Timeline

Since 2002, interRAI has expanded and developed and is now the primary needs assessment instrument in aged residential and home care in New Zealand.

2003

The New Zealand Best Practice Guidelines – Assessment Processes for Older People identified interRAI assessments as the best assessment instruments to meet the objectives in the 2002 Health of Older People Strategy.

2004

Five District Health Boards (DHBs) pilot the interRAI home care assessment to identify implementation requirements. A key finding is the importance of consistent training.

2007

All DHB Chief Executives support national implementation of the interRAI assessments for home and community.

2008

Start of the interRAI National DHB Implementation Project (2008-2012). Implementation is phased and DHBs take individual responsibility for implementation – subject to agreed national criteria.

2010

DHBs, in conjunction with the New Zealand Aged Care Association, agree to support a project, to run from 2011 until 2015, to voluntarily introduce interRAI assessments in Aged Residential Care.

2012

All DHBs are using interRAI for assessing older people’s support needs for home and community support services.

Associate Minister of Health announces that interRAI would become the mandatory assessment instrument for all Aged Residential Care providers from July 2015. New Zealand is now the first country in the world to have use of these home and community, and residential care tools nationwide.

2015

The Central Region’s Technical Advisory Service (TAS) becomes the national service provider for interRAI in New Zealand, and the interRAI Services business group is created within TAS.

2017

The Palliative Care assessment is introduced as an alternative for home care assessors to be used with clients living in the community and with a terminal condition or prognosis.