"Non-urgent" public health work by the West Coast-based Community and Public Health unit is on hold as staff are diverted to the national Covid-19 response, the West Coast DHB has heard.
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Dr Cheryl Brunton told the DHB advisory group meeting this week that all "non-urgent" public health work was still paused while staff focussed on the Covid-19 response.
Until recently, CPH Greymouth staff had been involved in supporting Covid-19 case investigation, and contact tracing and contact monitoring, including outside the region.
However, the focus of the work had moved in line with the shift to stage 2 and 3 of the Omicron response.
"We are now no longer interviewing individual cases or contact tracing."
The focus was now "individual management" of case groups, rather than following up with every individual positive case as previously.
"What we are doing is working with vulnerable settings where cases occur."
For example, specific 'faith-based' communities in Christchurch had been a particular focus along with Youth Justice facilities, Dr Brunton told the board.
Meanwhile, the Greymouth unit had also shifted its focus to supporting West Coast Covid sufferers to self isolate at home, her report to the board said.
The unit's community supported isolation and quarantine co-ordinator had been working closely with the DHB to get the West Coast Integrated Covid Community Care Centre - known as 'the Hub' - operational.
This was particularly around the accommodation, transport and food needs of cases isolating on the Coast.
While most people were "well able" to manage at home without support, community engagement in previous months was being used to mobilise community support services.
This included Poutini Waiora, the Ministry of Social Development and the Rural Support Trust to provide extra assistance where needed.
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