Innovative tech-based care service, Inviga, set to revolutionise healthcare in NZ

The Selwyn Foundation has entered into an innovative joint venture with leading Australian health technology and community service provider, Feros Care, to service the New Zealand health sector’s community-based care requirements.

The new company, ‘Inviga’ (from “Invigorate”), is a 50/50 JV between both organisations. It has been established following the success of a six-month Telehealthcare pilot* undertaken by Selwyn last year and developed in association with Feros.

In a market increasingly seeking innovation and value-based approaches to service delivery, Inviga has been set up to provide technology-enhanced service models in communities around New Zealand.

The Selwyn Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Garry Smith, says: ‘Both Selwyn and Feros have a shared vision to improve outcomes for people through technology-enabled, home-based service delivery models and to provide more holistic and coordinated wraparound care to a wider range of people who are in need.'  

‘Our priority is to work with our service partners to assist clients in remaining independent, socially connected and healthy in their own homes and so prevent or minimise their admission to hospital or residential aged care.'

‘Community-based care is predicted to grow significantly over the next 10-15 years. Organisations such as DHBs, ACC, insurers and others who are tasked with providing tailored, restorative healthcare to individual patients are looking for new thinking in the provision of high quality services that are cost-effective and add value to both the end-user and the funder.'

‘By leveraging Feros’ expertise in the Australian market and in smart technologies, and Selwyn’s experience in the provision of care, Inviga is well placed to respond to this need. Inviga is focused on setting new standards of restorative community health services and ensuring better quality and sustainable client outcomes.’

With 25 years’ experience in providing home-based and community care for older people, Feros Care has led the telehealthcare revolution in Australia. The Selwyn Foundation has been providing homes, services and care for older New Zealanders for over 60 years and advocates a holistic model of care dedicated to the overall wellness of the individual and not just their clinical care.

Jennene Buckley, Chief Executive Officer of Feros Care, says: ‘There are increasing strains on the New Zealand health system, therefore new ways of supporting people so they can stay in their own homes need to be found. This joint venture will bring new technology, systems and efficiency to a market that is going through major funding changes and transformation in the service delivery model.'

Inviga’s CEO, Aidan Craig, says: ‘Inviga aims to revolutionise the delivery of care to people living in the community, and our proven, technology-based approach will give us a strong operational platform to connect services, innovate across service areas, and therefore make a difference in meeting people’s needs.’

The company’s service offering will include coordinated, home-based restorative and reablement services, as well as care and support and health monitoring for patients diagnosed with complex care needs and chronic conditions. 

Whilst Inviga is solely focussed on the New Zealand community-based market, it aims to develop new service solutions in partnership with key organisations in the sector and to fill the gaps for its healthcare partners in the provision of sustainable care for New Zealanders.

*Telehealthcare pilot: During 2015, The Selwyn Foundation and Feros Care piloted technology to support people with chronic health conditions. Twenty clients were set up with the My Health Clinic at Home technology, comprising a touch-screen computer and diagnosis-specific monitoring equipment.

Every day, the clients completed a customised health interview and measured their vital signs, with the results automatically sent to our triage software and reviewed by one of our telehealth nurses. Both client and nurse would then discuss the results by videoconference and any particular action that might be required to manage the person’s care that day. In this way, clients were supported through the winter months to keep well and out of hospital, developing a better understanding of their condition, how to manage it and how to recognise when an intervention was required.

Excellent results were achieved, with hospital admissions reduced by over 60%, and 75% of clients reporting that they felt their health status had improved and that they better understood their condition.