Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman
Minister of Health

23 May 2017

Waikato DHB improves on healthy kids target

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says the latest health target results show increased performance at Waikato DHB, particularly on the raising healthy kids target.

“The six national health targets help to drive improvement in performance across the health system,” says Dr Coleman.

“This was reinforced by recent New Zealand research that found that the ED target is having a significant impact, with around 700 fewer deaths than predicted in 2012 if pre-target trends continue.

“The latest quarterly health target results for January to March 2017 show Waikato DHB continues to perform well, but there’s always more to do.

“The raising healthy kids target identifies obese children, ensuring that they are offered a referral to a professional for clinical assessment and family based nutrition. Waikato DHB has improved on this target, achieving 84 per cent which is an increase of over 4 per cent on the last quarter.

“The target is a key part of the Government’s Childhood Obesity Plan. We want to ensure that through the B4 School Check, kids and their families are put in touch with primary healthcare professionals who can check for any clinical risk associated with obesity, and encourage families to take action.

“Results are expected to improve each quarter as referral processes are fully implemented.

“Waikato DHB exceeded the 100 per cent target for improved access to elective surgeries by 10 per cent and also exceeded the 85 per cent target for faster cancer treatment, achieving 86 per cent.

“Further work is needed to achieve the better help for smokers to quit target and the increased immunisation target.

“The six national targets provide a focus for action and are reviewed annually to ensure they align with health priorities. Three of the health targets focus on patient access, and three focus on prevention.

“I’d like to acknowledge all the health professionals in the Waikato for their continued hard work to improve key health services for New Zealanders.”

These results are supported by the $351 million funding increase Waikato DHB has received over the last eight years. Waikato DHB received an extra $55 million in new money this year, taking the DHB’s total funding to $1.18 billion for 2016/17.

Overall an extra $568 million has been invested into the health sector this year taking the health budget to a record $16.1 billion in 2016/17.

The results for Quarter Three 2016/17 can be found at: www.health.govt.nz/healthtargets

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