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Hospice West Auckland is making an important and innovative addition to our care services: He Whare Korowai – Home From Home.

We provide an outstanding level of care to our patients and their whānau, supporting them to remain in the place they call home. Community-based care is one of Hospice West Auckland’s greatest strengths, achieved through the exceptional cohesive efforts of our community and Afterhours teams. Korowai Care was introduced in 2023 and has been a hugely successful addition to supporting home care by delivering short-term elevated care that allows patients with complex care needs to remain at home.

However, there are times when 24-hour care is necessary, such as when patients require around-the-clock personal care, when the home environment isn’t suitable, or when the individual prefers not to die at home. For the past few years, we offered these patients a bed in the in-patient unit (IPU) at Harbour Hospice. We are now implementing a system that will ensure continuity of care with our specialist palliative care team and remove the cost and inconvenience of travelling to the North Shore. This has been particularly challenging for our families with fewer resources, with a disproportionately lower uptake among our Māori and Pacific Island families.

The challenge we have faced is how to provide 24-hour care in West Auckland – this is where Home From Home comes in. This initiative will provide 24-hour generalist care by Registered Nurses and Healthcare Assistants in a comforting home setting at Hospice House. Patients will continue to receive specialist palliative care from their same community teams just as if they were still at home, ensuring that vital continuity of care.

Some changes will be made to the ground floor of Hospice House, including creating a dining room and living room for replicating a comforting home environment. Three beds will be made available for patients, with the ability for family members to stay with their loved ones in-room. We will continue to offer outpatient services at Hospice House.

The traditional IPU model is expensive to run, and there can be a division of care between the community and IPU teams. In contrast, our innovative approach to 24-hour care is sustainable and uses the cohesive strengths of our community team. People will be treated just as if they are at home with comprehensive, collaborative care to complement our existing services and best meet the needs of our West Auckland community.

It is currently anticipated that these services will be operational late 2025. This is an exciting new chapter for Hospice West Auckland as we make history in the palliative care field in New Zealand.