Launch of Southern DHB 2014/2015 Quality Account

Launch of Southern DHB 2014/2015 Quality Account

Southern DHB will launch its 2014/2015 Quality Account next week to showcase its performance excellence and quality improvement over the past 12 months.

“We’re delighted to be able to share our 2014/2015 Account with our community and show them some of the excellent work which our staff have carried out over the past year, together with some of our plans for the next year,” said Southern DHB Commissioner, Kathy Grant.

This year, the Quality Account has focused heavily on initiatives by staff to improve both the outcomes and processes within the hospital.

“Our staff have been involved in some great initiatives including improving efficiency by reducing the time patients spend in hospital; improving patient flow by developing better ways for staff to communicate electronically; the implementation of a PVC recycling scheme; work to reduce medication errors; the reduction in the use of restraints and seclusion in the Mental Health, Addictions and Intellectual Disability Directorate; a reduction in waiting times in radiology for CT and MRI scans, and dramatic improvements in waiting times in endoscopy ” said Southern DHB Chief Executive, Carole Heatly.

“This year’s Quality Account places a focus on work undertaken and led by front line staff” said Director of Performance, Cherie McConville. “A key theme of improvement work within Southern DHB is encouraging those who work at the front line to take up the challenge of quality improvement, and encouraging managers to support them in that work.”

Many of the initiatives have been supported by the DHB’s Quality and Patient Safety team, and Performance team who run the “Skills for Change” and “Innovate” Programmes to support and enable staff to undertake improvement and bring their innovative ideas to life.

The improvements made within Southern DHB this year can also be seen by the DHB’s performance against national targets set by the Ministry of Health including exceeding elective surgeries meaning more people have received the help they need. The DHB has also consolidated gains in the Minister’s Health targets including Shorter Stays in the Emergency Departments and Better Help for Smokers to Quit within our hospitals.

Tina Gilbertson, Director of Quality commented that “Southern DHB regards quality as the number one priority. Achieving these results and implementing the many initiatives has been made possible by the high level of involvement, hard work and dedication of our front line staff, both clinical and non-clinical, working together. There has been a comprehensive and consistent approach to quality improvement with significant improvements demonstrated which we will build on in the coming year.”

Southern DHBs key areas of focus in the year ahead are building capability through the Skills for Change, Innovation and Releasing Time to Care programmes, as well as timeliness of diagnostic imaging and patient safety, and improving connections between primary and secondary care.

The DHB will launch the Quality Account at Dunedin, Wakari, Southland and Lakes District Hospitals on Monday 16th November 2015. There will be displays manned by staff and copies of the account will be available for the public.

Feedback about this Quality Account or any comments on the issues you would like us to focus our improvement work on can be emailed toQualityAccount@southerndhb.govt.nz or by post to:

Quality Account Feedback
Southern DHB
Private Bag 1921
Dunedin 9054

ENDS

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