterbury changed forever. After 4th Sept last year this is our worst nightmare. We especially feel for those who have lost loved ones both from here and abroad. Our thoughts and hearts continue to be with you.
We are thankful in having received many messages of support and that our team of staff and local auditors are safe with varying degrees of impact including lost property. Our office is based in Ferrymead and the office staff had a bit of a wild ride last Tuesday (Lisa Cochrane and I were out in local aged care services). The office mess has been cleaned up and power was restored yesterday. Computer systems are back up and running (the UPS worked). It is a bit of a mission getting out to the office so we are combining office visits with working from home. Will be getting staff fully back on board subject to water, sewage and personal circumstances. However, in the meantime call or email me at if you need anything.
Once again thank you for the support and I’m sure, like us, you are thinking of those who are no longer with us from this devastating tragedy.
Please take care.
Jim DuRose - Managing Director
ANNUAL REPORT
30th December 2010
5 OCTOBER 2010 UPDATE
5th October 2010
For those of us who live in Canterbury, yesterday we had a one month reminder to the main event earthquake of 4th September with a 5.0 "house rattler" at 10.21 pm. Even with the house moving, we can be thankful, as there are many people and families affected who can not live in their homes, or have had to close their business. Our thoughts continue to be with them. In many ways HDANZ was very fortunate. Our office in Ferrymead was not affected (though some minor interior cracks are now showing) and it didn’t even lose power. There has been quite an interruption to workflows and rescheduling of audits, etc but we are mostly now back on track. Staff and our local auditors have had varying degrees of impact on their lives from minimal property damage to being significantly affected. One of our team lives in West Melton and though well prepared with a caravan has had about enough. Plus, our physiotherapy auditor in Kaiapoi has had to relocate his business premises but the house is ok. The main thing is that nobody was hurt but we do wish the earth would stop moving as the continued aftershocks (over 1500) do take their physical and emotional toll with ongoing fatigue being a big factor.
The following web-sites can help you keep up with the blow by blow:
http://www.geonet.org.nz/earthquake/quakes/recent_quakes.html
http://www.christchurchquakemap.co.nz/
PS – When the earthquake hit at 4.36 am a good number of the country's GPs were tucked up in the city's hotel rooms having completed the first day of their annual conference with the College of General Practitioners (RNZCGP). It is understood that hotel rooms were a mess and many were 12 storeys or so up. They evacuated out into the city streets in various stages of dress including at least one in his underwear.
Now that we have your attention – please read on for this update from Around the Sector
1. Health Select Committee finished hearing submissions in July 2010 about the office of the Auditor General’s Report— Effectiveness of arrangements to check the standard of services provided by rest homes (Dec 2009). HDANZ provided both a written and oral submission, and answered a number of queries during the oral presentation.
- To see all submissions go to; http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/SC/Documents/Evidence/?Custom=00DBSCH_OTH_9740_1
2. Designated Auditing for the Safety Act: The latest update of the Ministry's DAA Handbook was released 3 August 2010. The DAA Handbook outlines acceptable standards for auditing practice based on international standards such as the following;
- includes third party accreditation requirements of DAAs
- strengthens minimum qualifications, skills and competencies required of auditors
- requires a fifty percent rotation of auditors at each certification audit
- outlines the role of individual members of the audit team
- provides more explicit information on the management of conflicts of interest
- confirms a code of conduct for auditors
- requires an annual declaration to be completed by DAAs including updating their
- auditor register that is held by the Ministry
- amends audit requirements to improve the focus of auditing on service delivery
3. HealthCERT also issued an update bulletin for DAAs (July 2010) that included some information that proved to be quite timely for us in Canterbury.
Emergency management: Is an alternative water source available?
In an emergency in which the main supplies fail, the provider must have an alternative supply of water available, consistent with Health and Disability Services Standard 1.4.7.4. An audit report must include evidence as to whether such a supply is available. To be consistent with civil defence advice, a provider should have at least three litres of drinking water available for each person in the service to last for three days. In addition, they should have at least one litre of water for each of the following:
- washing food and cooking for each meal
- washing dishes after a meal
- personal washing.
Regional, district and city councils are responsible for civil defence emergency management. For more information about storing water, refer providers to their local council. The relevant contacts are available on the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management website:
http://www.civildefence.govt.nz/memwebsite.nsf
- For HDSS criterion 1.4.7.4 also need to attend to emergency lighting, cooking and heating.
