** High Priority **

EMBARGOED TILL 6AM FRIDAY 26 FEBRUARY

Waikato Health Targets Improve

Waikato District Health Board showed significant improvement in two of
the six second quarter health target results released by the Ministry of
Health today (Friday 26 February).

Emergency departments at Waikato and Thames hospitals had the biggest
improvement in the country up from 67 per cent of patients in the first
quarter who were admitted, discharged or transferred within six hours,
to 79 per cent in the second quarter.

In the increased immunisation target, Waikato DHB reached 80 per cent
for under two-year-old immunisations; up from 74 per cent in the first
quarter.

The national target is to reach 85 per cent coverage of two-year-old
immunisations, by July 2010.

So good is Waikato's improvement and innovative approach to
immunisations that the ministry champion Dr Pat Tuohy asked Waikato to
provide a leadership role for a regional approach with Midland
neighbours Lakes, Tairawhiti and Bay of Plenty, who are all struggling
to get to 80 per cent coverage.

Waikato DHB chief executive Craig Climo said the DHB could do better in
the other four health targets.

"We will do whatever we need to do to lift our performance even
higher across all health targets. We did it together as a team, let's
continue to improve," he said.

Waikato provided an outstanding level of access to elective surgery. It
was one of eight DHBs which delivered over five percent more discharges
than their target. The DHB planned to do 3600 elective operations in the
quarter but did 3875. Mr Climo said the increased capacity was due to
the great work by the surgical teams with support from the rest of the
hospital.

In the shorter waits for cancer treatment and radiotherapy, Waikato
Regional Cancer Centre had three patients wait for capacity reasons in
October, but regularly accepts referrals from other centres such as
Auckland, where there are capacity issues.

Six regional oncology centres provide radiation oncology services. They
are in Auckland, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Wellington, Christchurch
and Dunedin.

Better help for smoking champion Dr Ashley Bloomfield urged Waikato to
make a more concerted effort to help smokers to quit.

The health target is that 80 per cent of hospitalised smokers get
advice and help to quit by July 2010. Waikato's performance was 40 per
cent.

"Given that we are already into quarter three, there needs to be a
concerted effort now to make the required improvement in performance in
quarters three and four," said Dr Bloomfield.

Mr Climo said he wanted all health professionals to actively record
smoking status and offer intervention.

"Choosing not to smoke is the single biggest lifestyle choice our
patients can make."

Waikato achieved a higher prevalence rate so is identifying more
smokers.

Of the 12,888 patients in Waikato DHB hospitals in the quarter, 2235
were smokers. Of these smokers, 882 had the offer of an intervention.

ends