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Te Kotahi Oranga | Health and Wellness Centre

Kia ora and welcome to Te Kotahi Oranga Health and Wellness Centre.

We are a new ākonga (learner), student-assisted clinic with a focus on interprofessional care. The clinic was founded through strong collaboration with community partnerships and extensive research.

This opportunity plays a vital role in developing the next generation of health professionals. Our one-stop clinic provides the community with accessible healthcare while giving ākonga an authentic educational experience in a real-life setting.

Ākonga from various health and sport disciplines come together to gain experience from experienced kaimahi (staff) and provide accessible, high-quality and evidence-based healthcare to our in-need communities. You and your whānau will benefit from our ability to attend to multiple aspects of your health in one place.

Our services and programmes

Our services are free and cover a range of treatments, education topics and programmes. 

Our focus areas
Initial focus areas are for those living with:
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
  • Adult asthma
  • The risk of falls
Ākonga assessments
Ākonga-led assessments are undertaken with supervision and include the following areas: 
  • Those that are at risk of falls 
  • Mobility 
  • Foot integrity
  • Cognitive screening 
  • Social needs screening
  • Home assessments
  • Diet and exercise
  • Non-invasive objective screenings and tests such as HbA1c, BP, BMI, lipids 
Whānau and client care
Whānau and client care can cover:
  • Strength, mobility, weight loss and cardiopulmonary exercise classes
  • Individual exercise programmes
  • Medicine education (eg correct inhaler technique)
  • A diverse series of health education/promotion sessions that focus on specific conditions and social needs
  • Smoking cessation advice and education
  • Nutritional advice and education, including one-on-one assistance
  • Occupational therapy needs
  • Social connection and support
  • Referral to other community services
  • Regular follow-ups and check-ins
Education topics

The education topics below are included, along with exercise activities. These will be delivered by our ākonga as they expand their experience and skills within their educational programme. We will also invite guest speakers from time to time. 

Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM):
  • What is diabetes
  • Healthy feet
  • Healthy eating on a budget
  • How to make exercise fun
  • Understanding the medications and hypo education
  • How to self-monitor, catch complications early and stay positive
  • The goal is to prevent and manage T2DM, increase understanding of the disease and support weight loss 

Asthma and COPD:
  • What is asthma
  • What is COPD
  • Understanding the medications and correct inhaler technique
  • Healthy eating on a budget
  • How to make exercise fun even when you are out of breath
  • Breathing techniques such as sputum clearing 
  • Staying positive
  • The goal is to support better breathing and provide education specific to asthma/COPD

Falls prevention:
  • What to do if you fall
  • Tips for how to get up
  • Creating a safe home environment
  • The importance of healthy feet and suitable footwear
  • Staying fall-free when you are out and about
  • Healthy eating 
  • Personal safety alarm options
  • The goal is to increase safety, strength, stability and improve balance

Appointments and referrals

We are open to the public for appointments, and you do not need to be referred to us by a health professional.

Making an appointment is easy. Click the Referral Form button to fill out our referral form. Once you have filled in the form, we assess your needs using the steps below and will contact you to arrange an appointment.

Are you a health professional wishing to refer a client?

We welcome you to refer your client to us who would benefit from additional support within our focus areas.

All clinical decision-making will remain the responsibility of the primary care provider while we provide supportive care for those who may require additional time and support.

Initial assessment once referral received

Once we have received your referral, we will contact you to make an appointment.

At your first appointment, you will have an initial assessment with an ākonga and supervisor. This is a comprehensive, complete health assessment process using formally validated assessment tools. After your first appointment, our teams meet for interprofessional discussions that determine your care plan. You can view our Initial Assessment Form here.

Ongoing assessments will continue and you will receive information for your follow-up appointments.  

Interprofessional team involvement and pre-exercise screening

Our interprofessional team meet daily for case management, which involves discussing individual plans and progress, assessing any issues that have arisen, and providing adjustments, additions and ongoing care to improve health outcomes.

Pre-exercise screening is ongoing throughout your time with us to assess your ability and help determine types of exercise plans and stages.

Care evaluation and check-ins

Following on from our appointments, we ensure you have the tools you need to continue your care plan for six weeks. After this time, we will make contact and invite you to an evaluation appointment, which is approximately 12 weeks after your first appointment with us. 

