Waikato health targets improve, more to do

Waikato District Health Board showed significant improvement in two of the six second quarter health target results released by the Ministry of Health today (Friday 26 February).

Emergency departments at Waikato and Thames hospitals had the biggest improvement in the country up from 67 per cent of patients in the first quarter who were admitted, discharged or transferred within six hours, to 79 per cent in the second quarter.

In the increased immunisation target, Waikato DHB reached 80 per cent for under two-year-old immunisations; up from 74 per cent in the first quarter.

The national target is to reach 85 per cent coverage of two-year-old immunisations, by July 2010.

So good is Waikato’s improvement and innovative approach to immunisations that the ministry champion Dr Pat Tuohy asked Waikato to provide a leadership role for a regional approach with Midland neighbours Lakes, Tairawhiti and Bay of Plenty, who are all struggling to get to 80 per cent coverage.

Waikato DHB chief executive Craig Climo said the DHB could do better in the other four health targets.

“We will do whatever we need to do to lift our performance even higher across all health targets. We did it together as a team, let’s continue to improve,” he said.

Waikato provided an outstanding level of access to elective surgery. It was one of eight DHBs which delivered over five percent more discharges than their target. The DHB planned to do 3600 elective operations in the quarter but did 3875. Mr Climo said the increased capacity was due to the great work by the surgical teams with support from the rest of the hospital.

In the shorter waits for cancer treatment and radiotherapy, Waikato Regional Cancer Centre had three patients wait for capacity reasons in October, but regularly accepts referrals from other centres such as Auckland, where there are capacity issues.
 
Six regional oncology centres provide radiation oncology services. They are in Auckland, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.

Better help for smoking champion Dr Ashley Bloomfield urged Waikato to make a more concerted effort to help smokers to quit.

The health target is that 80 per cent of hospitalised smokers get advice and help to quit by July 2010. Waikato’s performance was 40 per cent.

“Given that we are already into quarter three, there needs to be a concerted effort now to make the required improvement in performance in quarters three and four,” said Dr Bloomfield.

Mr Climo said he wanted all health professionals to actively record smoking status and offer intervention.

“Choosing not to smoke is the single biggest lifestyle choice our patients can make.”

Waikato achieved a higher prevalence rate so is identifying more smokers.

Of the 12,888 patients in Waikato DHB hospitals in the quarter, 2235 were smokers. Of these smokers, 882 had the offer of an intervention.

ENDS

Note: Attached is a pdf of a poster on display in all Waikato DHB hospitals and on our website www.waikatodhb.govt.nz

Contact:

Mary Anne Gill
Director
Media and Communications
Waikato District Health Board
Ph: 07 834 3684
Fax: 07 839 8680
Mobile: 021 705 213
www.waikatodhb.govt.nz