Home Healthcare

Healthcare services have continued to play a vital role in Visionwest’s mission of supporting transformed lives and healthy communities. Across the year, our Home Healthcare and Individualised Funding teams have provided high-quality, practical support for older people, disabled people, and those living with illness, injury, or complex needs, helping whānau remain safe, connected, and independent in their own homes.

It has been a year of both challenge and growth. Sector-wide funding pressures, changes to assessment policies and looming tender processes, have created uncertainty for providers and kaimahi. While overall hours delivered remain steady, client numbers continue to decline while hours of support per client are increasing due to funders prioritising scarce resources to higher acuity clients. The average client receives 18% more hours than they did a year ago.

Growth was especially evident in the Lakes region, where service volumes increased by around 65% percent across the year. This growth reflects both rising community need and the commitment of local teams to providing responsive, high-quality care. In Auckland, after a previous year of significant volume reduction and subsequent slow increase due to funder policy changes, volumes have remained steady. Other regions have also had steady volumes.

The year also included important regional development. In Rotorua, Visionwest officially opened a new Home Healthcare office on the site of Rotorua Baptist Church. The opening marked a meaningful step forward for a team that has served the Rotorua/Lakes area and provides a better resource for continued growth alongside providing a fit-for-purpose training venue.

Another major development was Visionwest’s successful tender for ACC-funded Nursing Services. This was an important milestone, which enables Visionwest
to provide Nursing Treatment for people who have had an injury and cannot get to their GP. Over time, this will build the Visionwest Nursing workforce and capability further strengthening Visionwest’s ability to provide a wider range of health services.

The Home Healthcare team structure was modified to provide dedicated leadership for Individualised Funding and bring all Learning and Development for Support Workers and in-house staff into one team, improving alignment of content and delivery.

Individualised Funding grew by 33% over the past year, driven by the commitment of the team and strengthened by the appointment of dedicated leadership. This growth was achieved while responding to significant changes affecting clients and host providers, including how support is provided, what information should be reported, and what people can purchase with their funding.

Across Healthcare services, work has continued to embed kaupapa Māori in meaningful and practical ways. This includes strengthening tikanga-informed practice, upholding the mana of whānau and kaimahi, and developing approaches that reflect whanaungatanga, aroha, mana, and manaakitanga in everyday care. The beginning of Kaupapa Rākau, a new Customer Experience Team training programme, is one example of this ongoing commitment to shaping services that are relational, culturally responsive, and grounded in Visionwest’s kaupapa.

In a demanding year, Healthcare services have remained focused on what matters most: delivering safe, skilled, and compassionate support that enables people to live with dignity, independence, and connection in the place they call home.

Murray Penman
Health Services Director