AUT Health officially opens
AUT Health, Auckland University of Technology’s clinical services hub based near AUT North Campus, was officially opened by the Vice-Chancellor yesterday. He was joined by North Campus Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the Faculty of Health & Environmental Sciences, Professor Max Abbott, as well as staff, industry partners and neighbouring health providers.
Situated at the new Northmed Centre on Akoranga Drive, AUT Health consists of the AUT Integrated Health (AIH) Clinic, as well as the Student Medical Centre and the Student Counselling & Mental Health Clinic. They now offer services from state-of-the-art premises and operate within a precinct of health providers, benefitting both client care and student learning experiences.
The Student Medical Centre (which is also open to staff) and the Student Counselling & Mental Health Clinic provide a full suite of services dedicated to supporting students’ physical, emotional and mental health.
By contrast, the AIH Clinic is open to students, staff and the public. Staffed by trainee students, under the supervision of registered health professionals, it offers services across Oral Health, Occupational Therapy, Podiatry, Counselling Psychology, Psychotherapy, Nursing, and Physiotherapy (including Orthopaedics, Neurological, Breathing and Dizziness, and Balance).
Patients in the wider healthcare system often feel that health services are too disconnected and that the health professionals they deal with do not collaborate effectively. “Addressing this, the AIH clinic adopted the interprofessional framework of the World Health Organisation. This places client-centred care at the heart of all our endeavours, while students learn alongside and interact with each other across a range of disciplines,” says Dr Ailsa Haxell, Head of AUT’s School of Interprofessional Health Studies.
Professor Abbott emphasises the added value of the AIH Clinic operating alongside the Student Medical Centre and Student Counselling & Mental Health Clinic. “Bringing these three services together creates new opportunities for collaboration, and synergies that will drive innovation and service enhancement in health and rehabilitation. The new whole will be greater than the sum of its parts,” he says.
He also expects the new venture to involve collaboration with colleagues from Northmed neighbours and other health organisations – including the Waitemata District Health Board and Te Puna Whanau Ora Network Alliance, who share AUT’s vision for integrated health services.
“We believe what we are doing is unique and has much to offer in providing a model for future health care delivery,” says Professor Abbott.
For more information on AUT Health services, visit the sites below: