BOPDHB Annual Report 2013 BOPDHB Annual Report 2013 | Page 5

Chair’s Year in Review The start of a new year naturally brings with it an anticipation of the opportunities and challenges that lay ahead, but it also marks a time of reflection for the 12 months which have just passed. A defined set of values is essential to an organisation. An aspect of particular note during this last year has been the way in which our staff members have assimilated to our core values, embedding them into the organisation. CARE (Compassion, Attitude, Responsiveness and Excellence) was introduced as our aspirational values in 2011/12. However it was last year, in the first full year of its implementation, that we witnessed the daily benefits of engaged staff using these values in the course of their duties. The cohesiveness of values and the shared identity they create translates to an improved health service delivery and, most importantly, a better patient experience. Great satisfaction can be taken from such successes but in the ever-evolving world of healthcare, it represents one of many policies and initiatives undertaken. In the past 12 months, a strong emphasis has been placed on encouraging more parents to enrol their children into a dental clinic. This has increased good oral health and reduced the number of pre-school and school-aged children overdue for examination rates to reach our target of 10%, with adolescent utilisation also improving. At a strategic level, we are working more collaboratively with the other four Midland DHBs to achieve greater health, improved integration and better clinical pathways for our people to be thriving and healthy. The Bay of Plenty District Health Board (DHB) and Primary Health Organisations (PHOs) forum is now well established and working well. We have used this opportunity to further strengthen our relationships and have approved the development of the five-year Integrated HealthCare Strategy. It is notable that the 2013/14 Annual Plan has been signed up to by all of our PHOs. There have also been significant developments in terms of infrastructure. In January the Minister of Health Tony Ryall, opened a new stroke unit for use by all Bay of Plenty residents, at Tauranga Hospital. Last year about 300 Bay residents suffered a stroke and they have benefited immensely from this facility (as will others like them in the future). June saw the announcement of the $32 million state-of-the-art radiotherapy unit at Tauranga Hospital. It will be completed by mid-2014, with treatments starting towards the end of 2014, and will mean patients no longer have to travel out of the region for treatment. It will also be the country’s first partly solar-powered radiotherapy facility. Such growth and innovation is all the more impressive because it is being achieved within a financially constrained environment. In such an environment the efficient and effective allocation of resources is paramount and the fact that our year end result was once again achieved within budget shows the emphasis placed on this area. We are determined the Bay of Plenty DHB will continue to strive for ongoing achievement of the Government’s priorities, the Minister’s expectations, the national Health Targets and our six key strategic priorities. The Board’s strategic priorities are: 1) Health Targets The Government’s 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. 2) Māori Health/Disparities The long-term goal is for Māori within the Bay of Plenty region to have the same level of wellness as non- Māori. 3) Health of Older People Being proactive in the management of services for the population increase in older people, with an emphasis on wellness and encouraging healthy independent living. 1