Media Release

Date: 23 November 2009 – embargoed 6am

Outstanding Surgery Results for Waikato

Waikato District Health Board is on track to deliver better, sooner and more convenient healthcare according to the elective surgery results released today.

Waikato DHB improved access to elective surgery and achieved a result of 113 per cent in the first quarter of this financial year (ended 30 September), putting it second out of 21 district health boards.

“We are justifiably proud of the improvement in the amount of elective surgery we performed in the last year,” Health Waikato chief operating officer Jan Adams said.

“We made more use of the private sector on our behalf and the effort and thought put in by all staff involved was impressive.”

The aim is for New Zealand hospitals to do an average of 4000 more elective surgeries every year.

This will mean a decrease in surgery waiting times and more people getting their surgery when they want it.

Waikato DHB planned to do 2942 elective surgeries in the first quarter but delivered 390 more. Last financial year the DHB planned to do 11,991 surgeries but did 12,402.

“There will no doubt be many people who are still waiting for surgery who read these results and find them cold comfort.

“We hear from them often and we are listening.

“Health Waikato’s commitment is to provide a level and quality of service we can all be proud of and which meets the demands of the area.

“So while we are entitled to feel good about our performance, we do so with a sense of determination that we can do better,” Mrs Adams said.

Waikato DHB's performance over the six health targets appeared in national newspapers today.

Although the DHB has a bit of work to do around diabetes, immunisation and emergency department waiting times, it has done outstanding work in elective surgeries, smoking cessation and cancer treatment.

ENDS