Media Release

30 June 2005

Hutt Valley winner at Health Innovation Awards

A scheme developed at Hutt Hospital to help junior doctors get more clinical experience is among the winners of the New Zealand Health Innovation Awards.

The Hospital Clinical Skills Laboratory was Highly Commended in the Individual Category of the awards, announced tonight.

The clinical skills lab is the brainchild of Dr Iwona Stolarek. She raised money for the skills lab after studying junior doctors’ clinical examination and procedural skills. Many had never carried out or seen certain basic clinical procedures by the time of graduation.

Dr Stolarek said: “Changes in health care provision have had an impact on clinical skills. Fewer inpatients, quicker patient turnover and more community-based treatments have led to a decline in clinical experience. This has often resulted in difficulties for doctors and nurses to gain enough experience to establish and maintain expertise."

In the skills lab staff can practice clinical procedures on manikins and test their examination skills on simulators. The lab allows for repeat performances until skills are established.

“Patients want skilled, trained doctors. The only way to master a skill is to practice, and until recently the problem has been that the subjects necessary to practice on were humans,” said Dr Stolarek.

Junior doctors who have undergone a skills workshop in the lab prior to starting their first post now report being happier and less anxious which improves job satisfaction, recruitment and retention.

The Health Innovation Awards, sponsored by Telecom, were established jointly by ACC and the Ministry of Health to promote innovation in health and rehabilitation and the sharing of good ideas across the health, disability and rehabilitation sector.

The Healthy Housing programme, a scheme to reduce housing-related diseases among families in Housing New Zealand Corporation properties in Auckland and Northland, clinched the Supreme Award.

Earlier this year a team of evaluators and a panel of judges, independent from the Ministry of Health and ACC, assessed the applications and made site visits to scrutinise entries.

The 2005 award winners are:

Supreme Award:
The Healthy Housing Programme – synergies in health and housing -
Counties Manukau District Health Board, Housing New Zealand Corporation, Auckland Regional Public Health, Auckland District Health Board and Northland District Health Board.

Housing and health authorities working together to reduce the risk of housing-related diseases among families in Housing New Zealand Corporation properties
Contact: Jude Woolston (09) 262 9538


Individual Award:
Winner: Optimising Sedation in critically ill patients - Canterbury District Health Board.
A system devised at Christchurch Hospital to ensure that critically ill patients get the right amount of sedation.
Contact: Richard Dove (03) 364 4106

Highly Commended: ProExcellence: harnessing the knowledge and creativity of the practice team the CQI (Continuous Quality Improvement) power walk – ProCare Health Limited.
A voluntary programme designed for GP teams to improve the quality of their everyday practice.
Contact: Chris Boberg (09) 377 7827

Highly Commended: Hospital Clinical Skills Laboratory – Improving quality and care and patient safety – Hutt Valley District Health Board
A clinical skills laboratory providing medical students, doctors and nurses with vital clinical experience they may have missed out on.
Contact: Iwona Stolarek (04) 5666 999


Group Award:
Winner: Webhealth – www.webhealth.co.nz – where the right link makes a difference – Linkage Trust
A website designed to provide health and wellbeing information for people in the Waikato, providing an online connection to health and social services.
Contact: Simone Molenaar (07) 839 9828

Highly Commended: Cellulitis guideline and treatment kit for general practitioners – Waitemata Primary Options
A treatment kit for GPs that allows patients to be treated by their own GP rather than having to go into hospital.
Contact: Pam Boyce (09) 442 1648


Organisation Award:
Winner: The Healthy Housing Programme – synergies in health and housing -
Counties Manukau District Health Board, Housing New Zealand Corporation, Auckland Regional Public Health, Auckland District Health Board and Northland District Health Board.
Housing and health authorities working together to reduce the risk of housing-related diseases among families in Housing New Zealand Corporation properties
Contact: Jude Woolston (09) 262 9538

Highly Commended: The purpose and goals of energy management in a health care environment – Canterbury District Health Board
An energy-saving drive at Christchurch hospital that resulted in a $180,000 saving in a year.
Contact: Alan Bavis (03) 364 4106

Photographs of finalists are available from Peter Abernethy, Ministry of Health, 04 496 2008 or 021 366 111.

Entries are now open for the 2006 Health Innovation Awards. Information is available on the Awards' website - www.healthinnovationawards.co.nz.