Waikato DHB leads the way on national project

Waikato District Health Board is taking the lead on the development of a new National Incident Management System project for all New Zealand DHBs.

The project, which was launched in Wellington on Monday, will see Waikato DHB, in conjunction with its partner Communio, develop a nationwide policy aimed at making hospitals even safer.

“The incident management system will mean that patients and their families who do suffer as a result of errors in their treatment, will see a standardised approach to open disclosure,” said Minister of Health David Cunliffe.

The launch of the project was timely for Waikato DHB, which had already started work on creating the same kind of system, and opted to lead the project.

Transparent and comprehensive reporting of incidents has always been paramount for Waikato DHB, said chief executive Craig Climo.

“The organisation has long encouraged reporting of events that allow us to consider all factors that may have influenced the situation and give us the opportunity to identify and address these, so we were happy to take the lead on this initiative.”

Following development of the policy at Waikato, training will occur throughout the country for roll-out of the system.

ENDS

Contact:

Amy Thomsen
Communications Consultant
Waikato District Health Board
Mobile: 021 712 663
Fax: 07 834 3673
www.waikatodhb.govt.nz