Breathing monitor service planned

Press, 6 October 1989, Page 4

Breathing monitor service planned

By

DEBORAH McPHERSON

Canterbury babies deemed at risk of cot death may benefit from a planned service to monitor breathing abnormalities.

The Canterbury Area Health Board has decided to apply for a $92,000 development grant for a service to be run from Christchurch Hospital’s pediatric department. If the application is successful, the money would pay for an extended home-monitoring service, parent education programmes, including the teaching of cardio-pulmo-nary resuscitation, limited home visits and the collecting and collating of information from monitor use. The service would also assess heart and breathing rates of babies considered at risk. The assistant to the board’s general manager, Mr Paul Monk, said the service development grant was one of about 10 the board had yesterday decided to apply for. It had been holding off applying for grants for new services because it gained the impression it “might be prudent not to present the Minister of Health with a shopping list” until it had proved it could live within its budget, he said. The service development grant for abnormal breathing monitoring relating to cot deaths had been fourth in a list of priorities established by the board in July. In a letter to the board in July, the Minister of Health, Ms Clark, said since the board was underfunded it was encouraged to seek grants to fund new services promptly. She also indicated that while she had reserved a further $2.5 million, the money would be available once she was satisfied the board had a

feasible plan for bringing its funding under control. Ms Clark said yesterday every application for service development funding would be considered individually on its merit, but would also be considered in the context of the board’s over-all plan for services.

If the board had any queries about service development funding the Health Department would be happy to talk to them, she said. - , Mr Monk said the board had decided to send all the service development grant applications to the Health Department on the premise that it was, “better for the department to turn them down than for the board to sit on them.” At least six of the service department grant applications on the toppriority list added up to nearly $1 million.

The other service delartment grants sought,

in order of priority, include: • $162,000 for the completion of three further intellectually handicapped community homes, at Sunnyside Hospital, which would enable the closing qf another ward.

• $lBO,OOO for the extension of a community assessment service for the elderly.

• $250,000 for the building of a geriatric assessment and rehabilitation unit at Burwood Hospital. • $250,000 for extensions to community services, including a salary and expenses for an addition asthma education field worker, another diabetes educator, and an extended domiciliary physiotherapy service.