Waitemata patients benefit from faster cancer treatment

22 November 2016

Waitemata patients benefit from national-first in faster cancer treatment

Waitemata District Health Board is the first DHB in the country to achieve the national Faster Cancer Treatment health target with 86 percent of patients receiving their first cancer treatment within 62 days of referral.

Waitemata DHB Chief Executive Dr Dale Bramley says surpassing the target of 85 percent shows that Waitemata patients are getting access to the right care, in the right place, faster.

“Faster cancer treatment saves lives and meeting the target shows that our staff are committed to ensuring our patients receive prompt access to care and improved health outcomes,” says Dr Bramley.

“Faster treatment means timely access to appointments, tests that detect cancer, and cancer treatment as well as other improvements to the quality, timeliness and overall experience of services for patients along the cancer pathway.

“Achieving the target reflects that our systems are working to ensure high quality care for patients requiring cancer treatment. It is also a strong indication of how well our facilities and services are functioning as a whole.

“There is considerable work to be done to enhance the treatment and support available to patients with cancer and their families during an extremely difficult time. It remains a major focus for our DHB.”

Waitemata DHB also leads the country in the implementation of the Raising Healthy Kids target with 83 percent of obese children identified in the B4 School Check programme referred to a health professional for clinical assessment and family-based nutrition, activity and lifestyle interventions.

“We are pleased to be on the right trajectory in this first quarter of reporting and will continue to sharpen our focus on addressing childhood obesity in our communities”, says Dr Bramley.

“Obesity is a serious issue affecting the health of young people in our district. We look forward to continued work with our primary care partners to help families and whanau make positive lifestyle changes.

“High quality patient care and experience is at the heart of the DHB’s organisational promise, Best Care For Everyone, and we continue to work towards these targets to provide immediate and long-term benefits to our growing population.”

Complete national health target results can be viewed: https://www.health.govt.nz/new-zealand-health-system/health-targets/how-my-dhb-performing/how-my-dhb-performing-2016-17

About Waitemata DHB:

Waitemata District Health Board (DHB) serves the communities of Rodney, North Shore and Waitakere in Auckland’s North and West. With a population of more than 595,000, it is the largest New Zealand DHB by population. It employs around 7000 people and provides secondary hospital and community services from North Shore and Waitakere hospital with more than 30 community sites throughout the district. It also provides child disability, forensic psychiatric, alcohol and drug and school dental services to the region on behalf of the other DHBs in Auckland.

North Shore Hospital

ENDS

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