The theme for International Nurses Day 2023 is Our Nurses. Our Future - shining a light on nurses and on a brighter future, moving nurses from invisible to invaluable in the eyes of policy makers, the public, and all those who make decisions affecting the delivery and financing of health care.

Kimiora

This International Nurses Day, we wanted to shine a spotlight on Kimiora, a nurse practitioner-led clinic based in Horowhenua.

Kimiora is the outcome of a kaupapa involving local iwi, consumers, nurse practitioners and THINK Hauora. The clinic, which opened on July 1 2021 in Horowhenua, aims to provide a responsive and culturally appropriate health service to specifically, but not exclusively, Māori and Pasifika populations in Horowhenua. 

The clinic was looking to intertwine the Māori tikanga principles of manaakitanga, whanaungatanga, kotahitanga, wairuatange, rangatiratanga and overall holistic health approaches with the primary health care principles of an appropriate, accessible and accountable service. 

The clinic is a satellite site of Horowhenua Community Practice, and patients can receive care for their long term conditions from their nurse practitioner at the Kimiora clinic. The clinic also offers a number of initiatives designed to break down as many barriers to access as possible, such as a subscription service to help pay for ongoing care, if that is a solution that suits patients. 

The team feel the approach aligns well to the proposed health reforms, with a real focus on community wellness and a space where people feel comfortable to walk in and get the help they need. This is a key focus for the team, as well as providing key services such as childhood vaccinations in a push to increase the vaccination rates of tamariki and rangatahi within the area. 

They are also supporting and encouraging patients to utilise the Patient Portal tool used by the clinic – this enables patients to access test results, order repeat prescriptions and send secure messages to their nurse practitioner. 

Tools such as the Patient Portal can help patients feel more in control of their healthcare. An important part of the kaupapa for the clinic is that the patients’ healthcare is led by them, that they are involved in decisions and play an active role in determining their healthcare outcomes. The Patient Portal is a valuable tool which can help the team deliver on that objective. 

The clinic’s team of nurse practitioners have been supporting patients who may not previously have been enrolled with a healthcare team. You don’t need to be enrolled at Horowhenua Community Practice to sign up with Kimiora, and the team are actively looking to engage with whānau who are not already enrolled with a healthcare provider.

Since October, over 120 patients who weren’t enrolled with a GPT have now enrolled with Kimiora, and almost 65% of all enrolments are from Māori and Pasifika communities.