New national system improves coordination of rheumatic fever care

SECTOR UPDATE - Health NZ | Te Whatu Ora

Health New Zealand has today welcomed the launch of the Rheumatic Fever Care Coordination System (RFCCS), a new national register that will improve coordination of care for people living with rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease. 

The RFCCS brings together 18 existing local registers into a single, national system – providing clinicians with better access to patient information and supporting more consistent and timely care across the country. 

Deborah Woodley, Director Starting Well at Health New Zealand says the new system is a significant step forward in improving how care is delivered and monitored. 

“By consolidating multiple registers into one national platform, clinicians can more easily access the information they need to support patients, wherever they are in the country. This ensures continuity of care is maintained, reducing the risk of patients being lost to follow-up. 

“This will strengthen patient recall, improve visibility of clinical data, and support more proactive, coordinated care,” Ms Woodley says. 

Each year, between 150 and 200 people are diagnosed with rheumatic fever, and around 2,000 people receive ongoing treatment to prevent recurrence and rheumatic heart disease. Ensuring these patients receive regular preventive treatment is critical to reducing long-term complications. 

“The RFCCS supports a more connected health system, enabling services to better track and follow up patients who require ongoing care. 

“It also represents an important investment in digital health infrastructure, demonstrating how modern, integrated systems can directly support improved health outcomes. 

“I also want to acknowledge all those who have been involved in this project – rheumatic fever advocates, patients, clinicians, academics, Health New Zealand staff, and Māori and Pacific health providers and communities. Your work in getting this new system off the ground will play a vital role in supporting better outcomes for rheumatic fever patients in New Zealand.” 

Rheumatic fever disproportionately affects Māori and Pacific children and young people and improving equity of access to care remains a key priority. 

“Having a national system helps ensure patient and whānau needs are more consistently understood and communicated across services, supporting more equitable delivery of care.” 

The RFCCS is a key initiative under the Rheumatic Fever Roadmap 2023–2028 and will play an important role in strengthening prevention, monitoring, and long-term management of rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease across New Zealand. 

Source: Health NZ | Te Whatu Ora media release

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SECTOR UPDATE - Bupa 

Bupa New Zealand has announced the full rollout of its AI-supported care platform Nexus AI, designed to help frontline teams deliver safer, more responsive and consistent care and services to its residents.

The technology has been introduced to support frontline decision-making, by giving Bupa’s carers and nurses faster access to information, policies and organisational knowledge in the moments it matters most.

By reducing time spent searching across multiple systems, the platform is helping teams spend more time focused on people and less time on administration.

Already, the AI-supported platform is helping employees:

• Access policies, procedures and guidance instantly
• Respond more quickly and consistently to resident needs
  
• Reduce administrative workload and duplication
  
• Spend more time focused on care, support and customer interaction
  

Bupa New Zealand Clinical and Quality Director Sandy Turnwald said that platform was designed to make every day work simpler and support better outcomes for residents.

“At Bupa we have extensive guidance and procedures covering all aspects of care, from wound dressing to requirements for resident van trips. Previously, employees needed to know where information was stored across multiple platforms. With Nexus AI, our people can simply ask a question and quickly access the relevant current information and reference documents,” she says.

“It removes barriers for our people and helps frontline teams make more informed decisions, while always maintaining human oversight and professional judgement.”

Importantly, the technology is designed to support clinical, operational and care teams, not automate care itself. Decisions remain firmly in the hands of trained employees and care professionals.

"Healthcare is human. It requires compassion, connection and professional judgement. Technology should support our people to work smarter and reduce administrative burden, so they can focus on what matters most, our residents,” says Sandy,

"AI helps reduce friction by surfacing important information faster. Ultimately, it’s about enabling safer, more connected and responsive care and service delivery," she says.

Since becoming fully operational, the platform has also improved collaboration across teams, reduced time spent resolving queries and made organisational knowledge easier to access and apply consistently.

As with any AI tool, Bupa will continue refining the platform alongside frontline employees to ensure it remains safe, practical and focused on delivering meaningful improvements in care and customer outcomes.

The rollout follows Bupa’s recent implementation of its digital Deterioration Early Warning System (DEWS) across all its care homes, a clinical decision-support system that helps care teams identify early and subtle signs that a resident’s health may be declining. 

“Like many aged residential care providers across New Zealand, the sector is facing significant challenges, including funding pressures, significant demand, and increasing complexity of care needs,” says Sandy.

“In this environment, digital solutions that simplify processes, support our people, and help teams spend more time focused on resident care are more important than ever,” added Sandy.”

Source: Bupa media release

Sector updates are provided by organisations to eHealthNews.nz and have not necessarily been edited or checked for accuracy. Any queries should be directed to the organisation issuing the release.

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