Oamaru Mail – Mobile surgery treats over 1500 locals
7 March 2025
A mobile surgical unit regularly visiting Oamaru for more than 20 years has now served more than 1500 local people.
The Mobile Surgical Unit — Te Waka Hauora is run by Mobile Health Group with the support of Health New Zealand.
It travels throughout New Zealand to provide an elective day surgery service in 25 rural areas.
The unit provides timely and accessible healthcare services for people living in areas away from main hospitals.
The unit began visiting Oamaru in 2002 and since then has treated 1514 local patients.
Nationwide, more than 33,000 elective day-surgery operations have been delivered via the mobile units.
Health New Zealand’s Oamaru Hospital outpatient booking co-ordinator Sandra Humby said the mobile service was tailored to meet the specific population, ethnicity and healthcare needs of each location.
It allowed eligible patients in the Waitaki district to receive care closer to home, rather than travel to Dunedin or Timaru.
“People are happy to be seen in their own community,” Ms Humby said.
“Nothing beats being close to home. We know that the cost of travelling, accommodation and taking time off work can be challenging.
‘‘Recovery close to home with loved ones is also a benefit.”
The mobile unit also gives easier access for pre-surgery and post-operative appointments for better continuity of care and a quicker response to any complications.
“It’s also a bonus that patients treated on the surgical unit often have the advantage of being operated on by the same surgeon who initially assessed them.
“While the option of the surgical unit may not be an option for everyone, it certainly is a much-welcomed service for our community.”
Ms Humby said the other advantage was it could fit someone in on the day, as happened recently — saving an older patient a trip to Dunedin.
“The patient was treated and back home in time for his afternoon cup of tea.”
Ms Humby’s mother, Dorothy, was the previous outpatient booking co-ordinator.
Ms Humby described her work as more than a job. It was a calling, and she felt a deep connection to it.
Mobile Health Group chief executive Mark Eager said building strong bonds with host sites in rural locations was crucial in ensuring seamless coordination and trust vital for efficient and successful operations.
The state-of-the-art mobile theatre also served as a training tool for local health professionals through the Rural Health Education programme.
Since 2002, Mobile Surgical had delivered more than 50,000 hours of training for rural nurses and 1500 hours of training for rural doctors.
Oamaru registered nurse Violet Thelning said the education programme gave her and colleagues opportunities to learn or develop new skills.
It provided the opportunity for rural health professionals for ongoing specialty care education and training with the Mobile Surgical team support to develop skills.
Central Medical GP Richard McLeod has worked on the surgical unit several times and said there were many benefits in having a GP involved.
These included continuity of care, improving surgical skills and reinforcing relationships with secondary care colleagues.
The service was designed to link with local communities and involve local nurses.
“By providing these nurses and doctors with access to advanced training and equipment, we empower them to deliver high-quality care and improve patient outcomes in rural areas,” Mr McLeod said. — APL
Read the story in the digital edition of Oamaru Mail.
Read the media release from Health NZ | Te Whatu Ora.
FULL STORY: Oamaru host site story – “Nothing beats being close to home”
Mobile Surgical’s 25 host site locations each have unique characteristics in terms of population, ethnicity and health needs, and our mobile surgical service adeptly addresses these to ensure patient care and outcome excellence. Patients are prioritised by tailoring our services to meet the unique needs of each location, and our team works diligently to ensure that we deliver specialty surgery quickly and effectively. This commitment to adaptability allows us to provide high-quality surgical care to all our patients, no matter where they live and work.
Specialised care reaches Oamaru community
The surgical unit has been serving Oamaru since the service has been in operation (2002) and has treated 1,514 patients in this time. The clinical team onboard carry out various specialties, with a high rate of orthopaedics, general surgery, dental and ENT in this particular corner of New Zealand.
Sandra Humby is the outpatient booking co-ordinator at Oamaru Hospital and explains that the Waitaki District is widespread with a high elderly population and Pacific community. Oamaru is somewhat a low socioeconomic. “This makes travel to Dunedin more difficult for many,” Sandra begins. “People are happy to be seen in their own community. Weather conditions during winter prove to be challenging when having to get to early morning appointments, some patients choose to travel the night before. Often there is an extra night in a motel the following day.”
It’s always been at the heart of Mobile Surgical for healthcare access to be delivered close to people’s homes, reducing or eliminating financial and geographical burdens, and in some cases, emotional and physical burdens too. Sandra says the mobile health service is essential for delivering quality healthcare in remote locations and strengthens healthcare delivery in the community because “Nothing beats being close to home. Costs of staying out of town, travelling and time off work are all very taxing. Having a support person who possibly has to take time off work as well. Recovery close to home is also something that benefits our community.”
“Dental has been huge for our community, with many children being done, and no pressures for parents trying to get time off work to travel. I am sure the added benefit to our waitlists is also huge.”
It’s a 90-minute drive from Oamaru to Dunedin, where patients would have to travel if they need surgery. Having the surgical unit close in proximity allows for easier pre- and post-operative visits, ensuring better continuity of care and quicker response to any complications. It’s also a bonus that patients treated on the surgical unit often have the advantage of being operated on by the same surgeon who initially assessed them. This familiarity can enhance trust and comfort, ensuring a more cohesive and personalised treatment experience. Overall, local surgical options enhance patient comfort, convenience and outcomes.