We will phone you for regular check-ins and screening to see if further support would be beneficial, such as further inclusion in exercise classes and programmes. 

Our partners

Our clinic is underpinned by the core Wintec value of Mahi tahi – Working together. We work collaboratively within and outside our organisation and wish to fully acknowledge our community partners below, who are central to the clinic's development and delivery model.

Rauawaawa

TANI

Geneva Healthcare

Asthma Waikato logo

Tui Medical

Te Kōaho Health

Kokiri Trust

Raukura Hauora o Tainui

Frequently asked questions

Find answers to commonly asked questions below. If you have an unanswered question, please contact us here.

Who supervises in the clinic?
We have a Registered Nurse on our team with an Occupational Therapist joining us in the near future. Clinical tutors also supervise ākonga from their own discipline of study. 
Who signs off care plans?

All care plans developed by ākonga are signed off by our registered health professionals with feedback back to the referring and primary care provider. 

Before anyone is offered an individual or group exercise class, general practitioner sign-off will also be sought.

As a referrer or general practitioner, how do I stay informed of my client's progress?

As part of our clinic procedures, the referrer and general practitioner will be informed after the initial assessment and establishment of the care plan. For the general practitioner, this will be sent securely through HealthLink from our Practice Management System (PMS) to yours. If we have requests that need to be actioned by the general practitioner, we may need to call their practice and follow up with a letter too. Communication with the referrer will depend on who the referrer is; client confidentiality and privacy will always be most important.

My client has complicated health needs. What services are on site should they need urgent medical care while at the clinic?
Our team have up to date first aid certification. Some at Rotokauri Campus have advanced pre-hospital care certification. Both general practitioners and nurses are also based at the Campus Health Services.
My client has been in programmes before and had many assessments for their long-term condition. What makes this clinic different?
Long-term conditions can be draining and tiring. Those living with long-term conditions may question their value and contribution to society. Loneliness and questions about self-worth may compound life challenges. We offer:
  • An opportunity for clients/whānau to come together in a supportive environment
  • Services focused on the holistic health needs of people, coupled with regular, ongoing follow-up
  • A contribution by helping to shape and develop the skills of the next generation of health professionals
  • Support that can make a very real and important difference to not only ākonga and their learning, but also to future healthcare delivery

In addition, one of the greatest things we can offer that many others cannot is time. Our ākonga are learning so they are given the time that they need with clients. This also allows us to provide a robust screening service to ascertain holistic needs that many others simply can not fit into their busy schedules.

News

Te Pūkenga and Wintec to launch ground-breaking community health clinics

Wintec will launch groundbreaking working health clinics in 2022

 

A ground-breaking, community health education model will launch at Wintec in Kirikiriroa Hamilton from 2022, where ākonga/learners studying health and sport-related disciplines will learn in supervised working clinics.

The project, He Kaupapa Oranga Tahi is grounded in community and Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership principles to develop a health workforce with a high level of clinical capability, cultural competence and community insight, networked to community-based partners.

Wintec Chief Executive, David Christiansen says He Kaupapa Oranga Tahi is shaped by a vision for the future of vocational education by Te Pūkenga, which Wintec is part of.

“He Kaupapa Oranga Tahi is a big milestone for training an effective health workforce here in Aotearoa and the Waikato,” says Christiansen.

“This project will continue to develop through collaborative, equitable and Te Tiriti o Waitangi- based partnerships to inform best outcomes for our learners and our community, by embedding a culturally responsive and community-based health workforce.”

He Kaupapa Oranga Tahi aims to foster careers in the fields of nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, social work, counselling, exercise physiology and sports science.

The project will be delivered by a Wintec team supported by Te Pūkenga and leading community Māori and Pacific health organisations: K’aute Pasifika, Te Kōhao Health, Ngā Miro Health, Te Hauora O Ngāti Hauā, Rauawaawa Kaumātua Charitable Trust and Tū Tonu.

The project is going ahead thanks to a Trust Waikato Community Impact grant of $1.5 million, to be distributed over three years.

Trust Waikato Chief Executive, Dennis Turton says the Trust is committed to supporting the establishment of the ākonga-assisted health clinics at Wintec in Kirikiriroa, Hamilton.

