Background to the Residential Aged Care Integration Programme (RACIP) 
RACIP is an innovative system to integrate care for older people living in aged care facilities and to support Residential Aged Care (RAC) staff. The programme employs a team of Gerontology Nurse Specialists (GNSs) and wound care specialists led by Janet Parker, Gerontology Nurse Consultant.

The RACIP team work closely with aged care providers in the following ways:

• GNSs provide outreach services to aged care facilities in the Waitemata DHB region. These include comprehensive gerontology assessments and care co-ordination across primary and secondary care
• GNSs provide proactive education and clinical coaching for RAC staff at individual facilities. Topics to date include cardiac, respiratory, gastrointestinal and urinary issues to name a few
• GNSs and other specialty Waitemata DHB staff provide ongoing quarterly education sessions specifically targeting the needs of residents in aged care facilities. You can view the education opportunities here
• A collaborative workgroup (involving clinical and managerial staff from Waitemata DHB and RAC facilities) developed the highly acclaimed RN Care Guides for Residential Aged Care. These care guides provide information on common gerontology care issues and have been distributed free to all RAC facilities in the Waitemata DHB region. An updated version has recently been printed and is available to providers outside Waitemata DHB (a small fee is charged to cover printing costs). You can also download PDF versions of the guides by selecting from the list below, or email us for further information. A workgroup is currently developing a similar guide for caregivers
• Wound care specialist nurses provide wound care intervention and coaching aimed at preventing the complications of chronic wounds. 

We welcome all interested parties within the Waitemata DHB area to actively participate in this programme which has the potential to significantly support the integration of care of older adults in the RAC facilities in our community. For more information please email us.

The initial implementation was staged with half the facilities enrolled over 2007/2008 and the remainder enrolled March 2009.The initial programme development and implementation was led by Dr Michal Boyd, Gerontology Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Leader in Community Services for Older Adults, who also holds an academic position with the University of Auckland. A randomised experimental/controlled evaluation will be completed by mid 2009.