CANTERBURY DISTRICT HEALTH Board (Canterbury DHB) is the second largest of New Zealand’s 20 DHBs, funding or providing a complex mix of health services to more than half a million Canterbury residents. The Canterbury Health System has been internationally recognised for successes in its collaborative journey towards a fully integrated system.

Canterbury DHB is part of the South Island Alliance (SIA), comprising the five district health boards that provide for the health needs of the populations of the South Island and Chatham Islands. While each DHB is responsible for providing services to its own population, the alliance is working towards integrating their systems to enable better collaboration among the hospitals, primary health organisations and community based care providers. As the SIA’s work progresses, DHB boundaries become increasingly irrelevant to the provision of care, says Chris Dever, CIO, Canterbury District Health Board.

This year’s major IT projects include Phase 1 of the rollout of the South Island Patient Information Care System (SI PICS). The launch of the Canterbury instance coincides with the opening of major new facilities at Burwood Hospital and the transfer of Older Person’s Health and Rehabilitation Services there.

SI PICS will replace eight different patient administration systems currently in use across the South Island. It is a more streamlined and user friendly system that will save time and allow a seamless transfer of care throughout the region. “It represents one of the largest investments in health IT in New Zealand this decade,” says Dever.

Electronic prescribing and administration (ePA) is already live across Hillmorton and The Princess Margaret Hospitals.

2016 will see its launch in complex care environments across Christchurch Hospital campus.

ePA is part of the eMeds Programme (the electronic Medicines Management Programme) which aims to improve the safety for patients and staff by reducing medication errors. eMeds also includes eMR (electronic Medicine Reconciliation), eDS (electronic Discharge Summary) ePhcy (electronic Pharmacy inventory management) and NZePS (New Zealand electronic Prescription Service).

Health Connect South is currently the principal clinical information system for Canterbury, South Canterbury and the West Coast DHBs. This year, it will be rolled out to Nelson Marlborough and Southern DHB, making it yet another South Island wide solution and paving the way for HealthOne availability to span the whole region.

HealthOne is a secure electronic portal that allows many clinicians access to key patient health information held in Health Connect South, regardless of the setting, says Dever. “As HealthOne becomes the regional solution for a ‘single patient record’, it will provide access for community pharmacy, general practice teams, community nursing and clinicians in secondary and specialist care.”