Shared Care - Whānau Tahi

Whānau Tahi is a tool that allows your voice to be heard more in your care.  It provides a platform to store and access your Shared Care Plan and Advanced Care Plan if you have them. 

It also provides a summary health record where important health information from your GP Practice is securely stored and available day and night for when needed for medical care – anywhere there is an internet connection.

Access to this information means that you can receive safer and more timely treatment:

• in an emergency,
• when you see your doctor,
• at an after-hours clinic or
• when visiting other health professionals.

What is Whānau Tahi Shared Care? If you are unwell, you would want the medical team looking after you to give the best advice and treatment as quickly as possible. You would want your team to know what is important to you and whether you have specific needs that need to be taken into consideration with your care.  You should not need to have to tell your ‘story’ to each health provider you visit. 

Whānau Tahi Shared Care is a tool to enable you to record what is important to you, what your goals and your aspirations are and for this information to be available to all members of your care team.  You could also store information such as important personal, cultural or religious considerations. 

At present, each place such as the general practice team, the district nurse or a hospital clinic, often have separate records which are not easily shared. They mostly share information by letter, fax or phone. Even sharing information electronically between different systems can be difficult. This can result in delays or mistakes when important information, results or medical history is missing. It also makes it harder to coordinate care and to plan ahead.  Again, with Whānau Tahi, key health and other information that is important to you is shared on a secure system so that this essential information is available when it is needed most, day or night.  Whānau Tahi helps to put you at the centre of the care being provided.

What is a Whānau Tahi Shared Care Plan?  In Northland, for someone with complex health care needs (they may have been in hospital or attended outpatient clinics or seen a number of healthcare providers) you may be offered or wish to ask for a Shared Care Plan. If you are eligible for Kia Ora Vision through your GP, or Manaaki Manawa through an Iwi provider, these providers can assist you to create a Shared Care Plan.  As Whānau Tahi is being rolled out across Northland, Shared Care Plans are being created by more and more health and social services such as Child Health, Mental Health and Rest Homes.  You also have the option to create your own Shared Care Plan or Advanced Care Plan if you have access to the Whānau Tahi portal. 

A Shared Care plan allows you to record and share information you want to be known by those involved in your care such as what is important to you, what your goals are and things you will do to improve your health and wellbeing,

Some of the core features of Whānau Tahi enables:

• You to say what’s important to you and what your goals and priorities are;
• For your Care Plan or Advanced Care Plan to be readily available when you access health and social services;
• To have your health information readily available to health workers in emergencies;
• To receive better communication about your health and better coordination of care.

An overview of Whānau Tahi is available 

What is the Whānau Tahi Patient Portal.  As part of the Whānau Tahi shared care programme, you will also be able to see your core health information via a patient website. To use this, you will need to gain access via your health provider and also to the internet.  The portal includes the option to send a short message to your care coordinator and some of your healthcare team.

You can also:

• Create, view or edit your Shared Care Plan;
• Create, view or edit your Advanced Care Plan;
• Add measurements;
• Give family members or carers access to your portal;
• See who has viewed your records so you are more in control than ever before.

Link to the Whānau Tahi Healthcare Portal

If you have any other questions about Whānau Tahi talk to your GP Practice or health provider.