HEALTH: SHE SAYS she's got the perfect life.
Sue Capenerhurst focuses in on the Whanganui region's health services from Monday to Friday. Then she goes back to her home, a 400ha sheep and cattle farm at Mangaweka, puts on her jodhpurs and musters cattle at the weekend. The physical work is a welcome change, after the intensive thinking of her weekday life.
"It's very restful, mentally," she said.
She got the job of general manager in early March, after first getting the job of change manager in October 2005. The change manager job came about because she met Whanganui District Health Board chief Memo Musa and liked what he had to say about the board's project to redesign its health services.
"We talked about the changes that he envisaged and the project and I found him really quite inspirational, and the work that was going to be undertaken was very much my cup of tea."
Ms Capenerhurst enjoys change and enjoys looking for positive ways to improve health care.
She was brought up in Wanganui and went to Palmerston North to study nursing, staying there for some years and focusing on nursing management. Since then she has also worked for the Accident Compensation Commission (ACC), managed an agency for relieving nurses in Wanganui and managed the staff at an international software company.
Most recently she's been an independent consultant with jobs in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Dunedin, Darwin and Alice Springs. Her last job was directing the meningococcal B immunisations for 130,000 children in the Hutt Valley. She came to work in Wanganui in October, and loved it. She said she had a motivated, able and enthusiastic team of people to work with.
"For a small hospital, they have really got something to be proud of."
And she relishes the chance to try something new: re-arranging health services and then designing the settings to suit them.
"It's a unique approach. We're seeking to redesign the service model delivery and let that drive the facility change."
A new, customer-focused approach was being used.
Ms Capenerhurst was carrying on some change managing work, in order to provide continuity for the project. Her new job as general manager gave her the opportunity to bed in the changes that would be made.
It had other challenges as well, she said, such as making waiting lists acceptable and service exemplary. And she was conscious of the mounting deficit.
"We're looking for ways we can come in against budget without compromising the quality of care."
Sue reckons she's got the perfect life
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