Child Health Services

South Island Children's Health Service representatives have come together to ensure services are available to children in the future, wherever they live in South Island.

The group is trying to find a way to supply affordable, and clinically viable, children’s health and disability services for the South Island.

Nelson Marlborough District Health Board, Community Paediatrician Dr Nick Baker said, “District Health Boards have identified workforce issues as the biggest threat to South Island services.”

All the South Island DHBs have expressed concerns that workforce recruitment and retention was an issue in some aspect of Child Health Care, doctors, nurses or allied health.

"Working together we hope to find joint solutions that support equity of access and outcomes across the South Island.

“The geography of South Island creates viability problems for services that need to keep critical mass for maintenance of skills, and collegial support while addressing issues of access for families,” said Dr Baker.

He said the group wanted to ensure the health dollar was spent efficiently on services that supported children no matter where they lived.

"We want to make sure that access is fair, however children and their families may have to travel to access services." 

Solutions shared across DHBs may improve sustainability of services, through making sure that clinicians are supported in their work and able to access peer support in clinical decisions. The group has already identified more training opportunities that can be shared.

"Throughout this planning our paramount objective is to maintain a high quality service available to children and their families.