Lay summary
This research project will trial the co-location of Rongoā Māori practitioners within a surgical outpatient clinic that focuses on the multidisciplinary management of patients with upper gastrointestinal cancers and complex benign conditions. At the time of clinic appointment, booking patients will be asked to self-nominate to be seen and assessed by a Rongoā Māori practitioner as well as their other clinicians. Rongoā Māori practitioners will be full members of the multidisciplinary team and attend multidisciplinary team meetings and Rongoa-Maori treatment will be incorporated into the care plans of patients who select this option. The effectiveness of the collaboration will be reviewed at weekly team meetings with formal qualitative assessments performed every month and at the end of the three-month trial with the aim of establishing a validated model for medical-Rongoā Māori collaboration. This model can then be used in the planning for Rongoā Māori services in publicly funded hospitals.