Introduction
The Pacific Family Support Unit (PFSU) was established in September 1997. The aim of the service is to contribute to the health improvement of Pacific Peoples.
The Vision is “Healthy Pacific Families”. Key Values include: Affirms the importance of family and extended family as the foundation of our existence; recognises the dynamic diversity of Pacific Peoples’ values, beliefs and lifestyles; acknowledges Te Tiriti O Waitangi and the sovereignty of Tangata Whenua; recognises and acknowledges the importance of holistic wellbeing which encompasses our spiritual, mental, social and physical wellbeing and; operates on the basis that the health of our children is the wealth of our future.
The Service
The Pacific Family Support Unit (PFSU) is a cultural and social support service for Pacific inpatients at Auckland City Hospital. The Team - Family Support Workers - initiates contact and engages with Pacific patients offering ‘social and cultural support’ to all Pacific patients and their families.
The Team works as part of the multidisciplinary health teams (doctors, nurses, social workers, physiotherapists and dietitians etc.) contributing cultural knowledge to assist individual clinicians or teams to maximise and enhance effective communication between Pacific patients and their families ensuring effective, responsive and appropriate healthcare.
The service will ensure that:
• Where required and/or appropriate, communication between Pacific patients, their families and clinicians is effective and the best information is acquired so that the clinical functions of assessment, diagnosis, treatment and post-discharge are carried out correctly and that patients and their family understand and are engaged in the process.
• The Pacific family’s cultural values and social needs are acknowledged, respected, responded to accordingly and integrated into their care.
• PFSU maintains strong links and relationships with other key providers e.g. Social services, Chaplaincy, WINZ, Housing NZ, Primary Health Care and Community services to ensure appropriate holistic care is able to be accessed easily.
• Appropriate discharge planning occurs to improve the patient’s transition from hospital back into the community and primary healthcare services. The long term goal is to ensure compliance with prescribed post-discharge care and to minimise inappropriate readmissions.