Strategic plan to help shape services

10 June 2014

Strategic plan to help shape services

Southern District Health Board has begun developing a strategic plan to guide how the health sector delivers health and disability services to the community.

“We need health services to be easier for patients to understand and smoother to travel through,” Southern DHB Chief Executive Carole Heatly said.

“We want to paint a picture of what a whole-of-district, whole of health system could look like in 5-10 years’ time. We want to be clear about how the DHB fits into the bigger picture in the Southern district – and how Southern people can also benefit from south island services.”

“Our overall purpose is to wrap services around communities so more can remain well and at home,” she said.

The most recent health profile snapshot showed most benefit for most people would come from reducing smoking, obesity and heavy alcohol consumption, and improvements in chronic conditions like diabetes and asthma, mental health, primary care access and care for older people closer to home.

“We are working with the PHO, primary care, rural and community providers as well as NGOs and the university to develop a draft plan.

With the DHB Board, I will be visiting the Southern community during November to discuss our proposals and invite comment and feedback,” commented Ms Heatly.

ENDS

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