DHBs improve towards health targets

Jonathan Coleman released:

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says the latest quarterly health target results show the shorter stays in emergency departments target has been met for the first time.

“DHBs are continuing to improve their performance on the Government’s health targets,” says Dr Coleman.

“Across the country over 250,000 New Zealanders were admitted, discharged or transferred from an emergency department within six hours. Achieving the 95 per cent target for the first time is a significant achievement.

“The number of patients presenting to emergency departments continues to increase. In quarter three, 4,481 more people attended an emergency department compared to the last quarter.

“Reaching the target is a tribute to all the staff working within emergency departments and DHBs. We know that emergency departments only work well when the rest of the hospital is working well too.”

The improved access to elective surgery and the hospital component of the better help for smokers to quit targets were also met:

Here’s the latest national data, and how it compares to the past:

• ED treatment within six hours – 95%, up from 70% in 2008
• 123,585 elective surgical procedures in 9 months compared to 118,000 for all of 2008
• 67% get cancer treatment within 62 days of referral
• 100% get radiotherapy or chemotherapy within four weeks of decision to treat, up from 65% in 2008
• 93% of infants immunised compared to 76% in 2008
• 96% of hospitalised smokers given advice on how to quit, up from 17% in 2010
• 89% of smokers seeing a primary care professional given advice on ow to quit, up from 30% in 2013
• 88% of eligible population have had a cardiovascular risk assessment in last five years, up from 46% in 2012

Once again we see the benefit of having a health system focused on eight or so goals, rather than the 50+ there were under Labour, almost none of which were achieved.

The real credit should go though to the doctors and nurses in the DHBs and primary care professionals. They’re done really really well to get such improvements, backed up by extra funding.