1000 days of remarkable health care in Canterbury

MEDIA RELEASE

Friday, May 31, 2013

1000 days of remarkable health care in Canterbury

The Canterbury Health System has achieved remarkable results in the last 1000 days following the first major earthquake to strike the region on September 4, 2010.

David Meates, Canterbury District Health Board chief executive, says it’s been a massive challenge since that first catastrophic magnitude 7.1 earthquake shook up the region in the early hours of Saturday morning.

“A thousand days ago today our lives changed forever. Little did we know that it was just the beginning,” Mr Meates says.

“Despite the significant damage and ongoing disruption from the quakes, the health system has continued to deliver on and above many expectations.”

Mr Meates says it’s a credit to everyone working in the Canterbury Health System.

“Together, we have responded to the challenges and created a better health system by designing services that deliver the right care in the right place at the right time by the right person.

“It’s incredible at how responsive those working in the health system have been, even when many would have felt that their own lives have been turned on their heads.

“Since September 2010, we’ve created many new community-based services, which means we are now delivering more care than ever before closer to people’s homes and helping them to keep well and stay in their own communities for longer.”

To find out more Canterbury Health System achievements in 1000 days see some of our achievements below.

1000 days and counting in the Canterbury Health System:
§ Earthquake repairs continue on 12,000 out of 14,000 rooms damaged across CDHB facilities
§ Work on new facilities for Ashburton, Kaikoura, Rangiora and Akaroa to commence in the next year
§ Government approved the $600 million plus redevelopment of Christchurch and Burwood Hospitals
§ A new older person’s health facility in Burwood due for completion in 2015
§ A new acute services block at Christchurch Hospital is due for completion in 2018
§ Built a $6 million Acute Medical Assessment Centre in Christchurch Hospital (in 36 weeks)
§ Built an $8.5 million new Outpatients facility in 141 days
§ Currently undertaking a $3 million refurbishment and extension of the Adult Mental Health Inpatient Unit
§ Building two new surgical wards in Christchurch Hospital at a cost of around $13 million
§ Have carried out $40 million of urgent earthquake repairs across all sites
§ Have saved and are undertaking a substantial re-fit of the heritage style Whakatata House in Cashel Street
§ Have completed over 200 detailed engineering reports for CDHB owned buildings
§ Have surveyed over 23km of drainage, as part of the EQ repairs process
§ Over 16,000 babies born
§ Over 16,000 babies fully immunised by their second birthday
§ Over 13,000 children received B4 School Checks
§ Nearly 150,000 free flu vaccinations given to older people (age 65+)
§ Over 450,000 Meals on Wheels delivered
§ Over 8,000 older people (aged over 65) receiving aged residential care
§ Over 35,000 people accessed mental health services (either in the community or in hospital)
§ Over 20 million prescription items dispensed
§ Over 5.5 million laboratory tests completed
§ Over 175,000 attendances to the 24 Hour Surgery
§ Nearly 240,000 attendances at Christchurch ED
§ Over 50,000 elective surgeries delivered to Cantabrians (including over 2,500 hip or knee replacements and 4,000 cataract operation
§ Over 300,000 people discharged from Canterbury DHB hospitals (of these, over 230,000 were admitted acutely)
§ Around 2 million outpatient attendances
§ Over 31,000 offers of smoking cessation advice and support to smokers in Canterbury DHB hospitals.
§ Employed more than 500 new graduate nurses.
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