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Lakes District Health Board is falling short of national targets when it comes to faster cancer treatment, shorter stays in ED and immunisation of babies - achieving just two out of the six targets.
District health boards' performances against six national health targets were released today, covering the quarter from April to June 2017.
Lakes District Health Board has dropped its performance against the faster cancer treatment target with a score of 77 per cent. The target is for 85 per cent of patients to receive their first cancer treatment (or other management) within 62 days of being referred with a high suspicion of cancer, and a need to be seen within two weeks.
Service manager Jane Chittenden said 23 of the 27 patients met the 62 day indicator, however when combined with quarter three data, the overall achievement fell. She said "it's important to note both the January holiday period and the junior doctors' strike fell in quarter three". This result covers those patients who received their first cancer treatment between January 1 and June 30.
Lakes DHB also fell short on the national immunisation target of 95 per cent of 8-month-
olds having their primary course of immunisation at 6 weeks, 3 months and 5
months on time - with a result of 92 per cent.
"The fourth quarter increased immunisation result is disappointing as the immunisation teams across the Lakes DHB area continue to work really hard to immunise the babies under 8 months on time."
Portfolio manager Pip King said the 3 per cent shortfall represented a small number of babies who had not been immunised on time. She said while the DHB had not met the immunisation target, the coverage over the past 12 months in the Lakes district has been higher than ever before.
"As a result we are seeing a significant reduction in babies and children being hospitalised and requiring care for illnesses that are preventable. This is heartening for the doctors and nurses and families who find it extremely distressing nursing very small babies, who can be extremely unwell."
Lakes DHB has met the better help for smokers to quit target. This target is for 90 per cent of PHO enrolled patients who smoke, have been offered help to quit smoking by a health care practitioner in the last 15 months. While the health target measures patients in primary care provided with advice to quit, the DHB as a sub target also provides this advice to all hospitalised smokers and pregnant women.
Lakes DHB remains on 94 per cent for the shorter stays in ED target, just one point shy of the target of 95 per cent of patients to be admitted, discharged or transferred from an ED within six hours.
Service manager for ED, Jenny Martelli, said many of the strategies put in place to improve the wait time in ED were showing positive results "however the impact of winter illnesses on patient numbers and staff absences has caused us to miss the target this quarter".
This is the fourth quarter that the raising healthy kids target is being publicly reported.
The target is that by December 2017, 95 per cent of obese children identified in the B4 School Check (B4SC) programme will be offered a referral to a health professional for clinical assessment and family based nutrition, activity and lifestyle interventions.
Lakes DHB's result for this quarter is 88 per cent, continuing the improvement towards achievement of this target. Data is based on all acknowledged referrals for obese children up to the end of the quarter from B4SCs occurring in the six months to May 30, 2017.
The B4 School Check is a programme offering a free health and development check for all 4-year-olds. The B4SC is undertaken to allow time for further assessment and/or intervention to occur if required, before the child starts school. The Lakes DHB team provides the checks through home visiting, community clinics, and early childhood education centres.
The health target is just one part of the wider childhood obesity plan that includes actions on healthy food policies, working with the food industry, schools and local government.
Health Minister Jonathan Coleman said the latest health target results showed Lakes DHB was making good progress "but there's always more to do".
"The latest health targets show that Lakes DHB is close to achieving the Shorter Stays in EDs Target, with 94 per cent of patients admitted, discharged or transferred from Lakes DHB EDs within six hours.
"Recent New Zealand research found that this target is saving lives, with around 700 fewer deaths than predicted in 2012 if pre-target trends continue.
"Nationally the Improved Access to Elective Surgery Target of 100 per cent was again achieved, this time surpassed by 6 per cent. Lakes DHB achieved 101 per cent which is above the target.
"Lakes DHB also met the Better Help for Smokers to Quit Target, offering 90 per cent of their PHO enrolled smokers to support to quit. The DHB is close to meeting the Increased Immunisation Target for eight-month olds, reaching 92 per cent.
"Further work is needed however on the Faster Cancer Treatment Target and the Raising Healthy Kids Target.
"I'd like to acknowledge all the health professionals at Lakes DHB for their continued hard work to improve key health services for New Zealanders."
There are 93 horses still facing an uncertain fate.