Primary health organisation Tū Ora Compass Health’s Data & Digital team, led by CIO Alistair Vickers, has been working off the back of its digital transformation to leverage its new platform in ways that add value to the Tū Ora and its network of General Practices and the wider primary health sector.

“At the same time, we have further rationalised, simplified, and standardised our operating environment, to reduce cost and complexity, improve management and security, and deliver better clinical and business outcomes for all users, “ says Vickers.

From an operational perspective, Tū Ora has built a highly secure and configurable end user compute environment for its staff, adds Vickers, and then leveraged this capability to then offer the same services to several different user groups.

The Tū Ora Data & Digital team has a target of 99% plus for the overall Secure Score, although new configuration releases from Microsoft or deployment of a new batch of devices to users can temporarily impact this score.

Updates are pushed out automatically to all users through Microsoft Endpoint. Commonly requested applications are managed and delivered to users through Tū Ora’s own instance of Microsoft’s Company Portal, allowing the team to properly manage user requests within a secure and tested sandpit before general release.

This capability proved invaluable for Tū Ora during Covid, according to Vickers, when the team was being asked to set up and dismantle swabbing and vaccination sites at very short notice. “We had several pre-configured kits of IT equipment ready to deploy, and on average this could be done within two hours of request from the Ministry, District Health Board, or other Government agencies,” he says.

The same level of management applies for Tū Ora’s Microsoft Azure environment.  

“The goal is always to reduce, simplify and move to a Software as a Service model wherever possible. This approach has seen us reduce our Azure footprint to three Virtual Machines, one Virtual appliance and one SQL Server Data Warehouse. This is much easier to manage, and cost savings can then be fed back into the business to help fund clinical improvements for the communities we serve,” Vickers adds.

The Tū Ora team is now advising various Government agencies on how it implemented the Microsoft 365 technology stack, most recently the NZ Police, after being recommended by the Ministry of Health/Health NZ cyber security team.

Based on these capabilities, skills and focus on delivery, Tū Ora is now offering a range of services out to some key stakeholder groups. In 2022, Tū Ora began to provide core ICT services to several Kāpiti -based organisations. 

One group is Very Low-Cost Access General practices (VLCAs), who cannot generally afford comprehensive technology solutions. “Consequently, Tū Ora has offered VLCAs in our network free ICT support, so long as they make an agreed investment in licences and hardware. This allows them to re-invest savings into their communities. The first practice to adopt this is Hora Te Pai in Paraparaumu,” says Vickers.

Tū Ora is also supporting the local iwi, Te Atiawa Ki Kāpiti and the Manaaki Kāpiti Covid response service they deliver into the local community for all their ICT requirements. 

“Both these offerings will extend out to most VLCAs, a range of Māori whānau ora providers and other groups where Tū Ora can support and add value through the delivery of excellent and secure ICT services at low or no cost,” he adds.

Working beyond the organisation

Vickers has led several initiatives to engage other organisations, especially in the light of ongoing changes within the New Zealand healthcare system.

These include a data sharing agreement with Ora Toa, the Porirua-based PHO run by Ngāti Toa. 

“This has helped build strong trust between our organisations, especially given the recent decision to use Porirua as a test for the new Localities model from Health NZ / Māori Health Authority (HNZ/MHA). This agreement has seen Tū Ora’s Data team start to support and upskill Ora Toa team members, and to lay the groundwork for a shared primary data warehouse across the Lower North Island, to complement planned HNZ/MHA initiatives,” says Vickers.

The goal is to include all PHOs in the Lower North Island on a shared platform, with shared capability and resource models, to deliver consistent, accurate and timely data to General Practices, Hospitals, and the HNZ/MHA. Vickers says this plan has been developed through close cooperation with his peers, together with relationships built up over time with other actual/potential partner organisations.

Tū Ora is also developing a new whānau ora tool, called Te Ara Pae Ora, in partnership with  Tū Ora Kaiwhakahaere. This will allow individuals and their whānau to better manage their entire wellness profile, including health and social providers. This is being done with Aceso Health, who already provide the core platform that enabled Tū Ora’s digital transformation. 

The tool was born from discussions between Vickers and Cherie Seamark at  Tū Ora Kaiwhakahaere to identify how they could digitise paper-based forms in a way that gave power and control to users, especially higher needs and/or Māori communities.

It is currently being trialled in the Kāpiti locality, prior to wider release. The first iteration is Māori-centric but will be extended to other high-needs groups, including Pasifika, disabled, youth and others.

“The goal is to build a solution which is user centric, focusses on their and their whānau’s needs and wishes, gives control back to people who are often either excluded or not well served by the current health and social systems,” he adds.