Spark Health - Stellar supporter of excellence in IT or telehealth

Why is Spark Health sponsoring the primary healthcare awards?

Most of the action in the health sector – 90 per cent or so – happens in primary and community care. It’s the part of the health system that builds long-term, broad relationships with individuals, whānau and communities. Celebrating and supporting primary care’s key role is important in an environment where often all that is spoken about are the constraints.

What is Spark Health’s key area of involvement in primary care?

Spark Health is a health system integrator. We bring global and local partners and scale to all corners of the health sector. Primary care’s superpower is that it is small and local. But it’s also one of its biggest challenges; leveraging the benefits of scaled procurement and accessing/adopting technology can sometimes be confronting. Spark Health is committed to ensuring that primary care is seen as the big player, not the second cousin.

What is it that interests you personally about the category Spark Health is sponsoring?

Every industry needs to learn and leverage from the past while adopting and forming its own future. Innovating in the new digital clinical space isn’t easy – funding and support can be hard to access – and the always on, fast-paced nature of clinical work leaves little time to adapt and experiment. As a part-owner of GP clinics and someone who has spent years supporting primary care innovation, I know firsthand how tough it is when the health system remains fixated on hospitals.

What do you hope this sponsorship will achieve for the entrants in this category?

The health sector can be quick to criticise, making it tough for those who put themselves out there. We hope these awards help shift that mindset – encouraging individuals and teams to take bold steps, embrace innovation and keep pushing boundaries.

What is a great experience you have had in primary care that you can share with us?

I was lucky enough to work with 400 GPs and their teams across the Midland region for 15 years. We were brave, trying new and different approaches to operational and clinical models. Strong clinical leadership, a bigger vision, scaled support and digital tools all combined to drive massive improvements in health outcomes through to primary care innovation. Post- COVID, we need to reignite the “art of the possible”, supporting visionary leadership that goes beyond today’s constraints and helps to deliver health outcomes for the future.

How would you describe the sector in three words?

Solid, resilient, core.

If you were asked to name a popular song as the anthem for primary care, what would you choose?

We Didn’t Start the Fire (Billy Joel).

The New Zealand Primary Healthcare Awards | He Tohu Mauri Ora is Aotearoa's premiere celebration of excellence in the field of primary healthcare. The awards honour the incredible contributions of our healthcare professionals in a wide range of categories. Category list available on www.nzphawards.co.nz/categories.