MEDIA RELEASE

Despite experiencing the busiest stage of redevelopment at Waikato Hospital and the most challenging financial time in its history, Waikato District Health Board's surgical discharges are up 25 per cent on five years ago.

The board today congratulated the "stellar performance" by its provider arm Health Waikato.

Chief operating officer Jan Adams said it had been a particularly busy year for surgical throughput and progress on the long wait elective surgery patients.

In May, there were 2644 surgical discharges – 255 more than May 2011.

"It is also the highest surgical throughput seen in any one month for the past five years and likely in the history of the organisation," said Mrs Adams.

Waikato DHB expects to discharge nearly 70,000 patients from its hospitals for the year ended 30 June, 2012 – more than 3100 patients ahead of what it planned.

"The increased throughput was in both acute and elective cases with outsourcing of long wait patients a significant contributor to the position,” said Mrs Adams.

"This could not have been achieved without the enormous contribution of all staff, who constantly focused on meeting the challenge to reduce long wait patient numbers to zero whilst continuing to attend to acute presentations, cope with the impacts of the building programme and deliver business as usual.

"This work occurred against the backdrop of an 11 per cent average increase in emergency department presentations, higher acuity patients, opening of the new Acute Services Building and the move of three wards into it."

In addition to these factors was:

• the decant and refurbishment of three inpatient wards
• progress on a regional agenda for clinical services including the creation of a vascular clinical network
• the acute coronary syndrome project
• the laboratory service upgrade; and
• the oral health project which saw six new facilities built and nine additional mobile van facilities rolled out

Staff also completed major business cases for the operation of Meade Clinical Centre and delivered business as usual across all service areas.

"On average we have 400 more surgical discharges occurring a month in 2011/12 compared to 2008; a 25 percent increase," said Mrs Adams.

"I congratulate every staff member who has been involved in delivering this performance and throughput, and will pass on the Board thanks to them."

Read Mrs Adams report to the board today.
http://www.waikatodhb.govt.nz/file/fileid/43553

ENDS

About Waikato District Health Board and Health Waikato:

Waikato DHB is responsible for planning, funding and providing quality health and disability support services for the 372,865 people living in the Waikato DHB region. It has an annual turnover of $1.2 billion and employs more than 6000 people.

Health Waikato is the DHB’s main provider of hospital and health services with an annual budget of more than $701 million and 5238 staff. It has six groups across five hospital sites, three primary birthing units, two continuing care facilities and 20 community bases offering a comprehensive range of primary, secondary and tertiary health services.

A wide range of independent providers deliver other Waikato DHB-funded health services - including primary health, pharmacies and community laboratories.