DHB targets performance to be published

DHBs' performance against the Government's new health targets are to be published in table form in local newspapers from later this month.

Confirming the plan during a visit to Middlemore Hospital's emergency department, Health Minister Tony Ryall said, "One of our priority areas is to improve public hospital services and reduce waiting times for patients."

"For many New Zealanders, confidence in the health system over recent years has been damaged by excessive waiting and delays."

"The Government has introduced a streamlined set of Health Targets, which reflect the desire to simplify what was an unnecessarily complex monitoring and reporting system. Publishing the results is one way of engaging the public in how well their DHB is doing."

Of the six Health Targets, three focus on the urgent issue of reducing excessive patient waiting times in public hospitals: more elective surgery, faster cancer treatment and shorter waits in emergency departments (EDs).

The ED target aims to have 95% of patients admitted, discharged or transferred within six hours. It is a clinically-established target that makes a real difference to patient care.

"Emergency departments are barometers of how well a whole hospital is doing" Mr Ryall said.

Mr Ryall was visiting Middlemore, which is Australasia's busiest emergency department, to acknowledge a staff-led programme that has seen the ED achieve the new target.