Tops for jabs but cancer target missed

FILE

Lakes District Health Board is the worst performing health board in the country when it comes to making sure people receive faster cancer treatment - with just 37 per cent of patients getting their first treatment within the 62-day target.

The new target aims to make sure people with suspected cancer receive their first treatment or other management within 62 days of being referred with a high suspicion of cancer.

However, Faster Cancer Treatment team leader Dr Denise Aitken said 90 per cent of cancer sufferers didn't fall into the category because they came in either with a cancer already diagnosed or acutely unwell to the emergency department, with symptoms that led to a cancer diagnosis.

She said 86 per cent of that group received their treatment within 31 days from the decision to treat. Dr Aitken said a recent review around the target showed delays were due to clinical reasons like complexity in diagnosing cancer requiring a number of investigations, patients requiring a non cancer-related treatment prior to being able to confirm the diagnosis or preparation for surgery.

Meanwhile, the health board has seen a remarkable turnaround in its target results for immunisation - topping the country for the first time since the targets began in 2009, when the health board had the lowest immunisation rates in the country.

Child and maternal health portfolio manager Pip King said the achievement had taken many years of changing the way health staff worked, along with improving systems and "providing efficient and integrated child health services".

"It has been a team approach across the Lakes DHB immunisation team, primary healthcare and community providers who deliver services to children across the Lakes DHB area, such as doctors, practice nurses, Well Child Tamariki Ora staff, Family Start staff and lead maternity carers."

Making sure families received key consistent messages around immunisation had been crucial.

The health board again exceeded the target for providing those in hospital who smoke advice and support to quit smoking, which Ms King said was an "outstanding achievement" given the area had a much higher number of smokers than nationally.

"We know we can help people quit smoking and we know people want to quit, therefore we want all our frontline staff to be asking people about their smoking and providing the best possible care and support to help them quit."

The health board again failed to meet the target for shorter stays in the emergency department despite a focus on the area.

Health board chief executive Ron Dunham said he was disappointed it hadn't moved at all on the target. However, it was a reflection of the number of acute presentations to the emergency department.

Lakes DHB Report

- Shorter stays in emergency departments-Remained at 92, three points off the 95 target. Ranked 19th out of 20 DHBs.

- Improved access to elective surgery-Increased to 8 points above the target. Ranked 10th out of 20 DHBs.

- Faster cancer treatment- Dropped 17 points to 37, well below the 85 target. Worst performing DHB.

- Increased immunisation-Improved to 96, one point above the target. Best performing DHB.

- Better help for smokers to quit-Hospital side dropped to 96, 1 above the target. Primary care increased to 86, four points below the target. Ranked 14 out of 20 DHBs.

- More heart and diabetes checks-Stayed at 88 per cent,below the 90 per cent target. Ranked 14th of 20 DHBs.