Wellington patients get new whānau app

NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth

A digital self-management tool is being rolled out across the Wellington region to encourage whānau to manage their own hauora (health) journey and connect with organisations who can support them.

Erin Taurua, project manager at Tu Ora Compass Health, says Te Ara Pae Ora is a natural progression of the Health Care Home programme and includes a whānau app, provider portal and PMS integration to a GP tool.

Tu Ora Compass Health has funded the development of the tool and is supporting whānau and local organisations to engage with the app as well as monitoring performance.

It is being rolled out to community organisations in Kāpiti, working with about 70 local organisations, and will roll-out to Porirua, Wairarapa and Wellington from June.

“The vision is a portable care plan that multiple providers, carers and whānau can input into and be part of, and be shared throughout Aotearoa to support their health and wellbeing,” she says.

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The app helps people track their own health and goals, and connects them with relevant health care providers, community organisations and resources to help them achieve these goals.

Taurua spoke at Digital Health Week 2023 in November in Hamilton about the development of the self-management tool.

“Our new platform creates a cultural shift towards understanding a whole person and gives control of information back to whānau,” she told attendees.

“We heard from whānau that they need to be able to create that pathway towards manu motuhake (self determination) within a hauora setting. They wanted access to quality information so they can choose the services that suit: so it is all about access and choice.”

Taurau said that the focus has always been on bringing forth the whānau voice, so, they can see what is important to them in their own words within the app.

“They need the ability to share their own korero - what matters to them – and they want to be able to view, but also contribute to, information about them and report their own outcomes,” she epxlained.

Te Ara Pae Ora has been developed by Tū Ora Compass Health in partnership with Aceso Health, Sorsix and local Wellington iwi and Māori Health providers.

Aceso chief operating officer Will Barnett says the new tool is built on Pinga by Sorsix.

“Aceso and Sorsix are very privileged to have been part of the Te Ara Pae Ora journey and see it playing a huge role in terms of personal and whānau wellbeing across the motu,” he says.

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