Tairawhiti District Health improves again against targets

MEDIA RELEASE – 25 February 2014

Tairawhiti District Health improves again against government’s health targets

Tairawhiti District Health (TDH) continues to make incremental gains on the government’s six key health targets.

“Ninety-three percent achievement across the targets is a creditable effort,” says the DHB’s Board chair David Scott.

“This result indicates a great deal of diligent work by individuals and teams within our DHB. The GP practices in particular are to be commended for continuing to identify and check their patients  for heart disease and diabetes, as well as offering advice to assist smokers to quit.”

Chief executive Jim Green says the DHB maintained its almost perfect scores in three of the target areas, and has made progress since last quarter in the other three.

As predicted in November last year, TDH achieved the elective surgery target even though Quarter 1 results showed the DHB lagging slightly behind.

“Last quarter’s lower than targeted result was really just a timing issue and, as expected, we have now performed the target number of surgeries”, says Mr Green. 

TDH again achieved 100 per cent for the Faster cancer treatment and Shorter waits for cancer treatment targets. It maintained its record on theEmergency department target, with 96 percent of patients in the past three months admitted, discharged or transferred from Gisborne Hospital’s emergency department within six hours. The government target is 95 percent.

TDH also met the hospital component of the two-part Better help for smokers to quit target – 96 percent of Gisborne Hospital patients who smoke were offered brief advice and support to quit.

The primary care component of the smoking target has also risen  - this quarter it is at 59 percent, up from 56 percent last quarter.

“It’s especially pleasing to see these gains made by our community health partners,” says Mr Green. “By working together we can improve the health of everyone in Tairawhiti.”

TDH achieved 90 percent in the Increased immunisation target, up from 87 percent last quarter.

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.

“It’s wonderful to have achieved this target,” said Mr Green.  

“It shows the great results that happen when people work together, from the DHB immunisation and Well Child teams, to GPs, other health professionals and non-government organisations. Most importantly though, achieving this target tells us that our most vulnerable people – the young – are  being protected from serious and completely preventable diseases like measles and whooping cough.

“We still have work to do on the More heart and diabetes checks target. We’re at 75 percent now but the new target is that 90 percent of the eligible population will have had their cardiovascular risk assessed in the last five years, to be achieved in stages by 1 July 2014. This is a very important way to prevent and control the impact of conditions like heart disease and stroke in our community so we are working closely with our community partners on it. It’s always good to check with your GP to see if you would benefit from an assessment and the treatments that can follow.”

ENDS

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