Te Toka Tumai and Te Tai Tokerau Ophthalmology Services Collaborate to Bring Healthcare Closer to Home in Kaitaia
Te Toka Tumai and Te Tai Tokerau Ophthalmology services collaborated to bring healthcare closer to home for 26 Kaitaia patients who had their cataract surgeries at Kaitaia Hospital in late January.
The joint initiative saw two senior Te Toka Tumai Registrars spend a week at Kaitaia Hospital providing cataract surgery and post operative reviews working alongside the Kaitaia theatre and clinic teams.
“This was a unique opportunity where Te Toka Tumai and Te Tai Tokerau leadership/clinical teams were onboard from the outset and everyone benefits,” said Jo West, Service Manager, Surgical and Perioperative Services.
“26 patients requiring cataract surgery were able to be seen, the doctors have benefitted from being able to provide surgery from a district theatre and the local theatre and outpatient teams gained valuable experience that will lead to improving systems and processes going forward.”
The Te Tai Tokerau Health NZ ophthalmology team provide the complete cataract care pathway in Kaitaia, from first specialist appointments to cataract surgery and post-operative follow-up if needed. Before the service opened Kaitaia in October 2024 patients travelled up to two and a half hours (each way) to get to Whangārei Hospital.
This service reflects one of the many healthcare initiatives being rolled out to support the government’s focus on achieving shorter wait times for first specialist appointments and elective surgery.
Cataract treatment involves removing the cloudy natural lens inside your eye. Usually, cataract surgery is a short procedure, lasting about 45 minutes. Most people stay awake during cataract surgery but take a light sedative to relax them.
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