CDHB helping people quit and checking heart health

Helping people quit and checking their heart health is getting on target

The Canterbury DHB’s performance against the National Health Target Better Help for Smokers to Quit for primary care climbed an impressive 16 percent in Quarter 3.

The increase represents 65 percent of smokers attending primary care received help and advice to quit compared to 49 percent in Quarter 2.

David Meates, Canterbury DHB chief executive, says the increase reflects the significant work Primary Health Organisations undertook in Quarter 3 to improve performance.

Mr Meates attributes the efforts to an ongoing commitment from across the health system to actively support and manage ABC Smokefree activities in General Practice.

“This support includes all PHOs continuing to provide general practice based cessation programmes, and integrated approach to the delivery of both primary health targets supports the delivery of ABC in primary care.

“Other keys initiatives, such as IT tools that prompt delivery and streamline data capture, have also helped with this dramatic improvement.

“I’m also really impressed with the performance in the More Heart and Diabetes checks targets which increased 13 percent to 57.6 percent. While the 95 percent target has not been met, steady progress is being made.”

Meanwhile Canterbury’s performance in other key areas remains strong.

Canterbury continues to achieve the ED health target, with 95 percent of patients admitted, discharged or transferred from ED within six hours.

“The whole of system approach implemented in Canterbury continues with initiatives to look after people in their own homes or closer to home. This helps with ensuring effective ED functioning, managing hospital beds and making sure community-based services are available and coordinated to support patients on discharge,” Mr Meates says.

“However, continued innovation will be required to address the post-quake constraints in medical bed numbers particularly during this winter, until more capacity comes on line with the hospital rebuilding programme.”

Performance against the Better Help for Hospitalised Smokers to Quit achieved 95 percent for the third consecutive quarter and performance against Shorter Wait for Cancer Treatment achieved 100 percent for the second consecutive quarter.

More people are also having elective surgery with 12,640 elective surgical discharges in the 2013/2014 financial year, which is 102.3 percent of target delivery.

“This continues to be a significant achievement given the ongoing disruption, reduced bed capacity and general interruptions in a post-quake environment.”

ENDS

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