Tairawhiti District Health progresses against health targets

28 November 2013

Tairawhiti District Health continues progress against health targets

Tairawhiti District Health (TDH) continues to improve performance against the government’s health target results.

Ministry of Health results for quarter one show the DHB met four of the six health targets, and chief executive Jim Green says he is confident the other two targets will be achieved by the end of the financial year.

Gisborne Hospital met the Faster cancer treatment target and the Emergency department target, with ninety-six percent of patients in the past three months admitted, discharged or transferred from Gisborne Hospital’s emergency department within six hours.

The hospital also met the Smoking target, with 95 percent of patients who smoke being offered brief advice and support to quit. Mr Green said the rate of smoking advice given to those coming to Gisborne Hospital was now excellent.

“It’s very encouraging that we are now maintaining the achievement of this target. Reducing the rate of smoking is the quickest way for us to improve the overall wellbeing of everyone in Tairawhiti.”

“The Better help for smokers to quit and the Heart & diabetes checks primary care targets require more work with our community colleagues,” he said.

“We will continue to work together to ensure a lift in performance for both these areas.”

Tairawhiti achieved 87 percent in the Increased immunisation target. The national target is that 90% of eight-month-olds have their primary course of immunisation at six weeks, three months and five months on time by July 2014, and 95 percent by December 2014. “We are tantalisingly close to this target already,” said Mr Green. He was confident the 90 percent target would be reached within the next quarter.

However, TDH is behind in terms of elective surgeries performed at Gisborne Hospital in quarter one.

“But the number of surgeries to be made up is manageable, and we expect to reach the target rate in the new year,” said Mr Green.

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