She said the current rate of non-attendance for Maori was something staff were "very concerned" about.
Miss Wilkie said they were not sure why there was such disparity between Maori and other attendance rates - but said one of the reasons could be that the outpatient services considered by some as "not being designed to meet Maori needs".
People missing outpatient appointments was a "constant and continuing" focus and an area which was recognised both nationally and internationally as an area that needed consistent efforts, she said.
Miss Wilkie said since the health board was set up in 2001 there had been many reports and initiatives undertaken in an attempt to approve the rates, but those had "limited success".
She said staff in the outpatients department put special emphasis on trying to minimise the risk to children, who without parental or carer support were unable to get themselves to an outpatient clinic appointment.
When asked what some of the common reasons were for not attending hospital appointments, Miss Wilkie said many patients indicated they did not consider their outpatient clinic appointment was a priority given the multiple demands of their daily lives.
She said another issue was the length of time between the referral and the outpatient appointment.
Miss WIlkie said they worked with Well Child providers to get help in making sure children were brought to appointments. They had also tried scheduling appointments at a time "acceptable" to the patients - but a three-month trial showed no improvements.
In December Hawke's Bay District Health Board announced a fully funded transport initiative, saying it believed it was the first health board in the country to offer a free public transport service for outpatients, including their carer or support person.
Miss Wilkie said Lakes was not currently considering following Hawke's Bay's lead, but said any solution which supported attendance and was cost effective would be considered.
"Transport does not appear to be a major reason for those people who don't get to their clinic appointment. In the event of transport being an issue, the DHB can sometimes help with travel requirements."
What are did not attend rates?
- The number of people not turning up to outpatient appointments
- Also called "was not brought to service" and "failed to deliver services" to remove element of blame.
- Constant focus for hospital staff