BAY of Plenty District Health Board did not meet targets in four key health measures, according to a quarterly report by the ministry of health.
But it did meet targets for elective surgeries as well as heart and diabetes checks.
The Healthy Targets report shows immunisation rates in the Bay of Plenty are at 87 percent, 8 percent below target. Board primary health portfolio manager Andrea Baker said the board was working with primary care partners and the community to improve performance.
“Part of that focus will be on the recommendations of a recent DHB Peer Review, undertaken to examine how things can be better implemented across the Bay.
“We are committed to meeting the immunisation target of 95 percent and will implement agreed review recommendations once they have been received.”
The report also showed the health board had not met the target of having 85 percent of patients receive their first cancer treatment, or management, within 62 days of being referred.
Senior portfolio manager Mike Agnew said data collection issues hampered good results but he was sure that would be rectified by the next quarter.
The target of offering at least 90 percent of PHO-enrolled patients who smoke help to quit by a health care practitioner in the past 15 months was also not met, but health equity-public health portfolio manager Brian Pointon said progress was being made.
“The target now requires general practices to contact all their known smoking patients regularly to check whether they are still smoking, and if so to provide further advice for them to quit and offer enrolment into a quit-smoking programme.”
The district health board also maintained its performance of 94 percent for the shorter stays in emergency departments target, missing the 95 percent target of patients to be admitted, discharged or transferred within six hours.
However surgical service business leader Bronwyn Anstis said it had once again exceeded the improved access to elective surgery target.
“This is the 12th quarter, which equates to three years in a row, in which the elective surgery target has been met and exceeded, which means more Bay of Plenty residents are getting the surgery they need. This represents a fantastic result for the community we serve.”
The more heart and diabetes checks target was also met and exceeded, with results increasing from 89 percent of its eligible population having had their cardiovascular risk assessed in the past five years to 91 percent. The result took it from 17th to 7th on the table of 20 district health boards.