The first annual symposium of The Centre for Health Systems and Technology (CHeST) took place at the Hunter Centre, Dunedin, on the 29th of August 2017. The theme of this symposium was Implementing Integrated Care. This half-day event featured three keynote speakers followed by a panel discussion. The welcome address was delivered by Associate Professor Joanne Baxter, one of the theme leaders for CHeST.
The CHeST Co-Directors, Professors Robin Gauld and Tim Stokes, along with the theme leaders Associate Professor Sarah Derrett and Associate Professor Joanne Baxter, gave a brief overview of CHeST.
John MacDonald, the Independent Chair of the Mental Health and Addictions Network at Alliance South followed with his keynote speech on the Stepped Care model.
Professor Marshall Chin, the Richard Parrillo Family Professor of Healthcare Ethics in the Department of Medicine, University of Chicago was the second keynote speaker. His presentation was titled Integrated care models and policies in the U.S.
Associate Professor Joanne Baxter, Associate Dean for Māori Health at the Dunedin School of Medicine was the final keynote speaker, presenting on Māori health workforce development—Impacts, challenges, and opportunities for the health sector.
A panel discussion facilitated by Professor Robin Gauld provided opportunities for the participants and all the speakers to exchange ideas on issues of integrated care, research gaps, and implementation challenges. Dr Neil Houston from NHS Scotland, a General Practitioner who leads the successful Scottish Primary Care Patient Safety Programme also joined the panel for the session.
Over 40 participants attended, including academics and researchers from different centres, departments, and schools of the University of Otago; health authorities, managers, and experts from District Health Boards, and various non-governmental organisations.
Feedback on the Symposium has been very positive. We hope the participants have had opportunities to learn, discuss, and share their knowledge and experience about integrated care. A detailed report is forthcoming.