The Tautai Fakataha Service, formerly known as Pacific Family Support Service (PFSS), was established in September 1997. The aim of the service is to contribute to the health improvement of Pacific Peoples by improving access for Pacific people to hospital care.

The Vision is “Healthy Pacific Families”. Key Values include: Affirms the importance of family and extended family as the foundation of our existence; recognises the dynamic diversity of Pacific Peoples’ values, beliefs and lifestyles; acknowledges Te Tiriti O Waitangi and the sovereignty of Tangata Whenua; recognises and acknowledges the importance of holistic wellbeing which encompasses our spiritual, mental, social and physical wellbeing and; operates on the basis that the health of our children is the wealth of our future.

The Service

The Tautai Fakataha Team is a cultural and social support service for Pacific inpatients at Waitakere and North Shore Hospital. The Team - Family Support Workers - initiates contact and engages with Pacific patients offering ‘social and cultural support’ to all Pacific patients and their families. The service will ensure that:

• Where required and/or appropriate, communication between Pacific patients, their families and clinicians is effective and the best information is acquired so that the clinical functions of assessment, diagnosis, treatment and post-discharge are carried out correctly and that patients and their family understand and are engaged in the process.
  The Team works as part of the multidisciplinary health teams (doctors, nurses, social workers, physiotherapists and dietitians etc.) contributing cultural knowledge to assist individual clinicians or teams to maximise and enhance effective communication between Pacific patients and their families ensuring effective, responsive and appropriate healthcare. Family Support Workers are involved in care planning through to discharge planning.  Returning patients to their families and community requires careful planning and collaboration with providers and programmes located in primary healthcare.
• The Pacific family’s cultural values and social needs are acknowledged, respected, responded to accordingly and integrated into their care.
• Tautai Fakataha maintain strong links and relationships with other key providers e.g. Social services, Chaplaincy, WINZ, Housing NZ, Primary Health Care and Community services to ensure appropriate holistic care is able to be accessed easily.
• Appropriate discharge planning occurs to improve the patient’s transition from hospital back into the community and primary healthcare services. The long term goal is to ensure compliance with prescribed post-discharge care and to minimise inappropriate readmissions.

A Pacific health navigator will visit you:

• When you are referred by a health professional from a hospital/community health service.
• When you ask a health professional to contact Tautai Fakataha Pacific Health Navigator Service on your behalf.

Hours 

Mon – Fri             9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Tautai Fakataha Health Service 9.00 am - 4:00 pm Monday to Friday (No service on weekends or public holidays)

Referral Expectations

The Pacific Navigator will:

• Support the patient and his/her family to engage with WDHB services and ensure communication between them is optimal. Identify resources which may support and improve the patient’s journey.
• Ensure socio-cultural issues are highlighted in the clinical encounter, i.e. clinicians/health team are offered a Pacific patient’s perspective, identifying relevant cultural information and social needs for informed decision making.
• On request, work with Pacific patients, their families and multidisciplinary teams to ensure they are effectively engaged in ongoing care and discharge planning.
• Ensure (where required) discharge and follow up processes occur in the community through linkages with community providers and workers. 

(N.B. The Pacific Navigator worker does not replace the role of the interpreter, but will provide cultural support to the patient and family).

Charges

The services offered by Tautai Fakataha Pacific Health are free of charge.

Contact Details
Phone (09) 837 8836

Puleiala Tofaeono (Samoan)
Mobile: 021 956 530
E-mail: Puleiala.Tofaeono@waitematadhb.govt.nz

Sera Tagaloa (Samoan)
Mobile: 021 562 583
E-mail: Sera.Tagaloa@waitematadhb.govt.nz

Other

Pacific Health Team WDHB-ADHB 

Phone: (09) 630 9943 then the required extension number 

Interim General Manager of Pacific Health/Clinical Nurse Director Pacific Health: Abel Smith 021 871449

Executive Assistant to the GM: Maretta Carson DDI: (09) 443-9077

Health Science Academy/ Pacific Best Practice

Project Manager: Tuliana Guthrie 021 245 7128

Project Coordinator: Aihaosea Soane Ahokovi 021 948 549

• Isa Lei - Pacific Island Community Mental Health Services
• Malaga a le Pasifika
• Pacific Alcohol, Other Drug Service (Tupu)
• Pacific Mental Health & Addictions Services (Takanga A Fohe)
• Pacific Support Service
• Prepare Pacific - COVID-19 information