“We are committed to building a more just and equitable Waikato and know that educational and other barriers exist for many of our Māori and Pacific communities, as well as other cultures. We welcome the collaboration with Māori and Pacific health and social service providers and developing culturally responsive and mana-enhancing care practices,” Turton says.

“Trust Waikato is interested in how this programme will improve the educational outcomes for Māori and Pacific students, and through a cultural lens, bring about systemic change in Aotearoa’s educational institutions.”

The Wintec project team is working in consultation with sponsor, Te Pūkenga, Deputy Chief Executive Delivery and Academic, Dr Angela Beaton.

“Trust Waikato has enabled a unique opportunity that will benefit Waikato communities and the next generation of health and social care professionals,” says Dr Beaton.

“He Kaupapa Oranga Tahi brings together community provision and expertise, evidence and research to support our learners to apply their practical skills in culturally-responsive environments. We’re right behind this project and look forward to seeing it grow and develop.”

Dr Beaton says there is potential for this model to be replicated throughout Aotearoa New Zealand through Te Pūkenga subsidiaries.

“I know the wider Te Pūkenga network will be watching this project closely and looking for opportunities to scale and replicate what works well so all our learners across the network can benefit.”

He Kaupapa Oranga Tahi aims to achieve positive outcomes and equity in health, training, and access for underserved communities, in particular Māori, Pacific and disabled people.

The project will be implemented over three years in stages through a collaborative partnership with Te Pūkenga, Waikato-based Māori and Pacific health and social service providers and project co-leads, Wintec academics, Professor Sharon Brownie, Centre for Health and Social Practice and Dr Marrin Haggie, Centre for Sport Science and Human Performance who have led the development.

Wintec adjunct Professor, Sharon Brownie says research and development has been a significant part in the delivery of the project model for the clinic and its outcomes.

“Further, establishment of the clinics will strengthen our collaborations with Māori and Pacific health and community service providers in the Waikato rohe enabling direct input of authentic, practice-based cultural perspective to the clinical learning experience of the region’s future health and exercise-related workforce.”

In 2022, Wintec will launch the first stage, a pilot clinic. Full scale implementation is planned for 2024 to embed a purpose-built five-day operating health education clinic.

Wintec is a subsidiary of Te Pūkenga, the organisation that is uniting Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITPs) and transitional Industry Training Organisation (TITOs) across Aotearoa New Zealand into a national network to reimagine vocational learning. 

Read more:

Pasifika scholarship winners aim to address inequality in NZ health system

New scholarships enable Māori health professionals to earn while they learn

Wintec Biokinetic Clinic earns gold for promoting a culture of wellness on campus

About us

Vision and mission

Thriving whānau; accomplished ākonga.

Our mission is to provide accessible interprofessional primary healthcare services focusing on the needs of the under-resourced community through the investment in the learning and holistic development of ākonga studying the health disciplines.

Te Kotahi Oranga was created from conversations between the directors of our Centre for Health and Social Practice and Centre for Sport Science and Human Performance around how ākonga (learners/students) from the many health, sport, and social practice programmes available here could better work together to help address local community health needs. In 2020, a core project team was established to explore the potential of a student-led health service.

The project team found that a student-led clinic could provide valuable educational learning experiences for ākonga while improving health outcomes in our community. Detailed findings have been published in a full report, He Kaupapa Oranga Tahi: Working in partnership to grow the health workforce through tauira-assisted health services

After quickly gaining support, in 2021 the project received the Community Impact Grant from Trust Waikato to establish the service.

Research

It was clear from the beginning that the clinic should target areas of clear community need. Our feasibility work included looking at Ministry of Health and ACC data and discussing needs with members of organisations working in our community every day. This has guided our areas of focus.

Our clinic is supported by a rigorous research agenda. You can find our publications here:

Location

We are located at Rotokauri Campus, 51 Akoranga Road, Hamilton.

Our temporary location is in Ecohouse 6 in the Rotokauri Eco Village (pictured).

View the map below or download the map here.

Te Kotahi Oranga Health and Wellness Clinic Eco House entrance

Contact us

Phone: 07 834 8801
Address: 51 Akoranga Road, Rotokauri Campus
Temporary location: Ecohouse 6, Rotokauri Campus

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