Plunket extends pilot scheme

Extra government funding put into Well Child services has enabled the successful Plunket extended well child service for young parents pilot programme to continue.

As a result Plunket Hawke's Bay Young Parents Team will now be situated in the old Hastings Plunket clinic in Hinau St. Two Plunket nurses and a Community Karitane nurse will work closely together to concentrate solely on young parents and their families.

Tukituki MP Hon Craig Foss officially opened the office last week. with guests from the Hawke's Bay District Health Board.

The extended Well Child service was piloted last year with one nurse, a parenting education facilitator and project leader Nicky Skerman, who was the recipient of a Vodafone World of Difference Scholarship to fund the pilot.

The team were recipients of the Plunket Eyebright Awards last year for innovation.

From the $21 million grant given to national Well Child Services last year, Plunket Hawke's Bay as the regions largest Well Child provider, decided to use the funding for administration costs and extra staffing.

As well as one extra Plunket nurse, parent education facilitator Tania Hawkins, has started her one-year training to take up the Community Karitane nurse position.

Mrs Skerman founded a three-month pilot programme run through Plunket to help teenage mothers, after completing her Masters in Nursing and discovering young mums most wanted support from someone they knew and trusted.

Typically young mums met several people for ante and post-natal support.

The team will provide an extended Plunket Well Child service to young parents, which includes antenatal visits by one of the nurses to form a early relationship with the parents and family. This has been shown in the pilot to build up trust so parents can continue to access the Well Child service once the baby has been born.

By working together in one office the dedicated team of three can maintain better communication and give each other support which in turn leads to a better delivery and supportive service.

Mrs Skerman said the team was passionate about achieving better outcomes for the children of young parents in the community. "It is fantastic that we are able to continue the extended Plunket well child service for young parents in Hawke's Bay and support them to raise healthy happy children," she said.