Chair’s Year in Review
Over the past year we have continued to work to improve the health status of the Bay of Plenty population.
Health is very much about people - the people who receive care, and the people who give that care.
The five key strategic priorities set by the Board of the Bay of Plenty District Health Board (DHB) clearly
demonstrate our intentions and with the Government’s expectations set how we will deliver health and
disability services for our residents.
It is also important that we measure our success in our drive to provide better, sooner, more convenient health
care for the people of our community, and met the actions and goals we have set.
The five key strategic priorities are:
Health Targets - The Government Health Targets provide clear and specific focus for action to improve
patient care and therefore better outcomes for the people of the Bay of Plenty.
Māori Health/Disparities - The long‐term goal is for Māori within the Bay of Plenty to have the same
level of wellness as non‐Māori.
Health of Older People - Being proactive in the management of services for the impending population
increase in older people, with an emphasis on wellness and encouraging healthy independent living.
Primary Health - Taking a whole of sector approach, working in partnership to achieve wellness
improvement and better, sooner, more convenient services. This approach will see reduced reliance
on hospitals and increased access to primary care services.
Wellness/Chronic conditions - Supporting services that enable people to become healthier and
therefore reduce the need for treatment. This will include areas such as reduced obesity and stopping
smoking.
There have been a number of milestones over the past year which show how this DHB is changing the way it
delivers services in its hospitals and also shows an increased focus on a whole of health sector approach
working with general practitioners and other community based health providers.
During the year we opened the new Renal Unit at Whakatane Hospital. This new unit is a real benefit to the
Eastern Bay of Plenty as it gives those people who need to have hospital-based dialysis the option of having it
in Whakatane.
The unit was officially opened by the Minister of Health, Tony Ryall, Minister Anne Tolley and Chairperson of
the Project Hope Community Trust, the late Colin Hammond.
The opening of Whakatane’s Renal Unit and later in the year at the opening of the new Children’s Ward in
Tauranga Hospital, by Children’s Commissioner Dr Russell Wills made me think about the contribution of time
and effort made by many people to the smooth running of our health services.
Across our community there are so many volunteers; the Friends of the Emergency Department in both
Tauranga and Whakatane Hospitals, volunteers in the Oncology Ward, the Friends of our Ward in Health in
Aging, the cart drivers who take visitors around the campus, the Red Cross volunteers who drive shuttles and
deliver fruit, the volunteer Chaplains, the ladies who knit, the ladies who fundraise, the Children in Hospital
Liaison Group who come in daily to assist the children’s play and fundraise for the Children’s Ward, the
Tauranga Community Liaison Group, the volunteers who drive others to appointments, the Ulysses Club who
do the Easter Run, and the many other people who bring in gifts, toys and donations throughout the year.
To each and every one of you, the Bay of Plenty District Health Board would like to say a resounding “Thank
you – thank you for your time, your commitment and your caring.”
Once again our year end result was achieved within budget.
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