We’ve all heard the saying you can’t pour from an empty cup, meaning that for us to effectively take care of others we must first take care of ourselves. Sometimes this is easier said than done, but for our colleagues on the health frontline, it’s more important now than ever.

Since COVID-19 first reached our shores, the way we use technology to support patients has been firmly in the spotlight. As we enter the third year of a global pandemic and a new variant is at the forefront of everyone’s minds, the Shared Care Planning team is exploring how shared care plans can support health care teams to have important conversations about medical decisions with their at-risk patients.

An initiative to transform the way people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are supported in the community is underway across Canterbury.

It was lights, camera, action for the shared care planning team as they presented a webinar to help colleagues from across the health system learn more about our suite of shared care plans last month.

Alliance Leadership Team members bade farewell to a collaborative, courageous and capable colleague last month, via a virtual meeting.

A group of budding artists shared their skills with the Ashburton community last weekend, as they celebrated their first pop-up exhibition at the Ashburton Art Gallery.

A programme to support people who have recently been released from prison re-engage with their general practice teams is gaining momentum across Canterbury.

As things ramp up for the silly season and many of us plan a well-deserved break, our colleagues working in urgent care are preparing ways to make the festive period simpler and safer for staff, patients and their whānau.