Proposed restructure of executive team

Proposed restructure of executive team at Hawke’s Bay DHB

A proposed restructure of executive staff positions and roles at Hawke’s Bay District Health Board is the first step in a Revitalisation Programme aimed at delivering better patient care and financial sustainability for the DHB.

Chief executive Kevin Snee said the first focus had to be at an executive level to streamline and simplify the structure, to clarify responsibilities and to make sure there was greater clinical engagement with both the primary and secondary sector.

Under the proposed restructure, six current roles would be disestablished and six new positions would be created. This would mean one senior management role would go and an extra chief medical advisor’s role would be created that would focus on the primary care sector.

In addition a Clinical Council would be created to involve clinicians in decision-making and to oversee improvements in quality and patient safety

“In the past the DHB has had one chief medical advisor whose role it is to span all aspects of health services from healthy populations to advanced secondary care, as well as being responsible for fostering excellence in clinical standards throughout the Hawke’s Bay health sector. This role covers too wide an area for one person to carry it out effectively, and there has been a lack of clinical advice from a primary care perspective at a strategic level.

“This, alongside other changes we are proposing will provide clearer accountability and more clinical involvement in decision making, which is imperative to revitalising the local health sector,” Dr Snee said.

The senior management role of Chief Information Officer would be disestablished in the proposal.

Under the proposed restructure the executive team that advises the chief executive would be smaller.

In the present structure there were eleven team members (see attached organisation chart) and in the proposed structure (see attached proposed structure) that may change to six and would include a PHO representative.

Changes to the executive team would also change how and to whom some staff in the organisation reported.

The most significant changes were to the Information Services and Planning Funding and Performance areas of the organisation but to the majority of staff, in these areas, it would be a change in reporting line, which would place more scrutiny on good management practice, he said.

Dr Snee said the proposed restructuring, announced today, formed part of a comprehensive plan he had identified to revitalise the sector with the three key areas of focus being:
• Structure which will impact on the DHB Governance, Corporate office, Health Services and the PHOs,
• Culture and capability through an organisational and development plan
• Sustainability through a service and financial improvement plan.

The detail of the key focus areas would be presented in more depth at the next Governance Board meeting, February 16.

Staff affected had until February 26 to provide feedback over the proposed restructure and a decision would be made by March 13.and implemented from March 22
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ENDS

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