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Waikato’s improvement best in New Zealand
Media Release
Date: 24 February 2014
Waikato’s improvement best in New Zealand
Health targets published nationally today (Tuesday 25 February) show 94 per cent of all patients at four Waikato District Health Board emergency departments in October, November and December last year were admitted, discharged or transferred within six hours.
The 6.9 per cent improvement on the previous three months was the highest increase in the country and takes Waikato from 18th on the table with 87 per cent last quarter to equal 13th with Taranaki DHB.
There were 23,782 presentations to Waikato, Thames, Tokoroa and Taumarunui emergency departments in October, November and December – 22,292 of them were seen in less than six hours.
The performance for quarter three (January to March 2014) to date is just over 94 per cent.
The target is 95 per cent of all patients which 12 of the 20 DHBs achieved in the last quarter.
More than two thirds or 16,040 patients, presented at Waikato Hospital in Hamilton.
Chief operating officer Jan Adams said she was pleased with the continued improvement against the six hour target.
“The challenge remains to sustain this as we move to the busy winter months,” she said.
In his report to the Waikato DHB board tomorrow (Wednesday 26 February), chief executive Craig Climo says there has been “good progress” in all health targets.
Waikato DHB is one of seven DHBs who are 5 percent or more ahead of their quarter two elective surgery target.
“We continue to perform above the elective surgery target which is good news for the population we serve,” said Mrs Adams.
Mr Climo will tell the board that while the extra surgery is benefiting the people of Waikato, the unplanned expenditure is taking an “inordinate amount of management and staff time to manage the process”.
The electives discharge target for Waikato in 2013/2014 is 13,231, an increase of 222 discharges on the previous year.
Immunisation remains steady on 87 per cent while Waikato is ninth up to 77 per cent with the More Heart and Diabetes Checks target, helped by the performance of Midlands Health Network.
The quarter two result for Better Help for Smokers to Quit was 97 per cent for the hospitals and 68 per cent in primary care.
Midlands Health Network is particularly focused on increasing its performance for ‘Better help for Smokers to quit’ and ‘More heart and diabetes checks’.
In the next two quarters, Midlands Health Network will provide some additional resource to practices to ensure patients who have not been engaged in primary care within the last 12 months receive brief advice.
In other targets, Waikato DHB was at 100 per cent for shorter waits for cancer treatment. Waikato provides the service across the Midland region at its regional cancer centre in Hamilton.
"We have maintained good performance against the cancer target, re-gaining the 100 percent achievement after a small drop in quarter one,” said Mrs Adams.
Check out our media releases on www.waikatodhb.health.nz/news
ENDS
Waikato District Health Board
Healthy People. Excellent Care
Waikato District Health Board (DHB) employs over 6500 people and plans, funds and provides hospital and health services to more than 391,770 people in a region covering eight per cent of New Zealand.
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