Waikato winner at Health Innovation Awards

Media Release

30 June 2005

Waikato winner at Health Innovation Awards

A website providing health and wellbeing information for people in the Waikato is among the winners of the New Zealand Health Innovation awards.

Webhealth from Hamilton’s Linkage Trust won the Group Category in the awards, announced tonight.

Webhealth is a community driven network and information system aimed at improving community collaboration and development. The concept is so popular it is being expanded to include Counties Manukau and Taranaki and there is growing interest from other parts of New Zealand.

Webhealth was set up by Linkage Trust, a brokerage service funded by the DHB. The website is based on the belief that people have the strength and ability to find their own solutions to issues in their lives when they have access to the right information and resources.

As well as providing a directory function to locate details of health and social services such as counsellors, family service or a GP, the website has a community noticeboard providing the most up to date information about what is happening in communities. It also offers an online chat assistance service and collects statistics, tracking trends and monitoring what information people are seeking.

The category award winner receives a cash prize of $8,000.

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.

For further information contact:
Trish Green
HIA Awards
Communications Advisor
(04) 475 3702
021 687 201