NCHIP to back load health milestones for 8,000 Taranaki children

28 October

Taranaki’s new National Child Health Information Platform (NCHIP) and Child and Youth Coordination Service (CaY-C) will begin back loading key health milestone information for approximately 8,000 Taranaki children onto the NCHIP system this week.

NCHIP was officially launched on 22 June 2016 and provides a single online view for all practitioners involved in a child’s 29 health milestones from birth to six years of age.  It is a joint venture between Pinnacle Midlands Health Network (Pinnacle) and Taranaki DHB.

Becky Jenkins, Taranaki DHB GM Funding and Planning said, “NCHIP is about improving the health of our children and enables early childhood health services to be delivered in a more coordinated way so that no child falls between the cracks.”

This week information on children aged 0-6 years will be entered onto NCHIP, detailing Midwife checks, Well Child/Tamariki Ora assessments, immunisations, hearing and vision checks, oral health checks and B4 School Checks. The CaY-C service will assist in the tracking and tracing of children lost to providers so that no child misses out.

Mrs Jenkins said, “Parents need to look out for a postcard that will be delivered to their home if they have a child or children between the ages of 0-6 years.  The postcard will let parents know that their child’s information is being loaded onto NCHIP.  It doesn’t require a response, it is purely to inform parents of this process.” 

John Macaskill-Smith, CEO at Midlands Health Network, “NCHIP is about the kids. This is about enabling the health system to better support them by improving the way all health professionals and organisations work together.”

“For the first time ever, Taranaki Health providers involved in a child’s care will have a shared view of a child’s progress towards reaching all their health milestones, and who else is involved in their care,” he added.

Meanwhile, all Taranaki newborns are automatically enrolled.  Amanda Antoine, Taranaki DHB Clinical Midwife Manager said, “NCHIP fills important gaps and helps streamline processes right from when a baby is born.  We are embracing NCHIP as it will ensure we keep mothers and their babies at the centre of their health care.”

Taranaki is the third Midland DHB to implement NCHIP, with successful roll outs already in the Waikato and Tairawhiti.

ENDS

For more information please call
Cressida Gates-Thompson, Communications Manager, 027 703 6177

Last Monday, October 31, 2016 updated: