About Waikato District Health Board
Vision
Waikato DHB’s vision is to improve the health, independence and quality of life for the communities it serves by addressing the needs of the population and reducing health disparities.
Te Hanga Whaioranga Mo Te Iwi
- Building Healthy Communities |
Governance and accountabilities
Waikato District Health Board (DHB) was formed in 2001. It is one of 20 district health boards established to plan, fund and provide health and disability services for their populations. Read the history of health in New Zealand.
The first meeting of the Waikato Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, the
forerunner to Waikato DHB, was held on 1 December 1886. The Board leased
land from Robert Salmon which consisted of 50 acres and a five room
farmhouse. The first patient at the hospital was James J. Daley from
Alexandra who arrived on 17 May 1887 with injuries to his hand after a
gun barrel had burst. Read more of
the history. Waikato DHB’s vision is to improve the health,
independence and quality of life for the communities it serves by
addressing the needs of the population and reducing health disparities.
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The normal composition of the board is 11 members, seven elected and four appointed by the Minister of Health, and responsible to the Minister of Health. Following the resignation of an elected board member in 2010, the minister appointed a further member taking the number of appointments to five. The board has three statutory committees. These committees are made up of board members and appointed (community) members. As required, the board has two Maori members.
The chair of the board is Graeme Milne, pictured left, and the chief executive is Craig Climo, pictured right.
Waikato DHB has a governance relationship with local iwi/Maori through an Iwi Maori Council which has representatives from Pare Hauraki, Ngati Maniapoto, Ngati Tuwharetoa, Te Runanga O Kirikiriroa representing urban Ma-ori, Pare Waikato, Raukawa, and Whanganui iwi.
A Board of Clinical Governance supports the chief executive to maintain high standards of clinical quality.
Waikato DHB’s board and executive offices are located in Hamilton at Waiora Waikato campus.
Waikato DHB retains strong links with neighbouring DHBs in the Midland region which includes Lakes, Bay of Plenty, Tairawhiti and Taranaki DHBs.
Location and population
Waikato DHB covers almost eight per cent of New Zealand, from northern Coromandel to close to Mt Ruapehu in the south, and from Raglan on the west coast to Waihi on the east. It takes in the city of Hamilton and towns such as Thames, Huntly, Cambridge, Te Awamutu, Matamata, Morrinsville, Ngaruawahia, Te Kuiti, Tokoroa and Taumarunui.
For 2010/11 the projected Waikato DHB population was 365,730. There are 10 territorial local authorities with Waikato DHB boundaries – Hamilton City, Hauraki, Matamata-Piako, Otorohanga, (part of) Ruapehu, South Waikato, Thames Coromandel, Waikato, Waipa, and Waitomo.
Waikato District Health Board:
- employs more than 6000 people
- plans, funds and provides hospital and health services to the more than 365,730 people who live within Waikato DHB boundaries
- provides tertiary services (such as neurosurgery and other highly complex surgery, specialised medical procedures and specialist trauma services) to the regional population of more than 832,600.
- covers a widespread geographical area, almost eight per cent of New Zealand.
- Agendas and minutes of all board meetings, as well as key planning and reporting documents, are on the DHB’s website:
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Waikato DHB has a larger proportion of people living in high deprivation areas than in low deprivation areas. Ruapehu, Waitomo and South Waikato territorial local authorities have the highest proportion of people living in high deprivation areas.
The Waikato population is getting proportionately older (the 65 plus age group is projected to increase by more than 78 per cent by 2026). This, and the consequent increase in chronic and complex health conditions, defines many of the strategies Waikato DHB is putting in place to meet future health needs.
The Maori population (estimated to be 21.87 per cent of Waikato DHB population in 2010/11) is growing at a slightly faster rate than other population groups and is estimated to be 23.3 per cent by 2026. In addition Maori are highly impacted by many chronic conditions such as diabetes and smoking related disease and show up disproportionately in adverse health statistics.
These facts, plus the acknowledgement of the status of iwi in the Waikato, gives Waikato DHB a strong commitment to include and engage Maori in health service decision making - and to deliver health information and health services in a culturally appropriate way.
Pacific people represent an estimated 2.48 per cent of Waikato DHB’s population.
Overall population statistics hide significant variations within the large geographical area covered by Waikato DHB.
Documents such as Waikato DHB’s Health Needs Analysis 2008 and the Population Health Planning Resource Future Focus provide an in-depth analysis of the populations, their health status and the significance for strategic health planning and for prioritisation of programmes at an operational level.
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The key planning and reporting documents for the Waikato DHB include:
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An overview of our performance
Public hospital and health facilities
Waikato DHB's provider arm is Health Waikato and it has hospitals and health care facilities located at:
Waiora Waikato (Hamilton)
Rural hospitals
Continuing care and primary birthing facilities
Community-based health services
- Family health teams (that include dental technicians, dietitians, district nursing, ear nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, public health nurses, social workers, and vision and hearing technicians)
- Rural and community-based mental health and addiction teams.
Funding and provision of hospital and health services
Waikato DHB is responsible for the following hospital and health services.
Through its provider arm Health Waikato it provides:
- Direct provision of tertiary and secondary hospital services, inpatient mental health services, community based nursing, allied health, dental, and mental health services.
- Tertiary services (such as neurosurgery and other highly complex surgery, specialised medical procedures and specialist trauma services) to the regional population of more than 830,000.
- Population health services including health promotion, public health monitoring and advice, and population based health screening programmes.
- Statutory public health responsibilities including issuing of public health notifications such as algae blooms, sewage spills, outbreak of contagious disease.
- Implementation of national initiatives at a local level such as smoking cessation programmes and the B4 School Checks programme.
- Pandemic and major incident management on a district or regional basis, as lead or contributing agency.
- Some health and laboratory services through contracts with private health care providers where public health care capacity is not sufficient to meet required targets.
Waikato DHB also funds a number of services provided by non Government organisations through its funder arm Planning & Funding. These services include:
- Subsidised pharmaceuticals dispensed by 80 pharmacies.
- One private laboratory located in Hamilton undertaking all the testing, 38 collection sites.
78 general practices with 264 GPs and more than 300 nurses.
- Arrangements with private providers for urology services, rheumatology services, orthopaedic services, a number of smaller outpatient based agreements and primary care inpatient beds in six rural facilities.
- A range of community based services delivered by Maori providers
- A range of services including: dental, NGO maternity facilities, Project Energize, travel and accommodation, palliative care, haemophilia, primary care inpatient services and arthritis services.
15 forensic inpatient beds and residential services for mental health and addictions.
- Community based mental health and / or alcohol and other drug positions, together with residential services for mental health and addictions (including youth)
- Health of older people services including hospital level, dementia and rest home services provided at 56 facilities.
- A range of community based and respite services for older people including transitional care, day programmes, needs assessment and service co-ordination, home support and household management, respite and carer support services; as well as disability specific services.