- From our recent earthquake experience a few additional tips include; to stress the importance of a well equipped and fully stocked civil defence kit, emergency food supplies as many services count on the food still being available in the pantry, an emergency get away kit - just in case you have to evacuate, and don't count on water remaining in the cylinders or holding tanks.
4. Allied Health certification: Physiotherapy services were affected significantly by ACC contractual changes introduced in November 2009. The bottom line is that a number have had to cease trading whereas others continue to maintain their certification and adapt and explore ways to provide services such as expanding off-sites for specific purposes such as schools and sports.
5. Home based support forms a vital part of the continuum of care for older people. Julie Haggie has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the New Zealand Home Health Association (NZHHA). She replaces Jane Cumming, who left at the end of June. NZS8158:2003—Home and Community Support Sector Standards is being updated in 2011 to bring it into line with the Health and Disability standards and make it more outcome focused.
All the best with continuous quality improvement.
LOOKING BACK ON 2009
11th December 2009
Usually at this time of year we like to look ahead to the New Year but 2009 has been such a big year in health that we thought we take a few moments to pause and reflect.
From 1st June, for health and disability services that come under the Safety Act, their audit has been completed using the revised Health and Disability Services Standards NZS 8134:2008. Having completed in excess of 100 audits with these standards we are pleased to report that providers are doing well though there could be more attention paid to the new criteria. This self assessment document may help.
And for a broader overview for understanding NZS 8134:2008 click here.
As we know, aged care has been in the spotlight. This past year has seen the implementation of two key initiatives in aged care related to the sector standards, quality of care and public confidence. The genesis of this goes back to that fateful Belhaven incident in June 2008 and unfortunately a few weeks ago another high profile event with Rose a Lea and the DHB has again put the spotlight on aged care.
1. Publication of audit summaries:
- Earlier this year the MoH commenced publishing the list of certified aged care providers and this information includes: a) premises name, b) provider name, c) DHB, d) DAA , e) types of services with bed numbers (hospital and rest home / dementia) and f) certification end date and period (# of months).
- Since 1 July the list of Certified Providers for Hospitals and Rest home Services has also involved a published summary of the full certification audit. Ministry of Health
2. Spot (unannounced) surveillance audits
- The Minister of Health has identified that an unannounced audit would improve public confidence in aged residential care services and as a result, has supported the introduction of unannounced audits into the audit framework.
- Key objectives of the project included that a) it would have a focus on day to day service delivery as evidenced by auditor time spent observing, interviewing (consumers, staff and relatives) and matching clinical and quality documents to delivery of care, b) not increase audit activity within the health sector and c) include the DHB aged care contract components that satisfies the DHB contract monitoring needs simultaneously with HDSS auditing thereby minimising the need for DHBs to commission quality audits of the aged residential care sector.
- 22 aged care providers volunteered to participate in the MoH pilot project for spot (unannounced) surveillance audits. Site visits were completed in October and November and HDANZ had 6 clients involved in this pilot.
- The project is being independently evaluated and this report is due out later in January.
- Early feedback from providers is that these have not been as disruptive as may have been thought and is providing a good focus on service delivery.
- The spot audit approach continues from 1 January as an unannounced visit 3 months either side of the surveillance report due date.
Aged Care providers may find this special report of interest.
Things have been happening across the sector and a brief end of year snapshot includes:
Meeting the Challenge: Ministerial Group’s Report is being implemented with a number of structural changes to the health system that includes establishing a National Health Board as a unit within the MoH and consolidating of administrative functions across the 21 DHBs and shared service agencies. The changes are expected to deliver better value for money for a more sustainable health system with total savings of $700 million over the next five years likely and to be re-invested into front-line services.
Home Support services: The New Zealand Home Health Association (NZHHA) has recently strengthened their importance of quality to the public, funders and politicians by making full membership to be only available to providers who are certified to NZS 8158:2003—Home and Community Support Sector Standard.
Primary Care: The RNZCGP’s Cornerstone general practice accreditation programme has issued 375 certificates. Across primary care EOI applications have been accepted to develop business cases by 15 Feb to deliver “better, sooner, more convenient care.”
Serious and Sentinel Events: 30 Nov release of the 3rd report in DHB sentinel events and in 2008/09 DHBs reported 308 people treated in their hospitals were involved in an adverse clinical event that was actually or potentially preventable. Of this total, 92 died during the admission or shortly afterwards, though not necessarily as a result of the event. Ministry of Health Quality Improvment Committee
