Page 9 - Statement of Intent 2015/16

MODULE ONE: INTRODUCTION AND STRATEGIC INTENTIONS
1.1 Introduction
Waikato DHB was established on 1 January 2001 by the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000 (NZPHD) and is one of 20 DHBs in New Zealand. DHBs were established as vehicles for the public funding and provision of personal health services, public health services and disability support services for a geographically defined population1. Waikato DHB is a Crown Entity and is accountable to the Minister of Health.
We receive funding from Government to undertake our functions2. The amount of funding is determined by the size of our population, as well as the population’s age, gender, ethnicity and socio-economic status characteristics. We are both a funder and provider of health services. In 2015/16 we will receive approximately $1,289 million in funding from the Government and Crown agencies for health and disability services for the Waikato population.
Our provider division will receive approximately 60 per cent of the service funding with the remaining 40 per cent being utilised to fund services including those provided by non- government organisations, primary care, pharmacy and laboratories.
The Ministry of Health and National Health Board also have a role in the planning and funding of some services. Some services are funded and contracted nationally, for example disability support services for people aged less than 65 years, public health services, specific screening programmes, some mental and addictions services, elective services, Well Child and primary maternity services, some Māori health services, postgraduate clinical education and training, as well as Māori and Pacific provider development.
We are socially responsible and uphold the ethical and quality standards commonly expected of providers of services and public sector organisations. We are responsible for monitoring and evaluating service delivery, including audits of the services we fund.
The costs of providing services to people living outside of our district are met by the DHB of the patient and are referred to as ‘inter-district’ services or Inter-District Flows. Likewise, where we do not provide the service, we have funding arrangements in place enabling our district residents to travel outside the district. We also deliver against service delivery contracts with external funders, such as the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC). We closely monitor Inter-District Flows and ACC volumes to ensure our ability to provide for our own population is not adversely affected by demand from outside the district.
1 See module 1.5.1 for a map of Waikato DHB
2 See module 1.6 for detail about Waikato DHBs’ functions
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