"Nothing beats being close to home" – Mobile surgical unit serves more than 1500 people in Ōamaru
A mobile surgical unit that has been visiting Ōamaru for more than 20 years has now been used by more than 1500 local people.
The Mobile Surgical Unit – Te Waka Hauora, which is run by Mobile Health Group with support from Health New Zealand, travels throughout New Zealand to provide an elective day surgery service in 25 rural areas.
Its purpose is to provide timely and accessible healthcare services for people living in rural areas, with eligible patients able to access care closer to home rather than having to travel out of town.
The unit began visiting Ōamaru in 2002 and since then has treated 1,514 local patients. Nationwide, more than 33,000 elective day surgery operations have been delivered at the mobile unit.
Health New Zealand’s Ōamaru Hospital outpatient booking coordinator Sandra Humby says the mobile service is tailored to meet the specific population, ethnicity, and healthcare needs of each location.
She says the service in Ōamaru has allowed eligible patients in the Waitaki district to receive care closer to home, rather than travel to Dunedin.
“People are happy to be seen in their own community,” Sandra says.
“Nothing beats being close to home. We know that the cost of travelling, accommodation, and taking time off work can be challenging. Recovery close to home with loved ones is also a benefit.”
The mobile unit also provides easier access to appointments before and after surgery, ensuring better continuity of care and a quicker response to any complications.
“It’s also a bonus that patients treated on the surgical unit often have the advantage of being operated on by the same surgeon who initially assessed them.
“While the option of the surgical unit may not be an option for everyone, it certainly is a much-welcomed service for our community.”
The benefit of the local service can at times be obvious. Sandra recalls a day when the surgical list was completed early, so the team decided to fit in one more surgery – saving an elderly patient a trip to Dunedin.
“The patient was treated and back home in time for his afternoon cup of tea.”
Sandra has a family and community connection to the Mobile Surgical team. Her mother, Dorothy, was the previous outpatient booking coordinator, while Dorothy’s predecessor and friend, Muriel, was the first booking coordinator involved with the surgical unit in Ōamaru.
Sandra says her work is more than a job. It was a calling, and she feels a deep connection to it.
Mobile Surgical, a service provided by Mobile Health Group, says building strong bonds with host sites in rural locations is crucial in ensuring seamless coordination and trust, which are vital for efficient and successful operations.
The state-of-the-art mobile theatre also serves as a training tool for local health professionals through the Rural Health Education programme.
Since 2002, Mobile Surgical has delivered more than 50,000 hours of training for rural nurses and 1,500 hours of training for rural doctors.
Local registered nurse Violet Thelning says the education programme has given her and her colleagues opportunities to learn or develop new skills.
“As a rural facility, we might not have the chance for continued learning and education for specialty care. The support from the Mobile Surgical team enables us to develop these skills.”
Dr Richard McLeod, from Central Medical in Ōamaru, has worked on the surgical unit several times. He says there are many benefits of being a GP involved in the surgical unit. These include continuity of care, improving surgical skills, reinforcing relationships with secondary care colleagues, and being involved in a different area of community health.
Mobile Health Group chief executive Mark Eager says the service was designed to link with local communities and involve local nurses.
“By providing these nurses and doctors with access to advanced training and equipment, we empower them to deliver high-quality care and improve patient outcomes in rural areas,” he says.