Page 22 - Statement of Intent 2015/16
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Waikato DHB Strategic Priorities 2015/16
Strategic Priority
Description
Financials
Ensuring delivery on agreed financial forecasts and the ability to live within our means
Quality improvement
Constantly seeking opportunities to get better at how we function and improve effectiveness
Organisational and workforce development
Building a sustainable health workforce to serve future generations
Addressing chronic conditions
These conditions are the leading cause of ill health and premature death in New Zealand. They disproportionately affect low income earners, Māori and Pacific people.
Rural
A significant number of our people live in areas we consider as rural. We are planning for clinical sustainability in rural health services and exploring opportunities to get the workforce better joined up.
Integrated Care
Health systems need to be re-balanced to respond better to the changing pattern of need generated by long term conditions and the technological opportunities becoming available, so that they foster professional team working and closer relationships between provider organisations, encourage and support much more patient self-care and take greater pains to prevent long term conditions developing in the first place.
Regional collaboration
Improving clinical services quality and viability across the Midland region and reducing duplication of effort and bureaucracy
1.7 Key Risks and Opportunities
By its nature, the health sector is complex and challenging. We have identified the following risks and opportunities as being particularly relevant for 2015/16.
1.7.1 Health Inequalities
We are committed to reducing or eliminating the effects of health disparities through, firstly, identifying them and, secondly, through funding and providing universal programmes which include a focus on reducing disparities as well as specific programmes that target disparities and improve access to services. It should be noted that long term conditions, particularly those that are exacerbated by tobacco use, and maternal smoking (particularly in the third trimester) are significant contributors to health disparity. The approach we take includes:
implementing our Māori Health Plan;
promoting screening services too hard to reach groups to increase early detection of
disease;
implementing services that target communities with identified health inequalities;
setting targets by ethnicity or by high needs;
supporting kaupapa Māori services and ‘for Pacific by Pacific’ services;
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