Page 23 - Statement of Intent 2015/16
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increasing the capability of the Māori and Pacific workforce across our district;
using an equity lens as part of decision-making processes (e.g. the Health Equity
Assessment Tool);
engaging with our Disability Support Advisory Committee to provide advice and
inform decision making;
engaging with Iwi Māori Council to provide advice and inform decision making;
engaging with community health forums and expert advisory groups to provide and
receive advice (e.g. our AgeWISE advisory group and our rural health advisory group).
A challenge for DHBs in the Midland Region is to configure health service delivery in a way that takes account of the complex relationships between the key social determinants of health (such as housing quality, education and employment), while recognising that a number of public and private agencies influence health outcomes.
1.7.2 Fiscal Discipline
The ongoing pressure of the financial environment is one of the factors driving the need for the health system to transform. This means seeking efficiency gains and improvements in purchasing, productivity and the quality of our operation and service delivery.
1.7.3 Health System Workforce Shortages
The health workforce is made up of a wide variety of occupational groups employed by a number of different organisations. Workforce shortages, particularly in rural and provincial areas, are a key threat to the health system’s ability to provide a full range of accessible, high-quality health services.
Work is occurring at a national, regional and local level to mitigate the impact of workforce shortages. Detail on a number of the strategies in place to mitigate the impact of this challenge is set out in module five.
1.7.4 System Integration
A growing commitment to the achievement of more effective system integration in partnership with primary care and other appropriate stakeholders is fundamental to strengthening our healthcare system. As in previous years, we have engaged with our primary care partners as part of our planning process. It was identified that improvements needed to be made with this process so, Waikato DHB will be working with our primary care alliance partners in late 2015 to improve the engagement process around annual planning. This process will inform the development of the 2016/17 annual planning documents.
Evidence shows that integrating primary care with other parts of the health system is vital for better management of long term conditions, responding to the pressure of an ageing population and in managing acute demand. Hospital demand is growing at a rapid rate, and as more hospital admissions occur due to preventable causes, we need to examine what could be improved in regard to how we deliver our services.
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