Sandra recollects a memorable experience where the surgical unit made a significant difference for a rural patient. “A patient from a local rest-home with no family support in our area. We had finished the list rather early, so we contacted the rest home on the off chance that they could bring the patient down. The patient was brought down, treated and back home to relax. There was no stress for the rest home in having to get the patient to Dunedin, there was no stress on the patient having to travel that distance. One very happy patient treated and back home in time for his afternoon tea.”
“Another patient who was wheelchair bound and wasn’t suitable for travel, so having the opportunity to have treatment on the bus, allowed for a better quality of life for something that he probably wouldn’t have been able to attend an appointment in Dunedin. Family was really happy with the how we organised and the team on the day supported the patient to receive their treatment.”
Sandra has been involved with Mobile Surgical since 2015 when she took over her role as Mobile Surgical booker from her mother, Dorothy, who was the previous Mobile Surgical booker for five years until her retirement in 2015. Prior to Dorothy, Muriel (and school friend of Dorothy’s) was the first Mobile Surgical booker involved with the surgical unit from day dot in 2002 until her retirement in 2010. Sandra initially learnt the basics of getting the patient’s notes ready from her mother, but her role inevitably evolved to what it is today, managing patient schedules, co-ordinating with Mobile Surgical staff, and ensuring each patient receives the care they need. Sandra’s work is more than a job; it was a calling, and she feels a deep connection to it. “I started a journey with the bus that is still very close to my heart,” she says.
Collaborating for better rural health
Building strong bonds with host sites in rural locations is crucial in ensuring seamless co-ordination and trust, which are vital for efficient and successful operations. By strengthening community bonds, we can secure patients who are in need to receive the necessary care without delays. Mobile Surgical values the strong partnerships we foster to also facilitate better understanding of local needs and challenges, enabling the mobile unit to adapt and provide effective services.
Mobile Surgical actively contributes to building a stronger rural health workforce by providing local clinical staff with training onboard the surgical unit when it is visiting their local area. The state-of-the-art mobile theatre extends into a learning environment where local health professionals can enhance their clinical skills and build their confidence working in a theatre through the Rural Health Education programme. Mobile Surgical has been offering this unique learning opportunity since 2002 and has delivered more than 50,000 hours of training to rural nurses and 1500 hours of training for rural doctors.
Sandra shares a comment from a local nurse who works on the surgical unit who said that the small team tend to have their fingers on the pulse. She provides an example of when the clinical team were having an ENT day and knew they were running well ahead of schedule. Instead of an early finish time, and a patient list in her hands, she talked to the surgeon and got in contact with two patients who were able to be treated the same day. A decent finish time was still achieved. “The efficiency of the team on unit day is without a doubt – top class. The support for our staff involved on the day, is appreciated by all. Patients are always so happy.”
A local registered nurse Violet Thelning says of the education programme: “This has given opportunities to learn skills that they wouldn’t normally have the chance to learn, or if it was a skillset they previously had, the opportunity to continue. Due to being rural, we don’t have the facilities to the continued learning for specialities like this. The support from the Mobile Surgical team enables them to use these skills.”
One of Oamaru’s general practitioners, Dr Richard McLeod from Central Medical, Oamaru, who has worked on the surgical unit a number of times, states that some of the benefits as a GP being involved in the surgical unit includes continuity of care (being involved in the surgical intervention of some of their referred patients); improving surgical skills such as suturing and incisions; reinforcing relationships with secondary care colleagues (discussing mutual patients, work on GP and secondary care referrals and overall patient management); involvement in a different area of community health; partial integration of general practice care Oamaru Hospital; and another source of income.
Mark Eager, chief executive of Mobile Health Group, says the contract was designed to link with local communities and involve the nurses from the local town. “We not only exist to provide the highest level of care to patients, but I’ve also heard time and time again from local nurses saying they felt like they were missing out on training when we were bringing in this expensive equipment into their town. The training programme is designed as a valuable opportunity for them to gain transferable skills.”
He recollects a story of how one local nurse learnt a new skill of airway management from having worked in recovery on the surgical unit. When she was called to an emergency in her local area where a car was upside down in a ditch, she was able to maintain the patient’s airway as the volunteer fire brigade were trying to free the trapped vehicle.
By providing these nurses and doctors with access to advanced training and equipment, we empower them to deliver high-quality care and improve patient outcomes in rural areas. This approach fosters a sense of inclusion and professional growth, ultimately benefiting both the healthcare providers and the communities they serve.
Main feature photo L-R: Liz Grant, clinical nurse leader; Karly Geary, registered nurse and anaesthetic technician; Sandra Humby, Oamaru Hospital outpatient booking co-ordinator; Anne Shirtliff, clinical nurse leader; Laurie Wheeler, anaesthetist; and Jayne Attkins, registered nurse.
Pictured in full story: Sandra Humby, Oamaru Hospital outpatient booking co-ordinator, standing outside the Mobile Surgical Unit – Te Waka Hauora.