Taranaki DHB performs well in Q4 national health targets

Taranaki DHB performs well in Q4 national health targets

Taranaki District Health Board Health Targets 2014/2015 – Quarter Four (April - June)

• The quarter four 2014/15 health targets have been released by the Ministry of Health

• Ministry of Health - Health Targets website

The results for Quarter Four of 2014/15 have been released by the Ministry of Health.

Taranaki DHB has performed well in the majority of national health targets in Q4. Taranaki DHB Acting Chief Executive, Rosemary Clements said, “A focus on the six key areas is important in order to continue to improve health, reduce inequalities and improve the quality of health services for local people. As outlined below, there have been some exciting improvements here at Taranaki DHB. “

“It is heartening to note the achievements in the fourth quarter health targets such as Shorter stays in Emergency Departments and More Heart and Diabetes Checks, which are the result of careful planning and implementation of new systems and processes,” added Mrs Clements.

Taranaki DHB has exceeded the target of 90 percent for More Heart and Diabetes Checks. With results ahead of the national average, Taranaki DHB has also exceeded the Shorter Stays in Emergency Departments, currently ranking fourth-equal in the country for this target.

The health target results for Taranaki DHB are:

1. Shorter stays in Emergency Departments: Target 95%, Achieved 96%

96 percent of patients seen in Taranaki Emergency Departments were admitted, discharged, or transferred from the department within six hours.

This result can be attributed to Taranaki DHB and Midland Health Network, the network of 99 percent of General Practitioners (GPs) in Taranaki, working closely together to ensure patients receive the right care, at the right place. That is, the Emergency Department for all emergencies, and their GP for other non-urgent medical needs.

This is the second consecutive quarter that the Shorter stays in ED health target has been achieved nationally against a continuing increase in the number of emergency department presentations, particularly throughout the winter months.

2. Improved Access to Elective Surgery: Target 100%, Achieved 121%

Taranaki DHB has again achieved over the target of 100% (for the population) for the improved access to elective surgery target, with a 1 percent increase from quarter three 2014/2015 results. Taranaki DHB has delivered this across a wide range of surgical specialities. Assisting in this result has been an ongoing focus on ensuring patients are well prepared for surgery, and a continued reduction in day-of surgery-cancellations.

The national elective surgery health target has been achieved with 167,104 elective surgical discharges provided, against a year-to-date target of 156,490. This is 10,614 (6.8 percent) more than planned.

From July 2015, the elective services target definition changed to include elective and arranged in-patient surgical discharges, regardless of whether they are discharged from a surgical or non-surgical specialty (excluding maternity). This change may lead to an overall increase in target results for quarter one 2015/16.

3. Faster Cancer Treatment: Target 85%, Achieved 65%

This is the third quarter of public reporting of the new Faster cancer treatment health target results. Nationally, results increased by 0.2 percent compared with the previous quarter to 67.6 percent. Data includes patients who received their first cancer treatment between January and June 2015. No DHBs have yet met the 85 percent target.

The Ministry is continuing to monitor DHB performance against the previous cancer health target, Shorter waits for cancer treatment. During quarter four 2014/15 no patients ready for treatment waited longer than four weeks for radiotherapy or chemotherapy.

Taranaki DHB plans to carry on the collaborative relationship with the MidCentral DHB to continue to work towards this health target.

4. Increased Immunisation: Target 95%, Achieved 91%

For the second consecutive quarter, 91 percent of Taranaki eight-month-olds were fully immunised. Nationally, the increased immunisation health target, national coverage at eight months was again at 92.9 percent. While this has not changed since quarter three, it is 1.3 percent higher than the same quarter in 2013/14.

Taranaki DHB continues to work closely with primary care organisations, hospital services, outreach immunisation services, the National Immunisation Register and Well Child Providers on strategies to help improve our immunisation uptake, including early enrolment of new-borns with a GP.

5. Better Help for Smokers to Quit (Hospital Target): Target 95%, Achieved 94%

Taranaki DHB continues to work hard to ensure patients and visitors to its hospitals are given advice about quitting smoking. By supporting smokers to quit, the aim is to also improve the health of those around them by reducing exposure to second hand smoke.

Nationally, a total of 32,262 hospitalised smokers were offered brief advice and/or cessation support during quarter four, out of a possible 33,763.

Better Help for Smokers to Quit (Primary Care Target): Target 90%, Achieved 88%

With a result of 88 percent, Taranaki DHB has made a 2 percent increase from quarter three 2014/2015. Taranaki DHB is committed to working collaboratively with our Primary Care Organisation to continue to strengthen and implement a range of good practices to ensure all patients who smoke are offered or given effective stop smoking support.

From quarter one 2015/16, a new target definition shifts the focus to the entire enrolled population of smokers and not only those who visit a general practice. PHOs and practices will now have 15 months to

offer brief advice and cessation support. Also from quarter one the hospital health target will only be reported on the website www.health.govt.nz/health

6. More Heart and Diabetes Checks: Target 90%, Achieved 91% Taranaki DHB has again surpassed the target of 90 percent, with 91 percent of the eligible population in Taranaki having heart and diabetes checks. This is two percent higher than the national average for this period.

Diabetes and cardiovascular disease remains one of the main causes of ill health in Taranaki, and Taranaki DHB continues to work hard to provide the best outcomes for these people. The ongoing use of a multidisciplinary team to support the care provided by GP practices, and the ongoing education of GP’s and practice nurses in the care and management of diabetic patients in the community, are just two examples.

National results show there were approximately 86,000 more checks provided in the five years to the end of June 2015 compared with the five years to the end of June 2014.

ENDS

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